Jon R. Muth
The State Bar of Michigan mourns the loss of its 60th president, Jon R. Muth, who died January 29, at age 75.
Muth holds the distinction of being the longest-serving president of the State Bar of Michigan, assuming the presidency six months earlier than expected when, in 1994, his predecessor Michael Hayes Dettmer was appointed United States attorney for the Western District of Michigan. While president, Muth also served as acting executive director of the State Bar of Michigan following the death of Michael Franck and headed the executive director search committee while in that position.
Janet Welch, executive director of the State Bar, observed "Jon Muth's simultaneous service as both president and executive director makes him a unique figure in the history of the State Bar of Michigan, but in truth his powerful legal skills and exemplary integrity would have left a lasting mark on the Michigan bar even if the State Bar had not been fortunate enough to have him at the helm at a crucial time in the bar's history."
A 1971 graduate of Wayne State University Law School, Muth received recognition throughout his career, including the State Bar's highest honor, the Roberts P. Hudson Award, in 1998. Other accolades include the Grand Rapids Bar Association's President's Award, the Grand Rapids Young Lawyers Section Service and Mentoring Award, and the Distinguished Service Award from Kalamazoo College, where he earned his undergraduate degree.
In 2011, Michigan Lawyers Weekly named him Lawyer of the Year. "If I had to articulate as a young lawyer where I wanted to be at age 65, this would have been what I hoped: recognized by my peers and successful for my clients - and an honorable person," Muth said in an article by the Grand Rapids Legal News.
That is exactly how current SBM President Rob Buchanan remembers his friend, saying, "Michigan has lost one of the finest people in its history. Today we mourn, but with pride, remembering Jon Muth as we knew him-a skilled and tireless advocate for justice, an inspiring leader, a cherished friend, and an incredible human. Everyone instantly liked Jon, and he always embraced you as his best friend with that magical twinkle in his eye and warm smile. As a leader, he devised a strategy that was smart, fair-minded, and laser-focused on one goal: succeeding."
Muth was a retired member and general counsel of the Grand Rapids firm of Miller Johnson, focusing his practice on civil/commercial litigation, professional responsibility and legal malpractice, and mediation and arbitration. He was a frequent speaker for ICLE, where he participated in its Trial Advocacy Skills Workshop and Advanced Negotiation and Dispute Resolution Institute. He was a Fellow in the International Society of Barristers, the Michigan State Bar Foundation, the American Bar Foundation, and served in the ABA House of Delegates.
Working with late State Bar of Michigan President John Cummiskey, Muth helped get Kent County's Legal Assistance Center off the ground by completing a 23-day cross-country bicycle trip, raising over $20,000 for legal services offices throughout Michigan. Starting in San Diego, California on September 15, 1996, he reached his destination of Charleston, South Carolina, on October 8, 1996. His trip was named "Leg Aid for Legal Aid" and he gathered pledges per mile from attorneys throughout Michigan. He pedaled an average of 125 miles per day for a total of 2,881 miles.
In 1995, Muth wrote what would become one of the Michigan Bar Journal's most well-known President's Page columns, "The Good Lawyer: A Letter to My Son." Twenty-five years later, Jeffrey Muth responded to his father's words in a column of his own.
Muth is survived by his wife, Carol, two sons, Jeffrey and Daniel, brothers Andy (sister-in-law Patricia) and Jim (sister-in-law Myra), and grandchildren Danny, Miles, Madeline, Jeffrey and Hannah.
