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Annual Report 2001-2002
General
The Business Law
Section remained very active during the year and provided important
services to section members.
Business Law Journal
This year marked
the beginning of our partnership with ICLE in the publication of the
Business Law Journal. Through our collaborative efforts, the
Business Law Journal has been substantially enhanced.
Website
The section continues
to develop its website to more effectively communicate with section
members. In addition to listing the section's officers, council members,
committee chairs, and directors, the website now includes various substantive
articles and provides links to many useful websites related to business
law. The website also has an expanded calendar of events, with links
to continuing education opportunities likely to be of interest to section
members.
Access to Justice/Community
Legal Resources
The section once
again made a generous contribution to the Access to Justice Program.
The contribution has been designated to fund the Community Legal Resources
program supported by Access to Justice.
Mid-Year Meeting
The Business Law
Section's Fourteenth Annual Mid-Year Meeting in Traverse City in May
2002 saw the largest attendance ever. The Mid-Year Meeting has continued
to enjoy increased participation and remains a great opportunity for
section members to get together and obtain continuing education on business
law matters.
Enhanced Continuing
Education Opportunities
The section continued
to build upon the very strong relationship it has with the Institute
of Continuing Legal Education to offer quality continuing education
programs to Business Law Section members and members of the Bar generally.
The Section and ICLE are continuing efforts to increase the number of
jointly sponsored seminars in upcoming years.
Committees of
the Section
- Agricultural
Law Committee. The Agricultural Law Committee is focused on agricultural
law issues and developments in the state of Michigan affecting both
agri-businesses and farmers. Co-chairs of the committee are William
G. Tishkoff [(734) 663-4077 tishkoff@ic.net]
and John R. Dresser [(616) 651-3281 jrdresser@voyager.net].
- Commercial Litigation
Committee. The Commercial Litigation Committee assists litigators
as well as business and corporate counsel in addressing issues that
may lead to or arise in business-related litigation. The committee sponsors
seminars and other programs that address such issues and are designed
to enhance the practice of those involved in commercial litigation.
Chair of the committee is Diane L. Akers [(313) 393-7516 dakers@bodmanlongley.com]
- Corporate Laws
Committee. The Corporate Laws Committee monitors and reviews matters
relating to corporate law statutes and developments in the law of corporate
governance. The committee also works with the Business Corporation Act
Revision Subcommittee, which reviews the Michigan Business Corporation
Act for the purpose of keeping it current with developments in corporate
law and assists from time to time in drafting and advocating proposed
changes in the act. Co-chairs of the committee are Cyril Moscow [(313)
465-7486 czm@honigman.com] and
Justin G. Klimko [(313) 225-7037 klimkojg@butzel.com]
- Debtor/Creditor
Rights Committee. The Creditors' Rights Committee focuses on issues
of insolvency, such as bankruptcy, state law alternatives to bankruptcy,
secured lending (Article 9 of the Uniform Commercial Code), and state
law exemptions. Co-chairs of this committee are Judy B. Calton [(313)
465-7344 jbc@honigman.com] and Judith Greenstone Miller
[(248) 357-3010 jmiller@raypro.com]
- Financial Institutions
Committee. The Financial Institutions Committee focuses on legislative,
regulatory, and judicial developments and issues of interest to financial
institutions (primarily banks) and their affiliates. Chair of this committee
is James H. Breay [(616) 752-2114 jbreay@wnj.com]
- In-House Counsel
Committee Reports. The In-House Counsel Committee is committed to
addressing the professional interests of in-house counsel by sponsoring
continuing legal education programs, informing members about issues
of particular interest to them, and offering social and professional
networking opportunities. Chair of this committee is Vicki Martin-Anderson
[(517) 496-5989 v.l.martinanderson@dowcorning.com]
- Non-Profit Corporations
Committee. The Nonprofit Corporations Committee's principal responsibility
is to review and update laws relating to the organization of nonprofit
corporations in Michigan. The principal focus has been the Nonprofit
Corporation Act, but it also reviews other legislation, such as bills
regulating the solicitation of contributions by charities. The committee
also assists with sponsoring continuing legal education programs directed
as nonprofit organization issues. Co-chairs of this committee are Jane
Forbes [(313) 568-6792 jforbes@dykema.com]
and Mark Lezotte [(313) 791-1730 lezottem@oakwood.org]
- Regulation of
Securities Committee. The Regulation of Securities Committee is
concerned with federal and state laws and regulations relating to the
offer, sale, and trading of securities. The committee also supplies
a liaison to the Securities Law Advisory Committee of the Michigan Corporation
& Securities Bureau. Activities are designed to inform members of
current developments and issues and provide input to appropriate administrative
and legislative bodies. Co-chairs of this committee are Arthur Dudley,
II [(313) 225-7070 dudleya@butzel.com] and Kenneth H. Gold [(248)
646-2400 kgold@mirolaw.com]
- Uniform Commercial
Code Committee. The Uniform Commercial Code Committee monitors developments
and issues under all Articles of the UCC and related commercial statutes.
In October of each year, the committee presents a seminar on recent
developments in commercial law. Additionally, the committee prepares
an annual survey of case law involving the UCC and commercial law. Chair
of this committee is Patrick E. Mears [(616) 776-7550 pmears@dykema.com]
- Unincorporated
Enterprises Committee. The committee remains active in conducting
seminars regarding unincorporated enterprises, focusing on the statutory
revisions regarding limited liability companies. The committee has also
assisted in informing members of the Bar from other sections as to legislation
affecting unincorporated enterprises. The committee co-sponsored (in
the name of the Business Law Section) the annual Business Entity Considerations
seminar of ICLE in February 1999, and is participating in the 1999 Upper
Michigan Legal Institute in June. The committee continues to monitor
activities regarding legislation affecting unincorporated enterprises
and plans to seek, on a cooperative basis with other sections, further
clarification regarding the "uncapping" of taxable value on real estate
in the event of the formation/conversion of limited liability companies.
Membership in the committee is open to all members of the Business Law
Section. The focus of the committee's activities has been to present
seminars in conjunction with ICLE and the Business Law Section. Membership
and the opportunity to play a significant role in the committee's activities
is and will continue to be open to all members of this section. As with
most other committees, the Unincorporated Enterprises Committee schedules
meetings primarily in the western region of the Detroit metropolitan
area. It is hoped that continued efforts to attract interest to the
committee will be successful. Chair of this committee is Daniel H. Minkus
[(248) 642-9692 dminkus@clarkhill.com]
Directors of
the Section
General.
As part of the revised bylaws and restructuring of the section leadership,
the section council recognizes that various of the prior committees
were "committees of one." As such, these committees have been converted
into directorships. As such, the section now has a director of legislative
review, a director of programs, a director of publications, a director
of technology, and a director of nominations.
- Director of
Legislative Review. G. Ann Baker [(517) 241-6420 Ann.Baker@cis.state.mi.us]
serves as the Director of Legislative Review and is responsible for
reviewing proposed legislation and advising the section leadership of
matters of substantive law which may be of interest or concern to business
lawyers in Michigan.
- Director of
Nominations. The Director of Nominations is Martin C. Oetting [(313)
965-8810 moetting@clarkhill.com]
- Director of
Programs. Eric I. Lark [(313) 963-7310 eil@krwplc.com] and Mark A. Aiello [(313) 963-6200
maiello@foleylaw.com] serve
as Co-Directors of Programs for the section. They are responsible for
programs at both the Annual Meeting of the Business Law Section (in
conjunction with the Annual Meeting of the State Bar) as well as the
Mid-Year Meeting in Traverse City.
- Director of
Publications. Robert T. Wilson [(248) 258-1616 wilsonr@butzel.com]
is the Director of Publications and is responsible for the publication
of the Business Law Journal.
- Director of
Section Development.Timothy R. Damschroder [(734) 930-0230 tdamschroder@bodmanlongley.com]
is the director of Section Development.
- Director of
Technology. Michael S. Khoury [(248) 263-3768 mkhoury@raypro.com]
is the Director of Technology and is responsible for developing the
structure for the council's website and, along with the section Webmaster,
for bringing opportunities to the section to enhance the section website
and other forms of electronic communication with its members. The Director
of Technology has facilitated the establishment of a section leadership
listserv and a section-wide listserv, an efficient and inexpensive means
of communicating information to the section.
Committee
Membership
The
section encourages members to consider participation in one or more
of the section's committees. Please contact the chair of any committee
directly or our section administrator, Laura Jones [(248) 437-0827 lejones03@aol.com]
Tracy
T. Larsen, Chairperson
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