By Tom Kirvan
If upbeat was a precious commodity, Cynthia Brazzil would be well on her way to cornering the market.
Even after undergoing five surgeries in the past nine months following a second – and altogether different – battle with breast cancer.
Brazzil, a corporate law attorney with Kemp Klein in Troy, still faces at least one more surgery before there can be any sort of truce in her war with the “C” word.
“I have to admit that I was scared to death when I was facing the first operation, but my nerves have settled with each surgery, and I’m grateful for the medical care I have received and the incredible support from friends and family,” Brazzil said. “I feel very fortunate, even though there is still a way to go on this journey.”
Approximately a month after the first surgery was performed last August, Brazzil was back to work, handling an array of cases in the areas of corporate law, business formation, transactions, elder law, and estate planning.
“As they say, ‘You’re only as good as your last good deed,’ and I didn’t want anyone to forget what I looked like around here,” Brazzil said with a smile. “That, plus the fact that I love what I do and derive energy from helping clients with their legal issues. I know that I have a lot more to offer.”
Which partially explains her desire to become certified in the field of civil mediation, enrolling in a 40-hour training program through the Oakland Mediation Center beginning this month. It fits with her career-long legal persona, which is to find balance and common ground where there appears to be none.
“An ability to problem-solve is something that has been beneficial throughout my career, and it obviously has come in handy in other aspects of my life,” said Brazzil, who grew up on the west side of Metro Detroit and spent seven years in the work force before attending the University of Michigan.
One of 10 children, Brazzil graduated from Redford Union High School in 1971 after attending parochial schools through eighth grade.
“I originally wanted to go to MSU, but I needed to earn some money before attending college,” Brazzil explained. “With all the children in our family, my parents weren’t in a position to pay for college, so it was up to each of us if we wanted to pursue a degree.”
Brazzil whet her appetite for the law by working as a legal secretary for Dykema Gossett, eventually taking her academic talents to U-M for her bachelor’s degree and then to Wayne State University Law School for her juris doctor in 1984. After spending nearly a year working in the pension field, Brazzil landed an associate’s position with Kemp Klein, eventually becoming a shareholder of the firm.
“I’m approaching my 30th anniversary with the firm and it has been a wonderful home for me,” Brazzil said. “I’ve particularly enjoyed working with many family business owners over the years, guiding them as they set up succession plans.”
Brazzil also has developed an expertise in the field of elder law, helping seniors and their families navigate the choppy waters of long-term care planning and its related costs. The issues gained even more meaning for Brazzil when her 85-year-old mother, Peg, moved in with her four years ago.
“She moved in of her own volition and I’m so pleased to be of help to my mom after all that she has done for me and our family,” Brazzil said. “She did it all, raising 10 children. She was the one who encouraged me to pursue the career that I wanted, that I didn’t have to settle.”
Her father, Patrick, was one of nine children and worked in a camshaft factory to support his family.
“He formerly was a caddy-master at Tam-O-Shanter Country Club before he went to work in the factory,” Brazzil said of her father, a U.S. Navy veteran who died of cancer at age 71 in 1999. “He was a scratch golfer and could perform all sorts of trick shots.”
Brazzil, a longtime member of the Oakland County Bar Association, is a past president of the Oakland County Bar Foundation, an organization that supports legal aid work and educational programs in the community. She served on the OCBF board from 1996 to 2012 and now holds emeritus status.
“Cynthia was one of the first people I met when I started at the OCBA,” said Lisa Stadig Elliot, who recently retired as executive director of the Oakland Bar. “She was president of the Oakland County Bar Foundation at the time and I had the great fortune of learning from her and transitioning into the new position with her support. She was one of my strongest sources of support, gave great advice, was a mentor, and ultimately became one of my greatest friends.
“My experience is not unique,” Stadig Elliot said. “Cynthia has been a mentor, friend, and source of support for countless new lawyers, new trustees to the OCBF, and for women. She is tenacious, loyal, has a great sense of humor, is an eternal optimist, and is a fierce advocate.”
And, of course, a cancer survivor.
Brazzil and her good friend, Julie Fershtman, a former president of the State Bar of Michigan, were among the participants in a 5-kilometer fund-raising walk in Lansing last month to support cancer research efforts. Fershtman, an attorney with Foster Swift, was stricken with breast cancer several years ago.
“Julie is a great inspiration to me and I’m grateful for the friendship that we’ve developed,” Brazzil said. “She is such a positive force in the legal community and beyond.”
The same, according to Stadig Elliot, can be said of Brazzil.
“I’ve seen her battle cancer twice – and especially in this most recent bout, her optimism, strength, and sense of humor have put everything into perspective,” Stadig Elliot said. “She is one of my heroes.”
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