Representative Assembly to Present Awards at NEXT Conference

Michael Franck Award

Mark Teicher believes in protecting the legal profession by protecting the public. And vice versa. He has dedicated more than 30 years volunteering to make the legal world a better place for both lawyers and their clients. Teicher stays busy running his successful Bloomfield Township law firm, and is equally dedicated to his work with the State Bar, where he has volunteered for nearly his entire career. He was elected to the State Bar’s Representative Assembly in 1986 and has never looked back. Since 1986 he has been appointed once and elected eight times to represent his colleagues in Oakland County. During this time, he has also served on a variety of State Bar committees, including a six-year term on the Standing Committee on Client Protection Fund, followed by six more years advising the committee. In addition, he spent more than 18 years as either a hearing panelist or hearing panelist chair for the Attorney Discipline Board. But his efforts don’t end there. Teicher also writes, speaks, and teaches on a variety of legal topics. And he still finds time for community service, including volunteer work with Big Brothers/Big Sisters of Metropolitan Detroit, and several other organizations.

Mark Teicher

Unsung Hero Award

F. Martin (Marty) Tieber is a lifesaver. He really is. Mary Chartier, who calls Tieber her “hero and the hero of many,” said Tieber has been consistently dedicating himself to justice and the rights afforded to all under the constitution doing throughout his entire career. “Mr. Tieber has been dedicated to defending the rights of men and women in criminal defense cases for over forty years,” she wrote, noting that he “is unanimously regarded as one of the nation’s top appellate attorneys, and has the respect of all who know him.” For a quarter century, Tieber directed the Lansing office of the State Appellate Defender. He has tried hundreds of cases, served in various committees, taught law, and been recognized over and over again for his expertise. But his crowning achievement might be the role he played in establishing Michigan’s Innocence Project in 2002. His commitment to justice “resulted in an innocent man being released from prison, clearing his name, and getting his life back,” Chartier noted. “There can be no bigger accomplishment than saving a person’s life.”

F. Martin Tieber

Click the caption below each photo to download a high resolution version of each award winner's photo.