Bellanca LaBarge, P.C., Attorneys and Counselors will observe two important anniversaries in a special program at the Grosse Pointe War Memorial on Tuesday, May 20. The Michigan law firm will record 80 years of continuous service to its clients and to the profession. This year also marks the 50th anniversary in the practice of law by its managing partner, Anthony J. Bellanca.
Bellanca LaBarge represents an extraordinary history that involves one firm, two families, and three generations of attorneys dedicated to the law and service to the community and nation. In its current form, the firm members represent more than 400 years of experience.
The story began in 1935 when the late James V. Bellanca, Sr. passed the bar and began to work from his home, ultimately forming Bellanca, Monaghan, Berry & McClear. Over its 80-year history the firm would bear several names, most recently and for the prior three decades Bellanca, Beattie & DeLisle, eventually becoming Bellanca LaBarge. The firm earned a reputation of trust as specialists in Corporate and Municipal law. Eventual partners would include three sons, Peter J. Bellanca, Anthony J. Bellanca and James V. Bellanca, Jr., and one grandson, James V. Bellanca III, as the firm developed expanded its expertise in areas that include Real Estate, Employment, Probate and Trust law.
J. Russell LaBarge, Sr., passed the Michigan Bar about the same time. He too started out as a sole practitioner. Building a reputation of trust, he later formed the firm of LaBarge, Kramer, Hudnut and Cashen, recognized as one of the largest law firms in Macomb County. LaBarge was followed in the practice by his son J. Russell LaBarge, Jr. Also recognized for its work in municipal law, the firm expanded into the areas of Probate, Estate Planning and Elder law. His grandson, Jay LaBarge, became a partner at Bellanca, Beattie & DeLisle in 2011. In 2012, the firm and its three generations of attorneys formally welcomed J. Russell LaBarge, Jr. and members of his firm to form Bellanca LaBarge, P. C.
Founder James V. Bellanca, Sr. instilled in his three sons, and in all the other members of the firm he headed, a respect for the law and a belief that being a lawyer was a privilege and a high honor. During his life, Bellanca never forgot his roots or his heritage. A founding member of the Italian American Cultural Society, he was active in all elements of the Italian American community. Right after World War II, he became attorney for the Consul of Italy, a position the firm holds though the present. He was a member of the Detroit Civil Service Commission for more than 25 years. When he died suddenly and unexpectedly in 1965, the family received condolences from President Lyndon B. Johnson, Pope Paul VI and the President of Italy, Giuseppe Saragat. Flags flew at half-mast in the City of Detroit. His funeral procession was miles long.
J. Russell LaBarge, Sr. was the second youngest of twelve children. His parents were French Canadian immigrants. After high school, he and his younger brother, Leonard, moved to Detroit, worked at Ford Motor Company and attended the University of Detroit. Mr. La Barge received his law degree from Detroit College of Law in 1934, passed the Bar, and began practicing in Roseville. Mr. LaBarge died suddenly in 1969, six months before his son, J. Russell LaBarge, Jr., received his law degree and joined the firm his father founded. Fortunately, having worked summers at his father’s firm, J. Russell LaBarge, Jr., “Russ”, learned first-hand, the importance of treating all people fairly and the true meaning of “your word is your bond.”
James V. Bellanca III and Jay Russell LaBarge met and became friends at Wayne State University Law School. As third generation lawyers from entrepreneurial families, the two found much in common. Following graduation they chose to stay in Michigan and began to work toward bringing their families together to form a larger, stronger firm.
The firm Bellanca LaBarge and its two families continue the tradition of service to the law and to the community and will introduce the firms current members in a private event May 20 at the Grosse Pointe War Memorial. More than a gala celebration, the event will demonstrate the commitment of Bellanca LaBarge Attorneys and Counselors to serve the People, the State of Michigan, and the law through their ties that cross generations and areas of the law.
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