Two alumni from Wayne State University Law School's class of 1971 were among those honored during the State Bar of Michigan's Annual Meeting in Grand Rapids.
John McSorley, a shareholder with Garan Lucow Miller PC, received the Respected Advocate Award from the Michigan Association for Justice, and the late Hilda Gage, a longtime Oakland Circuit judge who also served on the Michigan Court of Appeals, was posthumously honored with the Judicial Excellence Award from the Michigan Judges Association and with the Founders Award from the Michigan State Bar Foundation. The awards were presented at the State Bar Awards Banquet on Wednesday, Sept. 17.
The Respected Advocate Award was created to recognize superb skills in a courtroom adversary whose civility, ethics and decorum distinguish him or her as an outstanding example of what trial counsel should strive to be, according to the Michigan Association for Justice.
McSorley practices in the areas of family law and defense of medical malpractice, casualty insurance, and municipal and professional liability matters. He is also an arbitrator with the American Arbitration Association and a mediator for the Wayne County Mediation Tribunal. He served as director of the Association of Defense Trial Counsel from 2003 to 2004 and also serves as a trustee for Siena Heights University in Adrian.
He was appointed by the Michigan Supreme Court to its Task Force on the Role of the State Bar of Michigan this year, and, in 2009, was reappointed to a second two-year term to the Character and Fitness Committee of the State Bar of Michigan. Also in 2009, McSorley was awarded by the Association of Defense Trial Counsel in recognition of his leadership and contributions as president of the group from 2008 to 2009.
Gage died in 2010 from complications of multiple sclerosis at age 71. She never let her ongoing health issues keep her from accomplishing her goals, her colleagues said. She was appointed to the Oakland County Circuit Court bench in 1978 and served there until 1997, when she joined the Michigan Court of Appeals. She served as chief judge on both courts and retired in 2006.
The Founders Award is the highest honor given by the Michigan State Bar Foundation and recognizes lawyers who exemplify professional excellence and outstanding community contributions. Gage was a fellow of the foundation and was known for strongly promoting detailed, fair criteria to ensure the high caliber of membership, according to the foundation's news release on the award.
Gage was the first woman to chair the American Bar Association's National Conference of State Trial Judges, to serve as president of the Michigan Judges Association, to be chosen by her colleagues as chief judge of the Oakland County Circuit Court and to chair the Michigan Judicial Tenure Commission. She was inducted into the Michigan Women's Hall of Fame in 1995.
Her community service included membership on the boards of the Children's Hospital of Michigan and the National Multiple Sclerosis Society, as well as serving on the Michigan Civil Rights Commission and the Michigan Sentencing Guidelines Commission.
Other honors previously announced and presented by the State Bar to Wayne Law alumni and faculty at the banquet included:
Unsung Hero Award Susan F. Reed, class of 1976
Champion of Justice Award Brian L. Morrow, class of 1986
Champion of Justice Award Michael L. Pitt, class of 1974
Champion of Justice Award Dawn A. Van Hoek, class of 1994
Champion of Justice Award Members of the plaintiffs' legal team in the DeBoer et al v. Snyder lawsuit over same-sex marriage. The team members are Wayne Law Adjunct Professor Kenneth M. Mogill; Dana M. Nessel, class of 1994; Wayne Law Distinguished Professor Robert A. Sedler; and Carole M. Stanyar.
Published: Mon, Sep 29, 2014
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