It is easy to become active in the Business Law Section of the State Bar of Michigan. The Business Law Section is funded and operated entirely by its members. As is true with many volunteer organizations, the time and effort put into the Section by its officers, Council members, Committee chairs, and other active members directly correlates to the viability of the Section and its worth to all Section members.

The Business Law Section was formed in 1965, and currently has over 3,500 members, making it the second largest elective Section of the Michigan State Bar.

Mission Statement

"The mission of the Business Law Section is to foster the highest quality of professionalism and practice in business law and to enhance the legislative and regulatory environment for conducting business in Michigan. To fulfill this mission, the Section (a) provides a forum to facilitate service and commitment and to promote ethical conduct and collegiality within the practice; (b) expands the resources of business lawyers by providing educational, networking and mentoring opportunities; and (c) reviews and promotes improvements to business legislation and regulations."

The Section's Council governs general supervision and control of the affairs of the Section. One-third of the Council's members are elected to serve a three year term at each Annual Section Meeting (held in conjunction with the Annual Meeting of the State Bar of Michigan). The Council also includes all past chairpersons of the Section. There are currently 15 elected Council members (their names appear on this website - click on the "Council Members" button under the heading "Council Information"). The Council meets several times each year and those meetings are open to all Section members. Persons are usually elected to the Section's Council after they have spent some time assisting with Section activities.

The Section's Executive Committee consists of the Section's chair, vice-chair, secretary, and treasurer, and is elected by the Section's Council at the first yearly meeting of the Council (held immediately following each Annual Section Meeting). Each officer position has a one year term. Typically, to promote continuity among Section leadership, persons serve on the Executive Committee for four years, beginning as the treasurer, and moving on to the secretary, vice-chair, and then chair. The names of the current members of the Executive Committee appear on this website - click on the "Officers" button under the heading "Council Information".

In addition to the Council and the Executive Committee, the Business Law Section has Committees and Directorships - click on the "Committee Chairpersons" button under the heading "Council Information". The primary functions of the Section are completed through Committees. Accordingly, one of the best ways to become involved in the Business Law Section is to contact the chair or co-chair of a Committee that covers one or more areas of interest to you. The work and activities of the Committees varies. In general, Committees do one or more of the following: draft new legislation, assist the Michigan legislature with legislation concerning business law issues, hold meetings and/or forums on topics of interest, organize and hold seminars, circulate information of interest to Committee members, and the like. Committee chairs welcome your participation and ideas for future Committee activities. Please contact a Committee chair if you are interested in participating.

The Section is currently involved in a wide variety of activities. As you may know, the Section's biggest event of each year is the Mid-Year Meeting held each May. The Mid-Year meeting provides many opportunities to meet other Section members and discuss pertinent business law issues. There are plenty of opportunities for speakers and assistance with planning for future Mid-Year Meetings.

The Annual Meeting event typically includes a half-day program, the Section business meeting, and a reception. More information on the event can be found under the "Calendar" section of this website.

The Michigan Business Law Journal provides a great opportunity to publish articles. If you have had to research a business law issue recently, chances are other Section members would benefit from that research. If you have written a memorandum or brief on the topic, then converting that into an article for the Michigan Business Law Journal should be easy. Please contact Robert T. Wilson, Publications Director, if you are interested in submitting an article for the Michigan Business Law Journal (click on the "Publications" button under the heading "Director Reports" on this website).

The Section has formed an Ad Hoc Committee to study whether the State of Michigan should have a business court. The Ad Hoc Committee is chaired by Diane L. Akers, chair of the Commercial Litigation Committee of the Business Law Section (click on the "Commercial Litigation" button under the heading "Committee Reports" on this website). Through a Section-wide e-mail sent by Ms. Akers, over 160 attorneys have expressed an interest in joining the Ad Hoc Committee. We look forward to the Committee's recommendations and results. Please contact Ms. Akers if you would like to participate.

The Section has formed a Subcommittee to work to adopt the Uniform Securities Act of 2002 and to help restore the securities regulatory function at the Office of Financial and Insurance Services. The Subcommittee is chaired by Hugh H. Makens, former Chair of the Business Law Section (click on the "Officers" under the heading "Council Information" on this website) and Cyril Moscow, Co-Chairperson of the Corporate Laws Committee (click on the "Corporate Laws" button under the heading "Committee Reports" on this website). The Committee currently has 45 members. Please contact Mr. Makens or Mr. Moscow if you would like to participate.

Several Committees are responsible for keeping track of current Michigan legislation, commenting on proposed legislation, and drafting general statutory amendments. These include: (i) Corporate Laws Committee - Michigan Business Corporation Act, (ii) Nonprofit Corporations Committee - Michigan Nonprofit Corporation Act, (iii) Financial Institutions Committee - various legislation concerning financial institutions, (iv) Regulation of Securities Committee - Michigan Uniform Securities Act, (v) Michigan Uniform Commercial Code Committee - Michigan Uniform Commercial Code, and (vi) Unincorporated Enterprises Committee - Michigan Limited Liability Company Act. Please contact the appropriate Committee chair if you would like to assist with any of these legislative activities, or if you have any recommendations for any legislative changes. These Committees present a wonderful opportunity for members of the Business Law Section to impact the legislation that affects their business and their clients.

The Section has established a scholarship award program which gives yearly awards to students attending Michigan's five law schools for producing the best articles on business law topics. Please contact Timothy R. Damschroder, Section Development Director, if you are interested in assisting in this effort (click on the "Officers" button under the heading "Council Information").

The Section has many other activities and projects which need the help of Section members. Please contact Timothy R. Damschroder, Section Development Director, if you have any ideas or comments on what the Section is, or should be doing, or if you want to participate in any of the activities outlined on this page.

Submitted by,

Timothy R. Damschroder
Section Development Director
Bodman LLP
110 Miller, Suite 300
Ann Arbor, MI 48104-1387
Phone (734) 930-0230
Fax (734) 930-2494
e-mail: tdamschroder@bodmanllp.com