Marion Stone, administrative assistant to the Circuit Court administrator and the Alternative Dispute Resolution clerk, leads a tour of the Jackson County Courthouse.
Photo by Jo Mathis
By Jo Mathis
Legal News
About 35 people—mostly young attorneys and those new to Jackson County —got a first-hand look at the historic Jackson County Courthouse last week.
The Jackson County Bar Association sponsored a courthouse tour and luncheon for young members, soon-to-be members, or any other interested member. Before the tour, representatives of several of the departments and services in the courthouse spoke briefly to the crowd and answered questions.
Angela Wetherby, associate Attorney at Inosencio & Fisk, PLLC, said she was pleased with the day’s turnout.
“The purpose of the day initially was to reach out to attorneys who may be new to the Jackson area or younger attorneys who may not know the ins and outs of the courthouse,” said Wetherby, noting that the JCBA also reached out to anybody who might have some unanswered questions about courthouse proceedings.
Tourists were interested to learn the history of the building, including some fairly recent trivia.
During a visit to Judge Thomas Wilson’s courtroom, Jackson County Clerk Amanda Riska noted that the room was used for the courtroom scenes in the 2010 movie “Conviction” based on a true story and starring Hillary Swank. Riska said she and others had a lot of fun watching the behind-the-scenes making of the movie.
The tour was a collaborative effort, and a big success, said JCBA President Rick Mills.
“I’m particularly concerned with welcoming new attorneys to the bar and to the practice of law in Jackson County, and to the attorneys who may not be new to the practice of law, but are new to the practice of law here,” he said. “We had some attorneys here from Washtenaw County, and to me that’s important that Jackson County is a welcoming place to practice law.”
Jackson attorney Chad Perrine said he attended the event to support the JCBA and meet some new attorneys during lunch.
“I think that the event was a great idea,” said Perrine. “It gave the new attorneys a chance to tour the courthouse, and, more importantly, it also gave them an opportunity to meet the court clerks/administrators, which they will find will be a source a great assistance to them as attorneys. It also gave the court staff an opportunity to explain how they operate and what they look for from attorneys.”
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