By Jim Stickford
Legal News
When anyone wants to talk to the executive director of the newly-created Eastern District of Michigan Federal Bar Association (“E.D. Mi. Bar”), they will hear a familiar voice – that of Melinda “Mindy” Herrmann who has guided the local chapter of the Federal Bar Association for the past seven-and-a-half years.
Herrmann said the new bar association, which was formed earlier this year, was started because the Eastern District of Michigan Federal Bar Association, where she also serves as executive director, is now enforcing one of its bylaws which state that local chapter members must also pay dues to the national Federal Bar Association. As a result, the decision was made to create the E.D. Mi. Bar, which will provide locally-oriented services to members, according to Herrmann.
In a letter to members of E.D. Mi. Bar, its officers declared that the new association was created because historically “the bulk of our members (currently over 95 percent) have not been members of National and have instead only paid local dues. We have been seeking a solution in response to National’s demand, as we believe most of you are part of the Chapter primarily because of the local benefits it offers and you have chosen not to pay National’s dues, which are higher than the (local) Chapter’s.
“After discussions with National, and with its consent, we have decided to form a new organization: the Eastern District of Michigan Bar Association (“E.D. Mi. Bar”),” the officers noted in the letter to members. “The Chapter will remain for those who wish to join National, but its focus will be on national matters. E.D. Mi. Bar will focus on the local events, training, and professional support previously provided by the Chapter. Some programming will be done in partnership.”
The result is that there are now two local bar associations, one independent and one affiliated with the Federal Bar Association, Herrmann said.
Herrman, 58, is a graduate of the United States Naval Academy and served in the Marine Corps, in both active and reserve duty, for almost 30 years before she retired from military service in 2016. It was at about this time that the Eastern Michigan Chapter of the Federal Bar Association was looking for a new executive director. She applied for the position and landed the job.
“What I want people to know is that the new organization is working in partnership with the national organization, and it was created with their consent,” Herrmann said. “The reason we created the new group is because we wanted to create the framework which would be capable of providing the same great services to federal law practitioners within the Eastern District of Michigan.”
Herrmann said she is the only full-time employee of the association and serving as executive director of either group is a demanding job. She estimates that she works close to 50 hours a week performing her duties.
Her work includes keeping members informed of the group’s activities in addition to organizing and promoting those programs and events. The new bar organization will host four annual luncheons, she said. These events receive the generous support of the local federal bench, and each luncheon features a keynote speaker talking about subjects of interest to members.
“We’re going to run most of the events we ran in the original chapter as these events have a distinctly local focus,” Herrmann said. “During the transition, some events will be run jointly. We’re producing the events that our members have come to expect and enjoy.”
They include the signature luncheon series, the holiday party, and the new lawyers’ seminar, which has been offered for more than 50 years. Other events include the annual golf outing and various educational, networking, and social programs.
The federal chapter will continue to exist and have a more national focus, Herrmann said. No one is being asked to leave one group for the other, she indicated.
“The two groups will work in partnership to serve our local practitioners,” Herrmann said. “I don’t want to say I like my job, because I love my job. Being executive director of both organizations affords me the opportunity to continue using leadership and managerial skills I learned in the Marine Corps.”
Herrmann is also a graduate of a master’s level Marine Corps program called “Command and Staff,” a course dedicated to planning and strategizing at the highest level.
“These skills are very applicable to the job of being the associations’ executive director,” she indicated.
Creating the new bar association was no easy task, Herrmann said. She credits all of the current chapter’s officers and especially Matt Allen of Miller Canfield and other practitioners from that firm who offered many dedicated pro bono hours of service.
“A lot of people put in a lot of work to make this happen,” Herrmann said.
A native of Kalamazoo, Herrmann resides in Northville Township, where she also serves as an elected township trustee as well as on the planning, parks and recreation, and election commissions.
It was at the Naval Academy where she met her husband, Fred Herrmann, who also served in the Marines and later graduated from the University of Michigan Law School. He currently is a partner at the Detroit law firm of Kerr Russell.
The Hermanns have two daughters, Annelie and Emma. Annelie, 28, is a graduate of Harvard University. Annelie and her husband, Tom, both scored 100 percent on their MCAT exam and both attended medical school at the University of Michigan.
Emma, 26, attended Williams College in Massachusetts, where she earned a degree in mathematics and economics and now works as a consultant for Ernst and Young.
“We’re very proud of our two daughters and their significant others, and we look forward to adding grandchildren to the grand-dog mix,” Herrmann said with a smile.
Legal News
When anyone wants to talk to the executive director of the newly-created Eastern District of Michigan Federal Bar Association (“E.D. Mi. Bar”), they will hear a familiar voice – that of Melinda “Mindy” Herrmann who has guided the local chapter of the Federal Bar Association for the past seven-and-a-half years.
Herrmann said the new bar association, which was formed earlier this year, was started because the Eastern District of Michigan Federal Bar Association, where she also serves as executive director, is now enforcing one of its bylaws which state that local chapter members must also pay dues to the national Federal Bar Association. As a result, the decision was made to create the E.D. Mi. Bar, which will provide locally-oriented services to members, according to Herrmann.
In a letter to members of E.D. Mi. Bar, its officers declared that the new association was created because historically “the bulk of our members (currently over 95 percent) have not been members of National and have instead only paid local dues. We have been seeking a solution in response to National’s demand, as we believe most of you are part of the Chapter primarily because of the local benefits it offers and you have chosen not to pay National’s dues, which are higher than the (local) Chapter’s.
“After discussions with National, and with its consent, we have decided to form a new organization: the Eastern District of Michigan Bar Association (“E.D. Mi. Bar”),” the officers noted in the letter to members. “The Chapter will remain for those who wish to join National, but its focus will be on national matters. E.D. Mi. Bar will focus on the local events, training, and professional support previously provided by the Chapter. Some programming will be done in partnership.”
The result is that there are now two local bar associations, one independent and one affiliated with the Federal Bar Association, Herrmann said.
Herrman, 58, is a graduate of the United States Naval Academy and served in the Marine Corps, in both active and reserve duty, for almost 30 years before she retired from military service in 2016. It was at about this time that the Eastern Michigan Chapter of the Federal Bar Association was looking for a new executive director. She applied for the position and landed the job.
“What I want people to know is that the new organization is working in partnership with the national organization, and it was created with their consent,” Herrmann said. “The reason we created the new group is because we wanted to create the framework which would be capable of providing the same great services to federal law practitioners within the Eastern District of Michigan.”
Herrmann said she is the only full-time employee of the association and serving as executive director of either group is a demanding job. She estimates that she works close to 50 hours a week performing her duties.
Her work includes keeping members informed of the group’s activities in addition to organizing and promoting those programs and events. The new bar organization will host four annual luncheons, she said. These events receive the generous support of the local federal bench, and each luncheon features a keynote speaker talking about subjects of interest to members.
“We’re going to run most of the events we ran in the original chapter as these events have a distinctly local focus,” Herrmann said. “During the transition, some events will be run jointly. We’re producing the events that our members have come to expect and enjoy.”
They include the signature luncheon series, the holiday party, and the new lawyers’ seminar, which has been offered for more than 50 years. Other events include the annual golf outing and various educational, networking, and social programs.
The federal chapter will continue to exist and have a more national focus, Herrmann said. No one is being asked to leave one group for the other, she indicated.
“The two groups will work in partnership to serve our local practitioners,” Herrmann said. “I don’t want to say I like my job, because I love my job. Being executive director of both organizations affords me the opportunity to continue using leadership and managerial skills I learned in the Marine Corps.”
Herrmann is also a graduate of a master’s level Marine Corps program called “Command and Staff,” a course dedicated to planning and strategizing at the highest level.
“These skills are very applicable to the job of being the associations’ executive director,” she indicated.
Creating the new bar association was no easy task, Herrmann said. She credits all of the current chapter’s officers and especially Matt Allen of Miller Canfield and other practitioners from that firm who offered many dedicated pro bono hours of service.
“A lot of people put in a lot of work to make this happen,” Herrmann said.
A native of Kalamazoo, Herrmann resides in Northville Township, where she also serves as an elected township trustee as well as on the planning, parks and recreation, and election commissions.
It was at the Naval Academy where she met her husband, Fred Herrmann, who also served in the Marines and later graduated from the University of Michigan Law School. He currently is a partner at the Detroit law firm of Kerr Russell.
The Hermanns have two daughters, Annelie and Emma. Annelie, 28, is a graduate of Harvard University. Annelie and her husband, Tom, both scored 100 percent on their MCAT exam and both attended medical school at the University of Michigan.
Emma, 26, attended Williams College in Massachusetts, where she earned a degree in mathematics and economics and now works as a consultant for Ernst and Young.
“We’re very proud of our two daughters and their significant others, and we look forward to adding grandchildren to the grand-dog mix,” Herrmann said with a smile.
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