By Tom Kirvan
Legal News
Upon graduation from Boston University School of Law in 2001, Jennifer McManus had the good fortune of landing a federal court clerkship with one of the most highly regarded and respected jurists on the U.S. District Court bench in Michigan.
His name is Judge Bernard Friedman, a man whose judicial career has been marked by noteworthy federal decisions and an unyielding commitment to the highest standards of civility and professionalism.
“He has been a wonderful mentor to me throughout my career,” said McManus, who on June 1 was sworn in as the 71st president of the Michigan Association for Justice, an organization of more than 1,300 attorneys who represent individuals in injury, employment, civil rights, and criminal matters.
Following two tours of duty as a clerk for Judge Friedman (totaling 8 years), McManus benefitted from a second mentorship, this time from her current law partner Barry Fagan, a Royal Oak attorney who has carved out a reputation as an expert in the area of employment law and civil rights litigation.
“I consider myself very fortunate to have learned from two of the best in the legal profession, men whose contributions to the law are significant in so many respects,” said McManus. “They have served as role models on how to conduct myself as an attorney and to advance the cause of justice for my clients.”
McManus, a magna cum laude graduate of Western Michigan University where she majored in English Literature and International Comparative Politics, joined Fagan McManus, P.C. in 2016 and has been working with Barry Fagan in private practice since 2012.
“Barry encouraged my involvement in MAJ and I’m grateful that he did, as I have met so many incredible attorneys and developed such lasting friendships,” said McManus, who has served as treasurer, secretary, vice president, and president-elect before assuming her new leadership role in June. “It’s a very collegial and collaborative organization, where we celebrate each other’s wins, recognizing the fact that a win for one of us is a win for all of us.”
After her first clerkship following law school, McManus accepted a job at Miller Canfield in Detroit in its commercial litigation practice. She spent three years there before the birth of her first child coincided with her desire to return to the public service sector where Judge Friedman was delighted to welcome her back.
“It came at a time when I was chief judge and had an opening for a career law clerk, which she obviously fit just perfectly,” said Friedman. “Jennifer had done an amazing job during her first clerkship following law school, and the experience she gained in private practice proved even more beneficial when she came back.
“Jennifer’s the real deal – incredibly bright, principled, and hard-working,” Friedman said of McManus. “She always displayed a special ability to digest a lot of information and to complete whatever assignment I gave her in a timely and exceptional fashion. She’s truly amazing. I can’t say enough good things about her.”
Originally, a career in the law was not on McManus’s radar, as she enrolled at Western Michigan with plans to pursue a degree in aeronautical engineering.
“In high school, I just loved math and science, taking as many AP courses as I could to satisfy my interests,” McManus recalled. “I just couldn’t get enough.”
Concurrently, she also had developed an early fascination with politics and international affairs, interests that were sparked during a pair of college-sponsored trips to Peru and Costa Rica during her junior and senior years at Western.
“I had some amazing instructors at Western, some of whom I remain in contact with to this day,” she related. “They encouraged me to consider law school as an option, believing that I had the aptitude and the skills to succeed.”
Which she did at Boston University School of Law, where she earned her juris doctor magna cum laude, duplicating the academic success she enjoyed as an undergraduate. During her time at BU, McManus had the opportunity to spend a semester abroad in a foreign study program in the Netherlands, home of the World Court at The Hague.
“I have a love for travel and for learning about different cultures, so those experiences I had in college and law school will be times I will always treasure,” said McManus.
That wanderlust may stem from her parents, both of whom were part of Chaldean families who immigrated to the United States.
“I’m the oldest of four daughters and all of us are first-generation Americans,” said McManus, who grew up in Farmington Hills and graduated from North Farmington High School. “We were raised in a tight-knit Chaldean-American community, and our parents placed great emphasis on education and working hard in life.”
Her late father, George, owned several convenience stores in metro Detroit, while her mother, Linda, spent nearly 30 years working in an administrative role with Trinity Health before retiring. Her father died of pancreatic cancer in 2017 at age 68 after battling the disease for two years, time that he devoted to his family and friends while enjoying his interests in travel, golf, and playing poker.
Her three sisters – Jaclyn McQuaid, Jamie Brewer, and Jessica Miyamoto – also have excelled in their professional careers. Twin sisters, Jaclyn and Jamie both earned engineering degrees from the University of Michigan en route to key roles with General Motors. Last fall, Jaclyn was named the new president and managing director of GM Europe, where she is leading the implementation of the carmaker’s new mobility start-up business on the continent. Jamie, in turn, is the executive chief engineer of Future Electric Vehicles at GM, including the Cadillac LYRIC. Their younger sister Jessica, also a U-M alumna, has a key nursing role with Sparrow Hospital in Lansing.
“I’m so proud of my sisters for all that they are doing and have done in their careers,” said McManus, whose husband John is a veteran criminal defense attorney in Royal Oak. “They are really remarkable women.”
Attorney Judy Susskind, a partner with Sommers Schwartz in Southfield and a past president of the MAJ, would say the same about McManus.
“Jennifer has become a treasured friend,” said Susskind, a medical malpractice attorney. “She is incredibly smart, curious, adventurous, talented, patient, and kind. She also is an amazing listener. She is very compassionate and invested in her cases and the causes she fights for.
“Although she is busy with her work as an accomplished employment lawyer, she gives her time generously to her committee work and MAJ,” added Susskind. “She has done all of this while raising two incredible boys who play travel hockey. And she has probably never missed a game. Jennifer has a tremendous resume of accomplishments, and learned to practice law from great mentors. She will never brag about herself or self-promote. But she is the one you want on your team. Every time.”
McManus, who speaks frequently at employment law seminars presented by the State Bar of Michigan and the Federal Bar Association, serves as co-chair for the FBA’s Legal Ethics Committee, which she helped develop. She has participated in panel discussions on a variety of topics, including the Family Medical Leave Act, wage theft, dispositive motion best practices, and legal ethics in social media.
In addition, McManus is a former member of the Labor & Employment Law Advisory Board for the Institute of Continuing Legal Education. She also has served on the Board of Directors for the Chaldean American Chamber of Commerce and is supportive of the Chaldean Community Foundation, a nonprofit that assists Chaldean immigrants with language, medical, and employment needs.
“I love my work, especially the opportunity to serve as an advocate for clients who have been subjected to discrimination, unlawful termination, or other unfair labor practices,” said McManus, whose practice ranges from complex multi-state collective actions against large corporations to individual cases of workplace misconduct.
One such case that still resonates with McManus involved a woman who was employed at a doctor’s office and was forced from her job after she refused to undergo daily weigh-ins.
“It was a blatant case of weight discrimination, which is prohibited under the Elliott-Larsen Civil Rights Act,” McManus explained. “She was overweight and because of that was forced by the physician to step on the scale each day in an effort to manage her weight. It was a humiliating experience for her and resulted in her losing her job after she refused to comply with his directive to weigh in.
“Fortunately, we were able to secure damages for wage loss, unlawful termination, and the emotional distress that she suffered from the experience, helping someone who at one point felt hopeless and totally defeated to feel somewhat whole again,” McManus said. “The outcome of that case helped restore her faith.”
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