ROBERTS P. HUDSON AWARD

NANCY J. DIEHL

Because of Nancy J. Diehl, the world is a safer place for families and children. In addition to a 28-year career in the Wayne County Prosecutor’s Office, Diehl served as director of the child abuse unit and deputy chief of the child and family abuse bureau and founded the Wayne County Kids-TALK Child Advocacy Program.

Through her leadership roles with various organizations, Diehl was instrumental in changing state laws to help improve the criminal justice system and the lives of children and families. She also co-authored four booklets about children and the legal system. She retired from the prosecutor’s office in 2009 as chief of the Wayne County trial division. For her dedication and life-changing interventions, Diehl was honored as a winner of the 2023 Roberts P. Hudson Award.

“I’m going to tell you something,” Diehl said in 2004 when she became the president of the State Bar of Michigan, the third woman to hold the post. “Dealing with the kids, that’s the best job in the office. Because no matter how terrible the situation they’ve endured, these kids like to come in and laugh and talk. They’ve got their lives ahead of them and I know if I can intervene, I can make a difference in their future.”

Diehl, a 1978 Wayne State University Law School graduate, has received more than 30 awards to date including the Women Lawyers Association of Michigan Jean King Leadership Award in 2006. She was also the first recipient of the Detroit Metropolitan Bar Association Champion of Justice Award in 2004, was named the 2003 Women’s Justice Center Outstanding Advocate Award, and earned the 2000 Governor’s Award.

She has served on many boards and committees including the State Bar of Michigan Board of Commissioners, the Governor’s Task Force on Children’s Justice, the Guidance Center, the Junior League of Detroit, and the Wayne County Council Against Family Violence.

Diehl continues to consult and lecture throughout the nation on topics related to child abuse, family violence, and other criminal justice issues.

ROBERTS P. HUDSON AWARD

JOSEPH KIMBLE

The legal system will forever be easier to understand thanks to Joseph Kimble’s dedication to the English language, his students, and his readers.

“I think no reform would more fundamentally improve our profession and the work we do than learning to express ourselves in plain language,” said Kimble, a professor emeritus, editor, writer, and attorney.

Kimble has spent his decades-long career committed to improving the clarity of legal documents by serving on and chairing state, national, and international committees. He is also a prolific author of articles and books and has taught thousands of students the art of plain language. For his leadership and commitment, Kimble was named a 2023 Roberts P. Hudson Award winner.

“He worked not merely tirelessly, but resourcefully, to advance the cause of plain language in Michigan, the nation, and throughout the world,” longtime friend and 2012 Hudson Award winner Frederick M. Baker wrote in his nomination of Kimble.

Perhaps best known as a professor at Thomas M. Cooley Law School, Kimble previously practiced law in Flint and served as a staff attorney for the Michigan Supreme Court and Michigan Court of Appeals. For 35 years, he has also lent his expertise to the Michigan Bar Journal, serving as editor of the “Plain Language” column. He also is the editor of The Scribes Journal of Legal Writing and writes a column titled “Redlines” for the journal Judicature.

As a prolific author, Kimble has written three books on writing including “Lifting the Fog on Legalese: Essays on Plain Language.”

Kimble is a founding director for the Center for Plain Language, was on the board of the Legal Writing Institute, and is a former president of the international organization Clarity. In 2000, he was named a Plain English Champion by the U.K.-based Plain English Campaign.

Kimble has lectured throughout the world on plain language and continues to serve at Western Michigan University Cooley Law School as director of the Kimble Center for Legal Drafting.

ROBERTS P. HUDSON AWARD

JOHN M. SIER

John M. Sier’s commitment to others extends beyond the legal profession. In addition to his work as an attorney, Sier is committed to giving back to his community in a myriad of ways and for these efforts, he was honored with the 2023 Roberts P. Hudson Award.

Sier’s legacy includes being part of the founding of Detroit Cristo Rey High School in 2007, a school dedicated to serving Detroit’s minority population. The school has a 98.9% minority enrollment and a 17:1 student-to-teacher ratio, and Sier continues to serve on its board. From 2008-17, Sier was the chair for the school’s corporate work study program, which allows students to gain real-life professional experience.

“I have yet to meet an attorney more committed to the highest standards of our profession, especially public service,” said friend and colleague Adam Kutinsky. “I credit John with much of my success in my practice because I observed him practice with professionalism, integrity, and an extraordinary work ethic.”

As an attorney with more than three decades of experience, Sier is committed to helping businesses resolve their legal disputes without costly and time-consuming litigation. Sier’s commitment to others extends into his work as an attorney as he regularly mentors young attorneys and offers his time pro bono to legal aid clinics. He has received several awards from the State Bar of Michigan and the Detroit Bar Association for excellence in pro bono service.

Apart from his charitable work, Sier devotes an unusual amount of time to organizations related to construction and engineering law, his area of practice. That work has led to several other awards including the Monsignor Charles J. Mallory Lifetime Achievement Award from the Catholic Lawyers Society of the Archdiocese of Detroit, recognition from the Best Lawyers in America for construction law and construction litigation, the Engineering Society of Detroit Distinguished Service Award, and the Supplier Member of the Year and Presidents Award from the Building Owners and Managers Association of Metropolitan Detroit, among many others.

FRANK J. KELLEY DISTINGUISHED PUBLIC SERVICE AWARD

HON. TIMOTHY KENNY (RETIRED)

After a 49-year career, Timothy Kenny’s commitment to his profession and dedication to improving it make him the recipient of this year’s Frank J. Kelley Distinguished Public Service Award.

Kenny began his service in the Wayne County Prosecutor’s Office in 1973, starting as an assistant prosecutor. He went on to serve as chief trial attorney, director of the career criminal prosecution unit, and a special assistant U.S. attorney. He was appointed to the Wayne County Circuit Court, the state’s largest circuit court, in 1996 and was appointed the court’s chief judge in 2019.

As a judge, he recognized that many criminal defendants have mental health and drug and/or alcohol problems, so he instituted the county’s mental health court program and served as a judge for the adult drug court program.

Outside the courtroom, he served as the head of the Incorporated Society of Irish American Lawyers, leading its mentorship and scholarship committee. He also served as a reporter for the State Bar of Michigan Standing Committee on Standard Criminal Jury Instructions.

Kenny was also an adjunct professor at Madonna University and an instructor with the Michigan Judicial Institute, teaching newly elected judges criminal pretrial and trial procedures, and served as a regular presenter at the Livonia Police Department Citizen Police Academy.

In 2022, upon his retirement, he was awarded the Leonard Gilman Award by the Federal Bar Association for his dedication to public service.

CHAMPION OF JUSTICE AWARD

VERONICA THRONSON

Veronica Thronson exemplifies what it means to stand up for the vulnerable. Her efforts to provide top-quality service to some of Michigan’s most marginalized people is what led her to receiving this year’s Champion of Justice Award.

Thronson is director of the Immigration Law Clinic at Michigan State University College of Law, where she also teaches courses on domestic violence law, family law, and immigration and nationality law. Thronson routinely conducts training sessions for attorneys and judges and was appointed to the faculty of the National Judicial College in 2012. Since 2015, she has served as an expert faculty member with the National Immigrant Women’s Advocacy Project at American University Washington College of Law.

She has also served on several boards and task forces including her current role as a core faculty member of the Michigan State University Research Consortium on Gender-Based Violence and MSU’s Center for Gender in Global Context, and as a member of the National Immigrant Women’s Advocacy Project at American University Washington College of Law. She was also part of the State Bar of Michigan Access to Justice Initiative and co-chaired the SBM Domestic Violence Committee.

Through her scholarship, hands-on teaching, and dedication to the various legal services committees on which she serves, Thronson educates students, colleagues, and community members on difficult matters impacting a great number of Michigan residents, many of whom make up its most vulnerable communities.

JOHN W. REED MICHIGAN LAWYER LEGACY AWARD

VIVEK S. SANKARAN

Throughout his career, Vivek S. Sankaran has dedicated his efforts to improving family and child protection law — working tirelessly to improve deficiencies in law, procedure, practice, and education of the bench and bar. His efforts made him this year’s John W. Reed Michigan Lawyer Legacy Award recipient.

After graduating from the University of Michigan Law School in 2001, Sankaran represented children at the Children’s Law Center in Washington, D.C., until 2005, when he returned to U-M as a faculty member. In 2009, he founded the Detroit Center for Family Advocacy, the first organization in the country to provide multidisciplinary legal assistance to families to prevent the unnecessary entry of children into foster care. In 2011, he was named Michigan’s Parent Attorney of the Year and, most recently, he co-edited both the first national book for family defense lawyers and the third edition of Child Welfare Law and Practice, a nationally recognized resource for child welfare lawyers.

Sankaran directs both the U-M Child Advocacy Law Clinic and the Child Welfare Appellate Clinic, through which law students represent children and parents in trial and appellate proceedings. He has written numerous articles focused on improving the child welfare system and has litigated cases before the Michigan Supreme Court.

In addition to teaching, Sankaran conducts state and national training workshops and works on child welfare initiatives with various national groups including the American Bar Association, Casey Family Programs, and the National Center for State Courts.

JOHN W. CUMMISKEY PRO BONO AWARD

JAMES R. RINCK

James R. Rinck started his career as a prosecutor in 1982 but soon learned his calling was to defend people, a task he wholeheartedly embraced by offering extensive pro bono services. For his commitment to service, he was honored with this year’s John W. Cummiskey Pro Bono Award.

After four years as a prosecutor, he began doing appellate defense work in Kent County. He went on to serve on the State Bar of Michigan Defender System and Service Committee and expanded his practice to include personal injury law and Social Security law.

Rinck earned a reputation for taking on the “hard luck cases” — the difficult, time-consuming cases that other attorneys wouldn’t take. He excels where there is lots of need.

“It is within these gaps that Mr. Rinck truly shines,” said Nicholas M. Ohanesian, an administrative law judge for the Social Security Administration and a member of the SBM Board of Commissioners. “His skill as an advocate has often meant the difference between continued survival and a catastrophic loss of benefits.”

For 35 years, Rinck has been the go-to guy for Legal Aid for Western Michigan, representing clients who need assistance with Social Security law and offering his expertise on many other topics. In his time working with the organization, he has taken on almost 200 cases and logged more than 1,500 hours of donated time. In 2004, he won the organization’s Michael S. Barnes Award for his service.

LIBERTY BELL AWARD

AMY ISELER

Amy Iseler has dedicated her career to helping people get their lives back. A probation officer for nearly 20 years, Iseler’s commitment to those who have fallen victim to the grip of addiction earned her this year’s Liberty Bell Award.

Iseler began her career as a probation counselor in Seattle, Washington, in 2001 before becoming a probation officer in Michigan, first in Lansing and then Mason until 2015. She worked as a clinical supervisor for Cognitive Consultants in Lansing until 2016, resuming her work as a probation officer for the 54th District Court in East Lansing.

Among her accomplishments is her instrumental contributions to the establishment of Ingham County’s inaugural drug court, which focuses on helping those struggling with addiction and recognizing that those individuals are victims of a disease that, in many instances, led to their criminal behavior. As a probation officer, Iseler has seen the positive impact such efforts can make in the lives of those who enter drug court.

Iseler watched the first drug court participant enter the system in 2016. At the time, the defendant was constantly thinking about where she would get drugs next. A few months later, Iseler said the woman was focused on getting control of her post-traumatic stress disorder and receiving grief counseling.

One nominating attorney who’s worked with Iseler on “countless” probation violations said Iseler has been “instrumental in securing stable housing, employment, and residential treatment” for many of his clients while they battled addiction.

MICHAEL FRANCK AWARD

SHELDON G. LARKY

This year’s Michael Franck Award honors Sheldon G. Larky for his contributions to the legal profession over the past 50 years.

Representative Assembly members can count on one constant in a changing world: Shel Larky’s presence on the RA — with occasional breaks for term limits, of course. Regarded as the longest-serving living member of the Representative Assembly, Larky provides insight, reason, stability, and, most notably, humor to each meeting. He sets an example for leadership to which many in the RA aspire.

A graduate of the University of Michigan and the University of Detroit Mercy School of Law, Larky has served as an attorney since 1970. With his legal knowledge, he is a full-time mediator and arbitrator who has handled more than 3,000 cases and also serves as part-time magistrate for the 52-4 District Court in Troy.

As an author, Larky has written upwards of 100 articles and served as editor of the official magazine of the Oakland County Bar Association. As an educator, he is a contributor to the Institute of Continuing Legal Education and has given lectures at four law schools. As a valued volunteer, he is Oakland County Bar Association Legislative Committee co-chair, State Bar delegate to the American Bar Association House of Delegates, member of the Michigan District Court Magistrates Association board, and volunteer arbitrator for the Attorney Grievance Commission, where he handles fee disputes between attorneys and clients.

His volunteer service with the State Bar of Michigan has included membership on the Character and Fitness Committee, the Plain English Committee, the Local Bar Liaison Committee, the Professional Development Task Force, the Lawyers Professional Liability Insurance Committee, and the Client Protection Fund Committee.

In his nomination letter, Edward Haroutunian wrote, “Shel Larky epitomizes the very best of the Michigan legal community.”

UNSUNG HERO AWARD

HON. MELISSA L. POPE

Hon. Melissa L. Pope was honored with this year’s Unsung Hero Award for her dedication to tribal and underserved communities.

Pope has served as chief judge of the Nottawaseppi Huron Band of the Potawatomi (NHPB) Tribal Court since 2011, a position to which she has been reappointed three times. She also has served as chief justice of the Little River Band of Ottawa Indians Tribal Court of Appeals since 2009. Her work as a community activist has included time as coordinator of the Oakland University Gender and Sexuality Center, staff attorney for the Women’s Survival Center in Oakland County, director of victim services for the Triangle Foundation, and serving on the Michigan Coalition to End Domestic and Sexual Violence LGBT Planning Task Force, Michigan Alliance Against Hate Crimes, the First Nations Two Spirit Collective, and the ROOTS Coalition.

Currently, Pope serves on the Michigan Domestic and Sexual Violence Prevention and Treatment Board, is NHBP delegate to the Intertribal Working Group on Domestic Violence Criminal Jurisdiction, and co-chair of the Michigan Tribal State Federal Judicial Forum. She’s an active member of the SBM American Indian Law Section and has served in all leadership positions for the section including four terms as chair. She has been a member of the Access to Justice Policy Committee since 2017 and the American Indian Law Committee since 2011.

In addition to her judicial work and volunteer service, Pope has spent the past 16 years educating the next generation of lawyers at the University of Detroit Mercy School of Law, where she teaches American Indian law as an adjunct faculty member. She conducts training sessions throughout the country on topics including the sovereignty of native nations, domestic violence in marginalized communities, and developing community responses to hate crimes.

At the American Bar Association annual meeting in Denver this summer, Pope was presented with the 2023 Judith S. Kaye Award for Judicial Excellence by the ABA Commission on Domestic and Sexual Violence, which honors judicial officers who demonstrate knowledge of domestic and sexual violence and exemplary leadership developing courtroom responses to these issues.