| Dennis M. Barnes President, State Bar of Michigan Barris Sott Denn & Driker PLLC, Detroit Dennis M. Barnes is one of the state's top commercial litigators and mediators, as well as a leader in the federal and state bar. He is currently president of the State Bar of Michigan. His practice covers a wide range of commercial and business litigation. Mr. Barnes has substantial experience in the litigation and trial of matters involving intellectual property disputes, insurance law, including both coverage disputes and the statutory obligations of insurers, professional liability claims, antitrust claims, and a wide variety of business torts. He has managed the defense of several class-action lawsuits. In addition, Mr. Barnes has become a go-to mediator, facilitator, and arbitrator sought out by lawyers, clients, and judges around the state when they want to resolve controversies outside of court. | |
| Karlene Belyea, MBA Speaker & Consultant, Novi Karlene’s passion is speaking to groups about how to improve communications, culture and well-being in the workplace. She is a certified Everything DiSC® Trainer and presents sessions on behavioral styles, generational differences, body language, leadership and influence, creating positive and productive work cultures, wellness, work/life integration, finding happiness and brain training/neuroscience. Karlene focuses on how to work together more effectively through understanding and appreciating the differences in people, while working to improve communications, team building, customer service and conflict resolution. Karlene is the Chief Culture Officer of Mission Veterinary Partners. Prior to this, she was the CEO of the Michigan Veterinary Medical Association for 15 years and has more than 31 years of experience in management and team building. She holds a Master of Business Administration degree from the University of Michigan and a Bachelor of Arts degree in Telecommunications from Michigan State University, so she can cheer for whoever is winning. She speaks to a wide variety of groups nationally and sings and plays keyboards for a band. | |
| John G. Cameron Jr. Dickinson Wright PLLC, Grand Rapids John G. Cameron, Jr., practices in the areas of real estate and construction law. Mr. Cameron is admitted to practice in Michigan, Illinois, Colorado, and North Carolina. He attended the U.S. Naval Academy, received his BA in economics and business administration from Albion College in 1971, and graduated cum laude from Wayne State University Law School in 1974. He has written numerous chapters and articles and is the author of the five-volume treatise "Michigan Real Estate Forms and Practice" (Aspen Publishers) and "A Practitioner's Guide to Construction Law" (ALI-ABA). He is also author of ICLE's "Michigan Real Property Law." Mr. Cameron is listed in "Who's Who in American Law" and "The Best Lawyers in America" and has been named a Michigan Super Lawyer annually since 2006. He is an elected member of both the American Law Institute and the American College of Real Estate Lawyers, served as the public director on the board, is a member of the National Council of Architectural Registration Boards Task Force on Professional Ethics, and for six years served on the National Board of Editors of "The Practical Real Estate Lawyer." A former instructor on real estate law at Grand Valley State University's Seidman School of Business and at Grand Rapids Community College, Mr. Cameron lectures frequently on real estate law throughout the United States and teaches real estate transactions as an adjunct professor of law at the University of Michigan. He served as law clerk to the Honorable William H. Webster, U.S. Court of Appeals for the Eighth Circuit, in 1974-1975. With experience in real estate transactions and construction law matters, Mr. Cameron represents a wide variety of clients in a variety of real estate and construction law matters. He was recently awarded an LLM from the University of Michigan. | |
| Mary Chartier Chartier & Nyamfukudza PLC, East Lansing Mary Chartier is a criminal defense litigator and partner at the firm, which has offices in East Lansing and Grand Rapids. She has extensive experience litigating serious and complex criminal defense cases and has successfully defended clients in numerous federal and state trials. Ms. Chartier has served as lead counsel in many cases and has represented clients accused of white-collar crimes, such as health care fraud, mortgage fraud, and money laundering, as well as clients accused of drug dealing, crimes against the United States, bank robbery, criminal sexual conduct, and homicide. She is a member of the Criminal Defense Attorneys of Michigan (CDAM), the National Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers, and the National College for DUI Defense. She is a fellow of the American Bar Foundation, Michigan State Bar Foundation, and the Ingham County Bar Foundation. Ms. Chartier is president of the Ingham County Bar Association (ICBA) and chairperson of the ICBA's Criminal Defense Section. She taught law school students for over 10 years, including teaching the state's first medical marijuana class. Ms. Chartier has presented at many nationwide and state conferences on topics related to criminal defense, including conferences organized by CDAM, the Michigan Judges Association, and the National College for DUI Defense. She has also taught at the Hillman Advocacy Program, which provides federal courtroom training to trial lawyers and is sponsored by the United States District Court for the Western District of Michigan. Ms. Chartier has argued and won numerous cases at the Michigan Supreme Court, including "People v Koon," which related to impairment and medical marijuana use. She has received many recognitions for her criminal defense work, including being named one of the 2018 Leaders in the Law by "Michigan Lawyers Weekly" and receiving the Distinguished Barrister's Award by the Davis-Dunnings Bar Association. | |
| Kim A. Coggins Moderator Coggins Law, Marinette, WI Kim A. Coggins practices in the areas of municipal law, civil litigation, commercial law, real estate law, and domestic relations. He practices in both Michigan and Wisconsin. He is a 1977 graduate of Michigan State University and a 1981 graduate of Thomas M. Cooley Law School. Mr. Coggins is a member of the Michigan and Wisconsin State Bar Associations and the Menominee and Marinette County Bar Associations and has served as a member on several committees for the State Bar of Michigan. | |
| Darin A. Day Director of Outreach, State Bar of Michigan Darin A. Day supports law-related education programs throughout Michigan and helps ensure that the stat'es 120 voluntary bar associations and 44 state bar sections continue to have an effective voice within the profession. He is also the State Bar of Michigan liaison to the Michigan Center for Civic Education (MCCE) and Michigan Association of Bar Executives (MABE). Before joining the SBM staff in 2016, Mr. Day served 10 years as general counsel of a logistics company located just outside Philadelphia. Before that, he was a large-firm litigator in Boston, executive director of a community-based nonprofit in Flint, and a field instructor at the University of Michigan School of Social Work in Ann Arbor. He holds a BA in social work from MSU and a JD from the University of Chicago. | |
| Richard C. Fairchild, CPA Lebel & Rice, PC, Lansing Richard Fairchild is a practicing Certified Public Accountant, President and founder of Fairchild, Lebel & Rice, PC, a Lansing firm of nine people, including seven CPAs. He has worked in accounting since 1973, and in public accounting since 1979. Rick has taught, published articles and spoken on various tax and accounting topics to groups such as the Small Business Administration, the Michigan Society of Association Executives, Lansing Community College and numerous other organizations. He has taught continuing professional education courses for the Michigan Institute of CPAs for 20 years and is a member of both the American and Michigan Institutes of CPAs. He received a Bachelor of Arts in Accounting from Michigan State University. Mr. Fairchild and his firm have worked with small businesses, trade associations, employee benefit plans, individuals, estates and trusts for 41 years. The practice encompasses accounting, taxation with an emphasis on planning, trust and estate planning and administration, and general business consulting. | |
| Hon. Joseph J. Farah 7th Circuit Court, Flint Hon. Joseph J. Farah practiced law for 18 years before being appointed to the Genesee County Circuit Court in 1998. He was originally assigned to the Family Division, handling domestic and juvenile cases until 2005, and is currently assigned to the Civil/Criminal Division. Along with being a member of the judiciary, Judge Farah has taught a dozen law school classes concerning the law of evidence and has been a regular presenter to lawyers and judges concerning evidence and many other topics. He is currently a board member of the Michigan Judges Association, Michigan Board of Law Examiners, as well as other groups. | |
| Julie D. Gulledge Jr. Dickinson Wright PLLC, Grand Rapids Julie D. Gulledge is an associate at the firm’s corporate division in Detroit. Her practice includes a wide variety of transactional work with a focus in real estate, mergers and acquisitions, and general corporate counsel. Ms. Gulledge is admitted to practice in Michigan and is a member of the State Bar of Michigan’s Business Law and Tax Sections. | |
| James J. Harrington III Harrington Law PLC, Novi James J. Harrington III, the managing member of his firm, concentrates his practice solely upon complex family law cases, with approximately 1/3 of his practice involving mediation and arbitration. He has been a member of the State Bar of Michigan for 44 years and is a Fellow of the American Academy of Matrimonial Lawyers. Mr. Harrington was the first Michigan lawyer to receive family law certification from the National Board of Trial Attorneys. He is former chair of the State Bar’s Family Law Section, has held every officer position, and has testified on behalf of the section on multiple occasions before the Supreme Court of Michigan and Michigan Legislature. He has been published in “Michigan Bar Journal” and the section’s journal many times. In addition, Mr. Harrington is co-editor of the national LexisNexis publication “Michigan Family Law Practice” and author of the Alternate Dispute Resolution, Attorney Fees, Marital Property, Pretrial Discovery, Motion Practice, and Spousal Support chapters. Mr. Harrington is a frequent contributor for ICLE and the State Bar and is the recipient of the Blaine Johnson Award for outstanding contributions to continuing legal education. | |
| Robert A. Hendricks Warner Norcross + Judd, Grand Rapids Robert A. Hendricks practices in the area of business law, with a focus on Michigan marijuana legalization as applied to business. A commercial attorney in private practice since 1984, he led the in-house legal department of a billion-dollar-plus public corporation from 1995 to 2006 and was the head of the corporation's human resources department from 2006 to 2012. Mr. Hendricks and his partners formed his current marijuana business law practice in 2013. A member of the State Bar of Michigan (SBM), the Grand Rapids Bar Association, and the National Cannabis Bar Association, he is the chair (2018-2019) of the SBM’s Marijuana Law Section. Mr. Hendricks and his firm represent clients seeking state licensure as well as those who provide ancillary goods or services to the industry. He regularly writes and lectures on marijuana and business law issues and blogs regularly on marijuana business issues at his firm's website. | |
| Hon. Bridget M. McCormack Chief Justice, Michigan Supreme Court Justice Bridget M. McCormack was elected to the Michigan Supreme Court on January 1, 2013. Before her election, she was associate dean for clinical affairs and a clinical professor with the Michigan Clinical Law Program teaching both a criminal defense clinic and a domestic violence clinic. During that time, she cofounded the Michigan Innocence Clinic where students represented wrongfully convicted Michiganders. Before joining the faculty, she was a faculty fellow at Yale Law School. Justice McCormack has worked as a staff attorney with the Office of the Appellate Defender and as a senior trial attorney with the Criminal Defense Division of the Legal Aid Society, both in New York City. In 2012, the Justice Caucus presented her with the Millie Jeffrey Award and the Washtenaw County Women Lawyers recognized her with the Mary Foster Award. In 2013, Justice McCormack was honored with the Hon. Kaye Tertzag Purple Sport Coat Award. The American-Arab Anti-Discrimination Committee recognized her with its Guardian of Justice Award in 2014. She participates with a number of professional organizations, including the American Bar Association Access to Justice Committee, the American Bar Association Litigation Journal's Board of Editors, the American Bar Association Working Group on Pro Bono and Public Service, the advisory board of the National Consortium on Racial and Ethnic Fairness in the Courts, the judicial elections committee of the National Association of Women Judges, and the advisory board of the Michigan Civil Rights Academy. Justice McCormack serves as a board member of the National Board of Legal Specialty Certification, and in 2013, was elected to the American Law Institute. She has been published in the University of Pennsylvania Law Review and wrote, with Andrea Lyon, the "Criminal Defense Motions Book" for the State Appellate Defender's Office. | |
| Takura Nyamfukudza Chartier & Nyamfukudza PLC, East Lansing Takura Nyamfukudza focuses his practice on criminal defense. He practices in state and federal courts throughout Michigan, including handling appellate cases in the Michigan Supreme Court and the Michigan Court of Appeals. Mr. Nyamfukudza is the president and an executive board member of the Davis-Dunnings Bar Association (DDBA) and serves as cochairperson of the DDBA's Mentorship Committee. He is also a member of the State Bar of Michigan (SBM), the National Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers, the Criminal Defense Attorneys of Michigan, and the Michigan Association of OWI Attorneys. Mr. Nyamfukudza has presented on issues related to the criminal justice system and criminal defense, including at a statewide conference offered by the Michigan Coalition for Immigrant and Refugee Rights and the People's Law School, where he educated those in attendance on issues related to the Fourth Amendment. He received the SBM's Regeana Myrick Outstanding Young Lawyer Award for 2015. | |
| Sarah Ostahowski Sarah's Law Firm PLC, Clare Sarah L. Ostahowski opened her own practice in 2011, directly out of law school, in the small village of Shepherd. She has now expanded to Alma and Clare, with a focus entirely on estate planning and elder law. Ms. Ostahowski is a frequent speaker for ICLE and WealthCounsel (a nationwide network of estate planning lawyers) as well as Western Michigan University Cooley Law School. She is a member of the State Bar of Michigan, the American Bar Association, and WealthCounsel. She is on the board of trustees for Gratiot and Isabella County United Way, Catholic Community Foundation of Mid-Michigan, and 60+ Elder Law Clinic at Cooley Law School. Ms. Ostahowski was nominated to the "Michigan Lawyers Weekly" Women in the Law Class of 2017, Top 40 Under 40 by National Advocates, and 2017 Rising Star by Super Lawyers. | |
| Daniel D. Quick Dickinson Wright PLLC, Troy Daniel Quick is a commercial litigation trial attorney with Dickinson Wright PLLC in Troy, Michigan. He was the Chair of the committee for the State Bar of Michigan which proposed revisions to the court rules. Mr. Quick’s practice includes ‘business divorce’ and shareholder oppression litigation, trade secrets, intellectual property litigation, and UCC contractual disputes. Among other publications, he is co-author of Michigan Business Torts (ICLE) and Michigan Court Rules Practice (Thompson Reuters 2018). Mr. Quick is an officer of the State Bar of Michigan and a member of the governing council of the Section of Litigation of the American Bar Association. | |
| Victoria A. Radke Moderator Victoria A. Radke PC, Escanaba Victoria A. Radke is a family law practitioner in Michigan's Upper Peninsula. She is the former Delta County Friend of the Court, a past chair of the Representative Assembly, and currently serves as District A Commissioner of the State Bar of Michigan. Throughout her career, Ms. Radke has served on numerous State Bar Committees since graduating from the Detroit College of Law in 1987. | |
| Thomas George Sinas Sinas Dramis Law Firm, Grand Rapids Thomas G. Sinas is a shareholder at his firm and specializes in personal injury, auto negligence, and auto no-fault litigation. Following his graduation magna cum laude from the University of Minnesota Law School, he practiced with a national law firm in Minneapolis, where he represented catastrophically injured individuals and their families. He later worked for Minnesota's premier state prosecution office on a special assignment to prosecute complex financial crimes before returning to Michigan to join the family firm. Mr. Sinas is a member of the Michigan Association for Justice as well an associate general counsel for the Coalition Protecting Auto No-Fault. He serves as a member of the board of directors of the Brain Injury Association of Michigan. He is past president of the Legal Assistance Center as well as a former trustee of the Grand Rapids Bar Association. From 2015 to 2018, Mr. Sinas was named a Rising Star by Michigan Super Lawyers. In 2016 he was named as an Up and Coming Lawyer by "Michigan Lawyers Weekly," and he was also awarded the Prevention Award from the Brain Injury Association of Michigan for his work on brain injury awareness and prevention in children. In 2018 and 2019, Mr. Sinas was named a Michigan Leading Lawyer. He has also lectured and authored numerous articles on trial practice and substantive law. | |
| Marlaine C. Teahan Fraser Trebilcock, Lansing Marlaine C. Teahan is a past chair of the Probate and Estate Planning Section of the State Bar of Michigan and a fellow of the American College of Trust and Estate Counsel. She practices in the areas of planning and administration of trusts and estates, estate and gift tax, and contested probate litigation. Ms. Teahan was a member of the Michigan Trust Code Committee and chaired the section's committees on legislation; court rules, procedures, and forms; and special projects. She is a frequent ICLE presenter and contributor. Ms. Teahan has been listed in "The Best Lawyers in America" for trusts and estates from 2010 to 2019 and was named the 2019 Lansing Trusts and Estates Lawyer of the Year. She was named a Michigan Super Lawyer for estate planning and probate (as well as estate and trust litigation) from 2010 to 2018. Ms. Teahan was named to the Top 100 Attorneys list in Michigan by Super Lawyers for 2018 and the Top 50 Female Attorneys, Top 50 Consumer Law Attorneys, and Top 25 Female Consumer Law Attorneys lists for Michigan by Super Lawyers for 2014-2018. | |
