By Tom Kirvan
Legal News
She is viewed as a “role model” for young women in the legal profession and as a “tireless advocate” for victims of child abuse and neglect. As chief judge of the Oakland County Probate Court, Linda Hallmark also has been in a position to leave a positive mark on the community, which the Oakland County Bar Association recently recognized by bestowing upon her the Distinguished Public Servant Award for 2017.
A member of the Probate Court bench since 1997, Hallmark was presented the award at the OCBA’s Annual Meeting in Birmingham, receiving the honor along with Oakland County Circuit Judge Martha Anderson and Jason Pernick, the recently appointed Chief of Warrants at the Oakland County Prosecutor’s Office.
“Earning the honor with them was very humbling,” said Hallmark, who served as a Friend of the Court referee for 17 years before accepting an appointment to the Probate Court. “Judge Anderson and I have been close friends for the past 37 years and I have long admired her work with the Friend of the Court and the Circuit Court. Mr. Pernick also has been a dedicated public servant through his work with the Prosecutor’s Office.”
The oldest of six children, Hallmark grew up in Detroit and graduated from Henry Ford High School, earning a bachelor’s degree from Michigan State University in 1973.
Her father, Michel, was a native of Lebanon and spent his career on the assembly line at General Motors before retiring. Her mother, Angeline, raised six children and was an insurance underwriter before retirement.
Hallmark was awarded her juris doctor degree from Wayne State University Law School in 1977, spending three years in private practice with the Detroit firm of May & May before joining the Friend of the Court in Oakland County.
It was during her time as a Friend of the Court referee that Hallmark ramped up her involvement in bar association activities and in child welfare issues.
“Judge Hallmark has made numerous contributions to the legal profession as a referee, jurist, presenter, trainer, and active member of the bar,” the OCBA said in its award presentation June 1. “She is the longest serving member of the Governor’s Task Force on Child Abuse and Neglect, having been appointed and re-appointed by governors Engler, Granholm, and Snyder, respectively.”
The OCBA noted that Hallmark “has spent countless hours working on statewide summits and presentations on child welfare. She has an undying dedication to vulnerable children in need of permanency and safety. In her decades as a public servant, she has become a true champion for the children who have no voice, for the families that come before her, for her fellow judges and lawyers, and for her family, all of whom hold her in the highest esteem.”
Hallmark is the first to admit, however, that true justice remains an elusive ideal that can take an exacting toll on even veteran jurists who pride themselves on fairness and impartiality.
The judicial demands can be particularly taxing in the Probate Court, where she hears cases involving custodial, guardianship, parental rights, and mental health matters.
“The child protection cases can be particularly difficult, because of the vulnerability issues that are inherent in those matters,” Hallmark said of her docket. “As a judge, my overriding goal is to safeguard the interests of the child, but that is seldom an easy call when there is conflicting testimony from parents or guardians. Thoughts surrounding those cases never seem to go away.”
Since her appointment to the Probate Court, Hallmark has been elected to three 6-year terms and plans to seek re-election when her current term expires in 2018.
“I love this job and the many challenges that are part of it,” Hallmark said. “Even though we are faced with a heavy volume of cases, almost all of them are interesting in some respect, either in terms of the factual situations that are presented or the legal issues involved.”
When it comes to legal matters, she can talk shop with two members of her immediate family. She and her husband, Robert, met in law school at Wayne State and will mark their 40th wedding anniversary this fall.
“He retired a year ago after a long career in the law,” Hallmark said of her husband, who headed his own firm in Huntington Woods, concentrating on real estate and corporate matters.
As attorneys, the two were especially proud parents in November 2008 when their daughter, Jessica, was sworn in as a member of the State Bar of Michigan.
“We were beaming that day,” Judge Hallmark said.
The Hallmarks are equally proud of their younger daughter, Jamie, who is chair of the French Department at the International Academy in Troy. Like her sister, Jamie is married and the mother of two young children.
“We are very blessed to have two wonderful daughters and four beautiful grandchildren,” Hallmark said. “Life has been good to us.”
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