Ingham County Bar wins Cahill Leadership Award

SBM Announces 2010 Award Winners By Roberta M. Gubbins Legal News The Ingham County Bar Association (ICBA) is the 2010 winner of the Kimberly M. Cahill Bar Leadership Award. The award is presented to a recognized local bar association, program, or leader for excellence in promoting the ideal of professionalism or equal justice for all, or in responding to a compelling legal need within the community during the past year or on an ongoing basis. Nancy Wonch, Professor, Thomas M. Cooley Law School and Hon. Richard Ball, 54A District Court nominated the ICBA for its many activities in the community. David Lick, President of ICBA and Don LeDuc, Dean and President of Thomas M. Cooley Law School wrote letters in support of the application. Recognition came to ICBA for its community activities, which include Peer Mediation, a partnership with the Lansing School District offering peer mediation training and support for elementary and middle school students, the "Take the Lawyers to the People" event in May where citizens met privately with an attorney for up to 30 minutes at no charge, and the Horn of Plenty Food and Clothing Drive, sponsored by the Young Lawyers Section coordinating a food and clothing drive at drop off locations at a dozen local law firms. The Young Lawyers Section also hosts a Young v Old Lawyers Basketball Game benefiting Special Olympics. Past efforts have included a fundraising event for Hurricane Katrina victims, work on local Habitat for Humanity building projects, and mentoring of high school English/Language Arts students through guided readings of classic literature. The ICBA also provides a variety of member services including a monthly newsletter, Briefs, and the Luncheon Lecture Series offered in the fall and winter covering a variety of timely legal topics led by local practioners, judges, experts from other professions and government officials. Practice sections of ICBA offer Continuing Legal Education programs throughout the year. Every other year, ICBA hosts the Bench/Bar conference, which includes bar members and the judiciary in Ingham, Eaton, and Clinton Counties. This Cahill leadership award was established in memory of Kimberly M. Cahill, president of the State Bar of Michigan (2006-2007). Her volunteer leadership efforts in state and local bar organizations included serving as chairperson of the Representative Assembly, president of the Women Lawyer's Association of Michigan, and president of the Macomb County Bar Association. These roles displayed her commitment to the highest ideals of professionalism and community service, focusing on equal access to justice for all The following individuals are the recipients of the 2010 SBM Awards, which will be presented at a banquet on September 29 at this year's Annual Meeting in Grand Rapids. 2010 State Bar of Michigan Award Recipients: Roberts P. Hudson Award: James C. Cotant Frank J. Kelley Award: Hon. Donald A. Scheer, Edward M. Zelenak Champion of Justice Award: Charles W. Borgsdorf, John J. Conway and Gerard Mantese (shared), John R. Nussbaumer, James M. Olson, Hon. Wendy L. Potts Kimberly M. Cahill Bar Leadership Award: Ingham County Bar Association John W. Cummiskey Pro Bono Award: Eric I. Frankie Liberty Bell Award: Audrey Gray 2010 State Bar Representative Assembly Award Recipients: Michael Franck: Sheldon J. Stark, John Van Bolt Unsung Hero: Kevin Moody The Michigan State Bar Foundation Board of Trustees has named John W. Cummiskey (posthumously) as the recipient of its 2010 Founders Award. MSBF provides leadership and grants to improve access for all to the justice system, including support for civil legal aid to the poor, law-related education, and conflict resolution. For more information about MSBF, visit www. msbf.org. Published: Thu, Jul 8, 2010

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