Members of the New Lawyers’ Seminar Committee include (left to right) Sínead Redmond, U.S. District Court Magistrate Judge Anthony Patti, Joseph McGill, Cathrine Wenger, Angela Jackson, Michael Pflueger, U.S. District Court Chief Judge Sean Cox, Robert Heitmeyer, Christine Dowhan-Bailey, Grant Gilezan, Lauren Mandel, Jeffrey May, Leann Lizza, Jeffrey Grabko, and Todd Flood.
The Eastern District of Michigan Bar Association and the Eastern District of Michigan Chapter of the Federal Bar Association announce the annual New Lawyers’ Seminar which will be held on Tuesday and Wednesday, March 11-12, 2025, in the Detroit Room of the Theodore Levin United States Courthouse, 231 W. Lafayette in Detroit. The seminar also is co-sponsored by the State Bar of Michigan’s Young Lawyers’ Section.
The seminar, now in its 49th year, focuses on the nuts and bolts of practicing law in the local federal and state courts. It is designed to assist new and newer lawyers in understanding the fundamental procedures followed in the local federal and state courts and provide practical teaching in a variety of subject matter areas. The faculty consists of federal and state judges, as well as experienced attorneys and court personnel.
The first day of the seminar on March 11 begins at 8:30 a.m., with registration, breakfast, and welcoming remarks by United States District Court Chief Judge Sean Cox, Eastern District of Michigan. The day continues with presentations on various federal practice areas: Electronic Filing & Pacer by Victoria Lung (U.S. District Court Data Quality administrator); Anatomy of a Civil Case by Richard Hewlett (Varnum); Discovery in Practice by U.S. Magistrate Judge Anthony Patti and Angela Jackson (Hooper Hathaway); Motion Practice – Tips from the Bench by U.S. District Judges Shalina Kumar and Matthew Leitman and Wayne County Circuit Court Judge Martha Snow; Essentials of Bankruptcy Law by U.S. Bankruptcy Court Judge Paul Hage and Charissa Potts (Freedom Law); Dos and Don’ts of Practicing in Federal Court by Assistant United States Attorneys Jeffrey Crapko and Jennifer Newby, Adam Wenner (General Motors Corporation), and Lauren Mandel (U.S. District Court career law clerk to Judge Linda V. Parker); Pro Bono Opportunities by U.S. Magistrate Judge Kimberly Altman, Assistant United States Attorney Jennifer Newby, and Nolan Moody (Dickinson Wright); and 42 U.S.C. § 1983 Litigation by Kevin Carlson (Pitt, McGehee, Palmer, Bonanni, & Rivers). The first day concludes with a tour of the federal court’s “Million Dollar Courtroom,” conducted by Barbara Radke (judicial assistant to Judge George Caram Steeh), and the admission ceremony to the court.
The program continues on March 12 at 8:30 a.m. with breakfast, followed by welcoming remarks and a discussion of the benefits of State Bar of Michigan membership and participation by Michigan State Bar President Joseph McGill (Foley, Baron, Metzger, & Juip) and Young Lawyers’ Section Chair Silvia Alexandria Mansoor.
Presentations continue with: An Overview of a Grievance Proceeding by Grievance Administrator Michael Goetz (Michigan Attorney Grievance Commission); Setting Up Your Own Practice by Julie Fershtman (Foster Swift); Handling a Criminal Case in State & Federal Court by Todd Flood (Law Offices of Todd Flood); Basic Michigan Real Property Transactions by Alfredo Casab (Dawda Mann); Strategies for the use of ADR by Kevin Hendrick (Clark Hill); Practicing in the Michigan Probate & Family Courts by Sara Zwickl (Zivian & Zwickl); Evaluating & Litigating Personal Injury Claims by Albert Dib (Jefferson Law Center); Handling Domestic Relations Cases by Sara Aretakis (Woll & Woll); Handling Michigan Workers’ Compensation Cases by Richard Hamm (Berman & Kaufman); Tax Consequences of Routine Legal Transactions by Robert Heitmeyer (U.S. Internal Revenue Service); An Overview of Employment Law by Cathrine Wenger (La-Z-Boy, Inc.); and Making the Record by official court reporters of the U.S. District Court, including Leann Lizza.
Chief Judge Cox recently sent invitation letters to the seminar to those individuals who passed the Michigan State Bar in 2024. All new and newer lawyers, however, are invited and encouraged to attend. Qualified participants also may register to participate in the mass swearing-in ceremony for the District Court for the Eastern District of Michigan. Registration for the ceremony is separate, and requires a separate fee, from the seminar.
The seminar’s early-bird registration rate of $160 ends on January 2. After that date, registration is $185. The registration fee includes one-year membership to the Eastern District of Michigan Bar Association and the Eastern District of Michigan Chapter of the FBA, along with program materials, and breakfast and lunch on both days.
Registration is at https://fbamich.org/event/save-the-date-2025-new-lawyers-seminar/.
Co-chairs for the seminar are attorneys Christine Dowhan-Bailey, Cathrine Wenger, Grant Gilezan (Dykema Gossett), Lauren Mandel, Jeffrey May (Bodman), Sínead Redmond (Bodman), and Joan Campau (Salvatore, Prescott, Porter, & Porter).
The seminar, now in its 49th year, focuses on the nuts and bolts of practicing law in the local federal and state courts. It is designed to assist new and newer lawyers in understanding the fundamental procedures followed in the local federal and state courts and provide practical teaching in a variety of subject matter areas. The faculty consists of federal and state judges, as well as experienced attorneys and court personnel.
The first day of the seminar on March 11 begins at 8:30 a.m., with registration, breakfast, and welcoming remarks by United States District Court Chief Judge Sean Cox, Eastern District of Michigan. The day continues with presentations on various federal practice areas: Electronic Filing & Pacer by Victoria Lung (U.S. District Court Data Quality administrator); Anatomy of a Civil Case by Richard Hewlett (Varnum); Discovery in Practice by U.S. Magistrate Judge Anthony Patti and Angela Jackson (Hooper Hathaway); Motion Practice – Tips from the Bench by U.S. District Judges Shalina Kumar and Matthew Leitman and Wayne County Circuit Court Judge Martha Snow; Essentials of Bankruptcy Law by U.S. Bankruptcy Court Judge Paul Hage and Charissa Potts (Freedom Law); Dos and Don’ts of Practicing in Federal Court by Assistant United States Attorneys Jeffrey Crapko and Jennifer Newby, Adam Wenner (General Motors Corporation), and Lauren Mandel (U.S. District Court career law clerk to Judge Linda V. Parker); Pro Bono Opportunities by U.S. Magistrate Judge Kimberly Altman, Assistant United States Attorney Jennifer Newby, and Nolan Moody (Dickinson Wright); and 42 U.S.C. § 1983 Litigation by Kevin Carlson (Pitt, McGehee, Palmer, Bonanni, & Rivers). The first day concludes with a tour of the federal court’s “Million Dollar Courtroom,” conducted by Barbara Radke (judicial assistant to Judge George Caram Steeh), and the admission ceremony to the court.
The program continues on March 12 at 8:30 a.m. with breakfast, followed by welcoming remarks and a discussion of the benefits of State Bar of Michigan membership and participation by Michigan State Bar President Joseph McGill (Foley, Baron, Metzger, & Juip) and Young Lawyers’ Section Chair Silvia Alexandria Mansoor.
Presentations continue with: An Overview of a Grievance Proceeding by Grievance Administrator Michael Goetz (Michigan Attorney Grievance Commission); Setting Up Your Own Practice by Julie Fershtman (Foster Swift); Handling a Criminal Case in State & Federal Court by Todd Flood (Law Offices of Todd Flood); Basic Michigan Real Property Transactions by Alfredo Casab (Dawda Mann); Strategies for the use of ADR by Kevin Hendrick (Clark Hill); Practicing in the Michigan Probate & Family Courts by Sara Zwickl (Zivian & Zwickl); Evaluating & Litigating Personal Injury Claims by Albert Dib (Jefferson Law Center); Handling Domestic Relations Cases by Sara Aretakis (Woll & Woll); Handling Michigan Workers’ Compensation Cases by Richard Hamm (Berman & Kaufman); Tax Consequences of Routine Legal Transactions by Robert Heitmeyer (U.S. Internal Revenue Service); An Overview of Employment Law by Cathrine Wenger (La-Z-Boy, Inc.); and Making the Record by official court reporters of the U.S. District Court, including Leann Lizza.
Chief Judge Cox recently sent invitation letters to the seminar to those individuals who passed the Michigan State Bar in 2024. All new and newer lawyers, however, are invited and encouraged to attend. Qualified participants also may register to participate in the mass swearing-in ceremony for the District Court for the Eastern District of Michigan. Registration for the ceremony is separate, and requires a separate fee, from the seminar.
The seminar’s early-bird registration rate of $160 ends on January 2. After that date, registration is $185. The registration fee includes one-year membership to the Eastern District of Michigan Bar Association and the Eastern District of Michigan Chapter of the FBA, along with program materials, and breakfast and lunch on both days.
Registration is at https://fbamich.org/event/save-the-date-2025-new-lawyers-seminar/.
Co-chairs for the seminar are attorneys Christine Dowhan-Bailey, Cathrine Wenger, Grant Gilezan (Dykema Gossett), Lauren Mandel, Jeffrey May (Bodman), Sínead Redmond (Bodman), and Joan Campau (Salvatore, Prescott, Porter, & Porter).
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