His ability to impact issues of fairness is what entices Stanley Pitts to practice labor law, whether he’s representing employers or employees.
The 1981 Wayne State University Law School graduate worked for the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission for 20 years, until 2005, when he joined Honigman Miller Schwartz and Cohn. He’s a partner in the firm and a member of its board of directors. He concentrates his practice on defending and counseling employers.
Was it hard to go from representing employees to employers?
“For me, it was not difficult,” Pitts said. “As a litigator, I know there are cases that have merit for the employer and those that are meritorious for the employee. Once on the management side, I looked for how the employer treated the employee and whether there was fairness in the disciplinary and/or adverse employment decisional process. I now also look to determine if the employee is meeting the fair expectations of the employer. If not, I have no problem defending an employer’s employment decision.
“Conversely, if there is a bad apple in management, I am now in a position to influence the type of remedial action to be taken against that individual.”
As an undergraduate attending Wayne State, where he earned a degree in accounting, Pitts also worked full time at Ford Motor Co. doing factory production.
“My attraction to labor law was due to this experience, which focused my interest on employee fairness issues, wage and hour issues, wrongful discipline and termination issues, and union representation issues,” he said.
At first, he considered furthering his education by getting an M.B.A. in finance or accounting. Then, one day he happened to pick up a contract casebook his sister, Sharron Pitts (Wayne Law class of 1980), had left on a table at home. She was in her first year of law school.
“After spending hours reading about very interesting – at least to me – legal problems and how various legal theories were used to resolve those problems, I knew law school was the place for me,” he said.
Pitts said he had enjoyed his undergraduate studies at Wayne and knew the school’s reputation for “training great lawyers,” so his choice of where to study law was an easy one.
After graduation from Wayne Law, he worked for Patmon and Young PC and then for Lewis & Munday before joining the EEOC in 1984 as a trial attorney. He was promoted to supervisory trial attorney three years later. In 1997, Pitts was honored with the EEOC Chairman’s Organizational Performance Award.
Since joining Honigman, he’s been named to Michigan Super Lawyers and The Best Lawyers in America. And in 2014, he was honored as one of The Michigan Chronicle’s Men of Excellence. That award especially means a lot to him.
“It was an honor to be recognized among so many accomplished individuals for the sacrifices I have made to develop and improve myself as a professional,” Pitts said. “To be recognized as a leader to others touched me greatly. I firmly believe that as a leader, you have a huge responsibility to be an example to others who try to emulate your behavior and accomplishments.”
Pitts, who lives in Bloomfield Hills, is a member and past chair of the State Bar of Michigan’s Professional Ethics Committee and a member of its Attorney Discipline Board Hearing Panel. He also is a case evaluator for the Wayne County Mediation Tribunal Labor Panel.
Community service is important to Pitts, who is a member of the City Year Detroit Board of Directors to help at-risk students and served on the Black United Fund of Michigan Inc. Board of Directors from 2009 to 2015. He also has served as a volunteer attorney with the Ask a Lawyer program for the city of Southfield and Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority Inc. and for the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Michigan.
“For me, giving back and helping others feels good,” Pitts said. “You know right away through smiles and words of gratitude that others appreciate your help, but you don’t know how big of an impact you may have on an individual until years later. While you many have forgotten what you did in the past, someone you helped will tell you how much of an impact your assistance made on their lives. This is when you know for sure that the community service or pro bono work you have done has value beyond dollars.”
7 questions with Stanley Pitts
Q: Do you have any outstanding memories of law school?
A: My most outstanding memory is the first time I met the two other law students who would become my study partners for the next three years. We seemed to have the same desire for learning the law, excelling in our studies and maintaining a healthy sense of humor as the first year of law school humbled us. I admired both guys for their fearless ability to speak up in class. I, on the other hand, was used to crunching numbers, not public speaking. Eventually, through their example, I gained enough confidence in my speaking ability to become a litigator. My study partners were Marion “Joe” Mack Jr., a retired federal court bankruptcy trustee (for the Eastern District of Michigan), and the Honorable Darnell Jackson, a sitting Saginaw Circuit Court judge.
Q: What were you like as a kid?
A: I was a good, all-around playground athlete, a good distance runner, but most of all, I was a good student. I actually enjoyed school, doing homework, reading and learning about current and historical figures, inventions, unique places around the world, and the different cultures and people of the world. I used to read my grandfather’s National Geographic magazines religiously when we visited.
Q: If not law, is there another career that might interest you?
A: I think it would be a career in money management. I enjoy helping people with their finances and teaching both adults and children about the power of saving and investing.
Q: Who are some of your role models and inspirations?
A: My legal role models are my sister, Sharron Pitts (Wayne Law class of 1980), as well as the late Chokwe Lumumba (Wayne Law class of 1975) and the late Kenneth Cockrel (Wayne Law class of 1967). My sister encouraged me to choose law as a career, and she was a great mentor throughout law school. Both Lumumba and Cockrel were brilliant thinkers and fierce advocates. They used the law as a means to an end – the protection and betterment of people who did not have the skills and ability to fight injustice by themselves. This inspired me and factored into my decision to become a lawyer, as well.
Q: What advice can you offer beginning law students who want to follow in your footsteps?
A: My advice for those wanting to be a successful litigator is to be willing to learn and apply the rules of civil procedure and evidence, be willing to work harder than your adversary, be courageous and willing to try new ideas and strategies, and be willing to do your best all of the time even when handling the smallest of matters.
Q: Is there a particular case you litigated that you’re especially proud of?
A: I represented a small group of women in a particularly egregious sexual harassment case in which the harasser had been protected by the company for several years. I was able to get the women and several other past victims to band together and tell their stories, although painful and embarrassing. Through their ability to unify, I was able to convince the jury to award a substantial amount of damages. But best of all, each victim thanked me for giving them the courage to stand up for their rights. I am especially proud of the outcome and of the courage my plaintiffs demonstrated through discovery and trial.
Q: Is there something people don’t know about you, but should?
A: I am an avid movie watcher who enjoys all genres of cinema. I also enjoy discussing the movies I’ve seen with anyone willing to talk to me about them. My top five gangster movies are Scarface, Goodfellas, The Godfather, American Gangster and The Public Enemy. Honorable mention – and technically this is not a gangster movie – goes to Training Day.
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