The State Bar of Michigan will present John W. "Jack" Martin Jr. with its highest and most prestigious honor, the Roberts P. Hudson Award. The Award will be presented at the Friday, September 17 luncheon of the Bar's 64th Annual Meeting in Grand Rapids.

The State Bar's Board of Commissioners chose Martin to receive this award, which is presented to an attorney who has " unselfishly rendered outstanding and unique service to and on behalf of the State Bar, the legal profession and the public and best exemplifies that which brings honor, esteem and respect to the legal profession."

Martin is retired vice president and general counsel of Ford Motor Company, where he was instrumental in forming a successful pro bono program that served as a prototype for similar programs at large corporations throughout the U.S.

He is a past chairperson of the State Bar's Access to Justice Task Force Legislation Advisory Committee. Martin is also a former co-chair of the American Bar Association's Business Law Pro Bono Committee. Under his leadership, the committee created a program to offer business law pro bono services to community groups in need of legal assistance.

Through his strong dedication to the Legal Services Corporation, Martin has helped to assure access to justice for the poor and recruited other distinguished members of the corporate community from across the country to publicly support legal services for the poor.

Legal Services Corporation President John McKay said, "This support, which would not have been organized without Jack Martin, has been one of the keys to LSC's new bi-partisan support in the U.S. Congress."

Martin was also the driving force behind the formation and success of the Detroit Legal Services Clinic. The Clinic was founded after Martin and several other general counsels from large firms came together to address the issue of pro bono involvement of large firm and corporate attorneys. Martin led the group in conceptualizing the development of a first-of-its-kind in Michigan, free-standing legal services clinic.

Martin was nominated by John W. Cummiskey with supporting letters for the National Legal Aid & Defender Association, Ford Motor Company, the Detroit Metropolitan Bar Association, the American Bar Assocation and the Legal Services Corporation.