On Saturday, July 18, seven attorneys were recognized at the 30th annual Distinguished Brief Award Dinner for their work on four different briefs submitted to the Michigan Supreme Court in 2014.
The dinner is hosted by the Western Michigan University Thomas M. Cooley Law Review each year in recognition of the most scholarly briefs filed before the Michigan Supreme Court, as determined by a panel of eminent jurists. Normally, only three briefs are recognized each year, but this year a single attorney was the author of two of the top-three-scoring briefs, so the Law Review decided to recognize a total of four briefs.
The briefs are judged on seven criteria: question presented, point headings, statement of the case, argument and analysis, style, mechanics, and best overall brief. The top-scoring briefs are selected for recognition and the authors are offered the opportunity to publish their brief in a special edition of WMU-Thomas M. Cooley Law Review.
This year’s top briefs were:
• Case Name: International Union v. Yaw – Amicus Brief for Michigan Chamber of Commerce
Law Firms: Warner Norcross & Judd LLP and Dykema Gossett PLLC
Attorneys: John J. Bursch, Gary Gordon, Leonard C. Wolfe, and Courtney F. Kissel
• Case Name: The Service Source, Inc. v. DHL Express, Inc. – Appellees’ Brief
Law firm: Warner Norcross & Judd LLP
Attorney: John J. Bursch
• Case Name: Ford Motor Co. v. Michigan Dept. of Treasury – Michigan Dept. of Treasury’s Brief
Law Firm: Michigan Dept. of Attorney General
Attorneys: Matthew B. Hodges and Aaron Lindstrom
• Case Name: People v. Carp – Amicus Brief for Attorney General as Intervenor
Law Firm: Michigan Dept. of Attorney General
Attorney: B. Eric Restuccia
In addition to dinner and an awards presentation, guests had the privilege of hearing from the U.S. Court of Appeals Judge Richard F. Suhrheinrich, Sixth Circuit. Suhrheinrich spoke on the importance of developing a record at the trial-court level in a case and the importance of excellence in written advocacy — especially when framing the legal question.
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