Annual Business Meeting & Program
This event is offered in conjunction with the Bar's Annual Meeting
Date: Friday, September 21, 2012
Time: 9:00–11:30 a.m.
Location: DeVos Place, Grand Rapids
Registration is requested to allow for proper facilities planning. Visit the Bar's Annual Meeting page for more details.
Your Third Career
A panel of attorneys will discuss new views of law practice in a changing profession.
Invited Speakers: Elizabeth Jolliffe, Your Benchmark Coach, Ann Arbor
Edgar W. Pugh, Pugh Moak PC, Bloomfield Hills
Stuart Trager, Kitch Drutchas Wagner Valitutti & Sherbrook, Detroit
Master Lawyers Section Begins Second Year
The Master Lawyers Section, launched at the State Bar’s 2010 Annual Meeting, is comprised of active, inactive, and emeritus SBM members in good standing who have reached age 60 or completed 30 years of practice as members of the Bar. Membership is automatic and free of charge for those who qualify. Active, inactive, and emeritus SBM members of good standing who have reached age 50 or have completed 20 years of membership in the Bar may join the section for $25 annually.
Working through its various committees, the Section promotes its members’ interests by planning and carrying out programs, publications, and activities of interest to its members; coordinating programs with local, affiliate, and national bar associations; protecting the public by providing resources on the ethical and practical issues related to transitioning from the practice of law; serving as a resource for attorneys as they plan their retirement; and expanding opportunities for its members to contribute to the community.
Chair of the Master Lawyers Section is Gregory L. Ulrich. Other officers include Chair-Elect Mary Ellen Crusoe Byrne, Secretary James H. Loree, and Treasurer Richard F. Fellrath.
Standing committees of the Section include Nominating, Service to Master Lawyers, Protection of the Public, Community Contribution, and Membership. Section members interested in serving on a committee can express interest by sending an e-mail to: masterlawyers@mail.michbar.org
The Service to Master Lawyers Committee is responsible for developing and producing educational programs, public service programs, career change programs, and talent utilization programs. The committee seeks to develop a mentoring program that would assist newer attorneys throughout the state in developing their practice in a manner best suited to meet their clients’ needs.
The Protection of the Public Committee is charged with developing, producing, and promoting materials and programs to assist attorneys in planning for and adjusting to changes in their professional status. A current project of the committee is the development of a proposed rule and procedures that would encourage lawyers to identify successors to their law practice and provide for the care and preservation of client records.
The Community Contribution Committee seeks to identify opportunities for section members to contribute within their communities. Examples of programs this committee explores include ask-a-lawyer radio programs and participation in school Law Day programs.
The Section typically meets in August and at the State Bar’s annual meeting in September. State Bar members may opt out of the section by selecting that option on their dues invoice or by submitting a request in writing.
For more information about the Master Lawyers Section, contact State Bar Director of Professional Standards Dawn Evans at (517) 346-6328 or devans@mail.michbar.org.
Master Lawyer Pro Bono Opportunities
 Read Inspiring Stories of Pro Bono and Community Service from the "A Lawyer Helps" Story Bank
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