– Photo by Paul Janczewski
Lapeer Circuit Judge Byron Konschuh began his new responsibilities last month and has pledged to continue efforts to combat drug use in the community.
By Paul Janczewski
Legal News
While attending law school, Byron Konschuh envisioned a career combining his law degree with his future MBA, perhaps sitting behind a desk writing briefs, or doing research, or some sort of behind-the-scenes work in business.
“I wasn’t outspoken, and I didn’t feel comfortable speaking in front of people,” he said.
What a difference a career makes. That shy, soft-spoken young lawyer later joined the Lapeer County Prosecutor’s Office, working his way up to Lapeer County prosecutor, and now has become a Lapeer County Circuit Court judge.
In each of those positions, Konschuh, 52, had to overcome his apprehension of public speaking to tackle jobs that required being in the limelight.
“So it’s ironic that I am where I am now,” Konschuh said with a laugh. “For those shy people out there, it does give you an opportunity to think about it.”
Konschuh was born in Red Deer, Alberta, Canada, but moved to the United States at an early age when his father took a job as a professor at the University of Kansas.
Moves to Benton Harbor and Ann Arbor soon followed, as his father became an administrator and eventually vice president of Washtenaw Community College.
Konschuh went to high school in Ann Arbor, holding dual citizenships in Canada and the United States, but when he turned 18, he elected to become an American citizen.
As the son of an educator, Konschuh said it was an “awesome” learning experience. After graduating from high school in 1978, he entered Albion College in a pre-med program.
“But I found out that chemistry labs were four hours on a Friday afternoon, and that was not my cup of tea,” he said. “I could do it, but I was not that interested in it.”
Konschuh shifted to studies in economics and political science, and graduated with a degree in those fields in 1982. The economy was in a recession, and he knew finding a job with a liberal arts degree would be difficult, so Konschuh looked at law school as an option.
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