8/19/05

The Young Lawyers Section (YLS) of the State Bar of Michigan has won five national awards of achievement for its programs from the American Bar Association (ABA). The awards were presented in Chicago at the Annual Meeting of the ABA's Young Lawyers Division August 4-6, 2005.

The YLS received first place honors in the Service to the Public category for a program called "We the Jury" chaired by executive council member Chris Christenson. In the Newsletter category, Inter Alia newsletters, edited by executive council vice chairperson John Conway during the 2004-05 Bar year and chairperson Angelique Strong Marks during 2003-04, also won first place.

Second place honors went to a Legal Writing Seminar chaired by executive council member Elias Xenos. In the Minority Project category, the seminar "Can Women Really Have It All?" chaired by Angelique Strong Marks and the honorable Victoria Roberts also took second place. The YLS also won second place for the comprehensiveness of its programs over the past year.

"The executive council was dedicated and hardworking and the awards are national recognition for its efforts," said current chairperson Angelique Strong Marks. The applications for the awards were compiled and submitted by YLS chairperson-elect, Jeff Kirkey. "I'm excited and encouraged by our strong showing. We now have a goal for 2005-06, to improve on this year's terrific performance," Kirkey added.