7/23/08

Board of Commissioners | Representative Assembly | Judicial Tenure Commission | Young Lawyers Section Executive Council

SBM Board of Commissioners

Attorneys David R. Brake, Elias J. Escobedo, and Richard J. Siriani have won contested seats in this year's State Bar of Michigan Board of Commissioners elections. All will serve three-year terms expiring at the close of the SBM Annual Meeting in 2011. The Board of Commissioners provides oversight to the various operations of the Bar such as finance, public policy, and member services.

David R. Brake

Brake won in District E representing Barry, Clinton, Eaton, Gratiot, Ingham, Ionia, Livingston, Montcalm, and Shiawassee counties. He is a shareholder in the Lansing law firm of Knaggs, Barter, Brake, and Schneider, PC and has been in private practice for 21 years. He has been a member of the board of directors of the Ingham County Bar Association since 2000 and was its president in 2006-07. He has also been active in various State Bar committees. Brake is a regular speaker at the Peoples' Law School in Lansing and is committed to volunteer projects such as helping developmentally challenged children.

Escobedo and Siriani won in District I representing Oakland County. Escobedo has been in practice for 23 years concentrating in the areas of personal injury and family, criminal, and employment law. He is president of the Oakland County Bar Association and a past president of the Hispanic Bar Association of Michigan. Escobedo has served two terms on the Board of Commissioners. He had a distinguished military career, receiving two Purple Hearts during his service in the Vietnam War.

Richard J. Siriani	Donald G. Rockwell

Siriani is senior counsel in the Troy office of Miller, Canfield, Paddock, and Stone PLC. He concentrates in the areas of estate planning and probate and trust administration and litigation. He serves on various State Bar committees and is vice chair of the Committee on Special Projects for the Probate and Estate Planning Section.

Four attorneys won uncontested races for the 32-member Board of Commissioners. They are:

• Donald G. Rockwell of Flint, who won in District B, which covers Bay, Huron, Genesee, Midland, Sanilac, Saginaw, and Tuscola counties.
• Richard L. Cunningham, Margaret A. Costello, and Lambro Niforos, all of whom won re-election in District H, which covers Wayne, Monroe, and Lenawee counties.

SBM Representative Assembly

Attorney William J. Ard of Williamston and Goldie Adele of Lansing were re-elected to contested seats on the Representative Assembly serving Ingham County. Ard, a solo practitioner who focuses on elder law, consumer law, and probate issues will serve a three-year term that expires at the close of the 2011 Annual Meeting. Adele, an administrator at Cooley Law School, will serve a two-year term ending at the close of the 2010 Annual Meeting.

The 150-member Representative Assembly is the final policy-making body of the State Bar of Michigan. Forty-nine attorneys won unopposed races for Representative Assembly seats. They are:

SBM Judicial Tenure Commission

Nancy J. Diehl

Former SBM President (2004-05) Nancy J. Diehl was re-elected to a second term as a member of the Judicial Tenure Commission. Her three-year term commences Jan. 1, 2009 and expires Dec. 31, 2011. The Judicial Tenure Commission is a constitutionally created body that promotes the integrity of the judicial process and preserves public confidence in the courts.

Diehl is a Wayne County prosecutor with more than 25 years of experience. She currently heads the Trial Division overseeing General Trials, Homicide, Auto Theft, Major Drugs, and the Child and Family Abuse Bureau. She is a national expert and frequent speaker on child abuse and other matters relating to family violence.

SBM Young Lawyers Section Executive Committee

Five attorneys won uncontested seats for the Young Lawyers Section Executive Council. All will serve two-year terms expiring at the close of the 2010 Annual Meeting.

Andrea C. Irons of Utica won in Wayne and Macomb counties. In Oakland County, James William Low of Southfield and Maureen M. McGinnis of Troy also won uncontested seats. Erika Lynn Anderson of St. Johns and Alexandra Nassar of Flint won in District 3, representing all other counties.

The Young Lawyers Executive Council governs the members of the Young Lawyers Section. It is comprised of a maximum of 23 members. The Young Lawyers Section, the State Bar's largest and oldest section, provides education, information, and analysis about issues of concern through meetings, seminars, public service programs, and newsletters. The section has won numerous awards for its public service and educational programs.

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