John W. Reed is Thomas M. Cooley Professor of Law Emeritus at the University of Michigan Law School. In addition to his decades of service on the Michigan faculty, Professor Reed has served as dean at the University of Colorado Law School and, in retirement, at Wayne State University School of Law. His visiting appointments have included Harvard, Yale, Chicago, and NYU. He is an Academic Fellow of the International Society of Barristers and serves as its administrative director and editor.

Barry Scheck is a professor of law at the Benjamin N. Cardozo School of Law in New York City, where he has served for more than 27 years, and is the co-director of the Innocence Project. He is emeritus director of Clinical Education and co-director of the Trial Advocacy Programs and the Jacob Burns Center for the Study of Law and Ethics. Prof. Scheck received his undergraduate degree from Yale University in 1971 and his J.D. from Boalt Hall School of Law, University of California at Berkeley, in 1974.

Additional speakers in order of program presentation

Thursday, September 14, 9:00 AM–10:30 AM
“I Didn’t know I Could Do That with My Computer and the Internet” Seminar

Hon. Donald Passenger is a 61st District Court Judge in Grand Rapids, Michigan. Before joining the bench, he was an attorney with Mika, Meyers, Beckett & Jones in Grand Rapids. Judge Passenger received a bachelor of science in natural resources from the University of Michigan and a J.D. from Notre Dame Law School. He is very involved in the Grand Rapids community through numerous organizations, including Boy Scouts of America, Gerald R. Ford Council, board member and past vice president of Exploring, and the Mayor’s Drug Task Force. (Moderator)

E. Thomas McCarthy, Jr. is a member of Halpert, Weston, Wuori & Sawusch, P.C., where he focuses his trial practice on the representation of people who have suffered serious personal injuries or the death of family members. A trial lawyer since 1978, Tom has handled and tried a wide variety of cases. He is a Fellow of the American College of Trial Lawyers and a member of the American Board of Trial Advocates. Tom is also a past faculty member for the Hillman Trial Advocacy Program. (Panelist)

Jon Moothart is an attorney with Bowerman, Bowden and Moothart, P.C., concentrating his practice in the areas of civil litigation, consumer class actions, employment claims, business planning, commercial banking, insurance law, and creditor bankruptcy law. He is a member of the American Bar Association, Grand Traverse-Leelanau-Antrim County Bar Association, and the Grand Rapids Bar Association. Jon has authored several articles, including “Class Actions in Michigan State Courts: A Primer,” Michigan Bar Journal, May 1999 and “’Bad Faith’ in Michigan Insurance Coverage Litigation,” Michigan Bar Journal, November 1992. (Panelist)

Thursday, September 14, 2:00 PM–4:00 PM
Appellate Practice Section and Litigation Section Joint Program

Hon. Kirsten Frank Kelly was elected to the Court of Appeals in 2000. Previously, she was a municipal judge (three terms), a judge of the Wayne Circuit Court, and a presiding judge of the Family Division of the Wayne Circuit Court. She received her B.A. from Michigan State University in 1978 and her J.D. from the University of Detroit Mercy School of Law in 1981. (Panelist)

Hon. Christopher M. Murray was appointed to the Court of Appeals in 2002. Previously, he served as a judge on the Wayne Circuit Court in the Family Division, as a deputy legal counsel to Governor John Engler, and as an attorney in private practice. Judge Murray is the former chairman of the State Board of Ethics and has served as a member of the Local Government Claims Review Board. He is a graduate of Hillsdale College and the University of Detroit School of Law. (Panelist)

Friday, September 15, 2:00 PM–4:30 PM
Criminal Law Section Program: “ Fixing Michigan’s Broken Public Defense System”

Emmet Bondurant is a partner with Bondurant Mixson & Elmore, LLP. He has represented clients in nearly every forum available for a legal dispute, from rural trial courts through the United States Supreme Court In July 2001, Emmet was recognized as one of the top ten trial lawyers in the United States by the National Law Journal and as one of the leading lawyers in Georgia by Georgia Trend Magazine in December 2003.He currently serves as chairman of the Georgia Public Defender Standards Council and is a trustee of the American Inns of Court Foundation. (Panelist)

David Carroll is director of Research & Evaluations for the National Legal Aid & Defender Association. He has directed numerous standards-based assessments of indigent defense systems on behalf of NLADA, including: Venango County (Franklin), Pennsylvania; Clark County (Las Vegas), Nevada; Avoyelles Parish (Marksville), Louisiana; Santa Clara County (San Jose), California; and the State of Montana. He also co-authored a report for the U.S. Department of Justice, National Institute of Justice on the impact of stands on indigent defense services nationwide. (Panelist)

Randi Hood is the chief public defender for the state of Montana. Previously, she served as public defender for Lewis and Clark County and in private practice in Missoula, Montana. Randi was recognized as criminal defense attorney of the year in 2005. She has served on numerous boards, including the State Bar’s ad hoc committee on criminal defense and the local CASA board. Randi received a B.A. in political science (with high honors) and a J.D. (with honors) from the University of Montana. (Panelist)

Michael Mears is the director of the Georgia Public Defender Standards Council. Before his appointment as director, Michael was the director of the Multi-County Public Defender Office. He has personally served as lead trial counsel in over 60 death penalty cases since 1984. Michael has authored numerous publications and professional articles dealing with the defense of criminally charged defendants, and has published several books, including A Brief History of The Georgia Indigent Defense Counsel. In 1994, Michael was awarded the Indigent Defense Award for Service by the Georgia Indigent Defense Council. (Panelist)