State Bar announces 2010 election results

The State Bar of Michigan recently announced its 2010 election results. The governing bodies and those elected to serve the State Bar include: SBM Judicial Tenure Commission Thomas J. Ryan won re-election for a third term in a highly contested race for the only open seat on the Judicial Tenure Commission. Ryan's three-year term will commence Jan. 1, 2011, and expire Dec. 31, 2013. He was first elected to the JTC in 2004, and he has served as the body's secretary, and currently serves as its vice president. The JTC is a constitutionally-created body that promotes the integrity of the judicial process and preserves public confidence in the courts. A sole practitioner, Ryan serves as the attorney for the Village of Beverly Hills, City of Keego Harbor, City of the Village of Clarkston, City of Orchard Lake Village, and special counsel for the Village of Oxford and City of Birmingham. Ryan served as the 66th SBM president from 2000 to 2001, and has been an active leader in many other professional organizations throughout his career. SBM Board of Commissioners Five attorneys - Bruce A. Courtade, Robert J. Buchanan, Dennis M. Barnes, Brian D. Einhorn, and Edward L. Haroutunian - won contested seats in this year's State Bar of Michigan Board of Commissioners elections. All of them will serve three-year terms expiring at the close of the 2013 Annual Meeting. The State Bar Board of Commissioners provides oversight to the various operations of the State Bar, such as finance, public policy, and member services. Courtade won in District C, representing Clare, Gladwin, Isabella, Kent, Mecosta, Muskegon, Newaygo, Oceana, Osceola, and Ottawa Counties. He is a shareholder with Rhodes McKee in Grand Rapids, where he practices primarily commercial litigation and construction law. He first served on the Board of Commissioners from 1998-2001 as a Representative Assembly officer, and was elected to the Board of Commissioners in 2004 and 2007. He currently serves as secretary of the Board of Commissioners, and is in line to become its president in 2012. Courtade is a Fellow of the Michigan State Bar Foundation, a life member of the Justice Foundation of West Michigan, a member of the Michigan Supreme Court Historical Society, and an Attorney Discipline Board panelist. Buchanan also won in District C, representing Clare, Gladwin, Isabella, Kent, Mecosta, Muskegon, Newaygo, Oceana, Osceola, and Ottawa Counties. In 1995 he co-founded the firm of Buchanan and Buchanan and currently serves as its managing partner. He has served on the Rep. Assembly since 2002 and has chaired its Special Issues, Assembly Review, Hearings, and Drafting committees. He has also served on the executive council of the Young Lawyers Section and as a fellow of the Michigan State Bar Foundation. Buchanan serves as chair of Membership and Young Lawyers with the Grand Rapids Bar Association. He serves on the Executive Board of the Michigan Association for Justice and is a master of the American Inns of Court. Buchanan is also a faculty member with the Hillman Advocacy Program and MAJ Trial Institute. Barnes won in District H, representing Lenawee, Monroe and Wayne Counties. He is a member of Barris, Sott, Denn, & Driker PLLC with a business litigation practice. He is past president of the Federal Bar Association's Eastern District of Michigan Chapter, chair of the Detroit Metropolitan Bar Association Commercial Litigation Section, and 2010 DMBA Diversity Celebration liaison. He is on the federal court's Standing Committee on Civility, and served on its 2009 Magistrate Reappointment Selection Panel and presented at its Shared Advanced Technology Courtroom Certification seminars. Barnes is past grand commander of the Alhambra's Manresa Caravan, which assists developmentally disabled children, and he has volunteered his legal services to this organization and also to St. Francis Camp, a summer camp for disabled children. Einhorn won in District I, representing Oakland County. Einhorn practices with Collins, Einhorn, Farrell, & Ulanoff and has tried more than 100 cases to verdict. He was elected to the Board of Commissioners in 2004 and was elected treasurer by his fellow commissioners in 2009. Einhorn has represented many attorneys and judges before the Attorney Grievance Commission and the Judicial Tenure Commission, and served as chair of a committee that reviewed proposed rule changes to the AGC disciplinary rules. He and his firm assisted in writing two amicus briefs to the Michigan Supreme Court on behalf of SBM: Grace v. Leitman (attorney judgment rule) and Smith v. Khouri (standard award of attorney fees). Einhorn has served as president of the Association of Defense Trial Counsel and as a board member of the Detroit Metropolitan Bar Association. Haroutunian also won in District I, representing Oakland County. Haroutunian practices with Haroutunian, Licata, Haroutunian PC in Bingham Farms concentrating on family law, estate planning, real estate, and commercial litigation. He has served as a special assistant attorney general of Michigan, and as a facilitator and arbitrator in family and real estate cases. He served on the Board of Commissioners from 2004-2007, and on the State Bar Representative Assembly from 1991-1997, and from 2001-2007, when he also served as its clerk, vice chair, and chair. Haroutunian served on the Oakland County Public Advisory Committee on Judicial Candidates, was an Attorney Grievance Commission special investigator, and is an Attorney Discipline Board hearing panel chair. He is a Michigan State Bar Foundation life fellow, and an Oakland County Bar Foundation fellow. Two attorneys won uncontested races for the 32-member Board of Commissioners. They are James N. Erhart of Petoskey, who won in District A representing 38 counties in northern lower Michigan and the Upper Peninsula; and Julie A. Sullivan of Kalamazoo, who won in District F representing nine counties in southwestern Michigan. SBM Representative Assembly Twenty-one attorneys won contested races for the State Bar Representative Assembly. In the 3rd Circuit, representing Wayne County, Susan Licata Haroutunian, Gregory L. Ulrich, Michael J. McClory, and Stephen M. Taratuta won three-year terms expiring in 2013, and Eric S. Rosenthal won a two-year term expiring in 2012. In the 5th Circuit, representing Barry County, David E. Gilbert won a two-year term expiring in 2012. In the 6th Circuit, representing Oakland County, Martin P. Krohner, Sheldon G. Larky, James P. Cunningham, Daniel J. Cherrin, Jeffrey B. Linden, David A. Wolfe, Sarah E. Kuchon, and April L. Neihsl won three-year terms expiring in 2013, and Frederick A. Neumark and Kenneth B. Morgan won two-year terms expiring in 2012. In the 17th Circuit, representing Kent County, Thomas R. TerMaat won a three-year term expiring in 2013 and Matthew P. Smith won a two-year term expiring in 2012. In the 18th Circuit, representing Bay County, Alan R. Sullivan and Jan A. Miner won three-year terms expiring in 2013. In the 53rd Circuit, representing Cheboygan and Presque Isle Counties, Michael J. Ekdahl won a two-year term expiring in 2012. Thirty attorneys won unopposed races in the Representative Assembly. These new members are: 1st Circuit - Hillsdale County Barry F. Poulson 2nd Circuit - Berrien County Donna B. Howard 4th Circuit - Jackson County Bruce A. Barton 7th Circuit - Genessee County Amy M. Kline 9th Circuit - Kalamazoo County Pamela C. Enslen Donald Roberts 13th Circuit - Antrim, Grand Traverse, and Leelanau Counties John R. Blakeslee Robert H. Witkop Lee Hornberger 16th Circuit - Macomb County Carl E. Chioini James T. Hogan Nathan J. Edmonds Dana M. Warnez 22nd Circuit - Washtenaw County Robert K. Fergan 24th Circuit - Sanilac County Ryan Edberg 30th Circuit - Ingham County Monique C. Field Francis X. Hathaway Goldie Adele 37th Circuit - Calhoun County Darling A. Garcia Robert G. Mathis 39th Circuit - Lenawee County Adrienne L. Iddings 40th Circuit - Lapeer County Michael C. Delling 41st Circuit - Dickinson, Iron, Menominee Counties Christopher S. Ninomiya 42nd Circuit - Midland County Julia Close 43rd Circuit - Cass County Heidi Behnke 44th Circuit - Livingston County Kathleen M. Oemke 50th Circuit - Chippewa County James A. Riggle 51st Circuit - Lake and Mason Counties Jeffrey C. Nellis 56th Circuit - Eaton County Michael W. Thomsen 57th Circuit - Emmet County Jennifer Schafer The 150-member Representative Assembly was created in 1972 to increase the proportion of members who actively participate in State Bar policy; it serves as the SBM final policy-making body. SBM Young Lawyers Section Executive Committee Two attorneys - Carlos A. Escurel and Andrea C. Irons - won contested elections in Wayne and Macomb Counties. Their two-year term expires in 2012. Brent G. Seitz and James W. Low won uncontested elections in District 2, representing Oakland County, for two-year terms expiring in 2012. Erika Anderson, Bonnie R. Shaw, Shenique Moss, and Alexandra Nassar won uncontested elections in District 3, representing all other Michigan counties, for two-year terms expiring in 2012. The Young Lawyers Executive Council governs the members of the Young Lawyers Section, the State Bar's largest section. The section provides education, information, and analysis about issues of concern through meetings, seminars, public service programs, and newsletters. The section has won numerous awards for its public service and educational programs. Published: Wed, Jul 7, 2010

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