The State Bar of Michigan’s Government Law Section will present its 2025 GLS Winter Educational Seminar, “The Balancing Act: Substantive and Practical Tips for Governmental Lawyers,” on Friday, February 21, from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. at the Troy Community Center, 3179 Livernois Road IN Troy.
Attendees will explore timely government law topics, including updates on sunshine laws, zoning decisions, labor issues, Michigan marijuana law, and professionalism.
The schedule includes:
8:30 a.m. — Registration and Check-In with Continental Breakfast by Crank’s
8:55 a.m. — Welcome & Introduction, with Christopher Forsyth, GLS section chair
9 a.m. — Leading from the Trenches, with Justice Conrad Mallett Jr., corporation counsel, City of Detroit
10:15 a.m. — Networking Break
10:30 a.m. — Let the Sun Shine (FOIA, OMA), with Kathryn Levasseur-Cousin, assistant corporation counsel, Wayne County
11 a.m. — Zoning, Land Use, and the Courts in 2024, with Gerald Fisher, local government consultant & emeritus professor of law; and Christopher Forsyth, Grand Traverse County deputy county administrator
11:30 a.m. — Labor & Employment Speed Dating, with Chad Karsten, Fahey Schultz Burzych Rhodes PLC
Noon — Luncheon by Crank’s
1 p.m. — Professionalism and Wellbeing: You Need Both, with Caroline Giordano, Miller Canfield; Joan Vestrand, Cooley Law School; Tim Lessing, Lessing Legal; and Molly Ranns, Lawyers and Judges Assistance Program director
2:15 p.m. — Networking Break
2:30 p.m. — Is Michigan Still High on Marijuana?, panel discussion moderated by Clyde J. Robinson; Brian Hanna, executive director, State of Michigan Cannabis Regulatory Agency; Landon Bartley, AICP principal planner, City of East Lansing Planning & Zoning; and John W. Fraser, member, Dykema
3:45 p.m. — Solving All the Section’s Problems – A Rousing Round Table, with DeYana Hill, assistant corporation counsel, City of Detroit; Matthew Zalewski, shareholder, Rosati, Schultz, Joppich, Amtsbuechler; and Lori Grigg Bluhm, city attorney, City of Troy
4:30 p.m. — Adjournment to Happy Hour
5 p.m. — GLS Council Meeting, all are welcome
To register for the 2025 GLS Winter Educational Seminar, visit https://connect.michbar.org/govlaw/home.
Attendees will explore timely government law topics, including updates on sunshine laws, zoning decisions, labor issues, Michigan marijuana law, and professionalism.
The schedule includes:
8:30 a.m. — Registration and Check-In with Continental Breakfast by Crank’s
8:55 a.m. — Welcome & Introduction, with Christopher Forsyth, GLS section chair
9 a.m. — Leading from the Trenches, with Justice Conrad Mallett Jr., corporation counsel, City of Detroit
10:15 a.m. — Networking Break
10:30 a.m. — Let the Sun Shine (FOIA, OMA), with Kathryn Levasseur-Cousin, assistant corporation counsel, Wayne County
11 a.m. — Zoning, Land Use, and the Courts in 2024, with Gerald Fisher, local government consultant & emeritus professor of law; and Christopher Forsyth, Grand Traverse County deputy county administrator
11:30 a.m. — Labor & Employment Speed Dating, with Chad Karsten, Fahey Schultz Burzych Rhodes PLC
Noon — Luncheon by Crank’s
1 p.m. — Professionalism and Wellbeing: You Need Both, with Caroline Giordano, Miller Canfield; Joan Vestrand, Cooley Law School; Tim Lessing, Lessing Legal; and Molly Ranns, Lawyers and Judges Assistance Program director
2:15 p.m. — Networking Break
2:30 p.m. — Is Michigan Still High on Marijuana?, panel discussion moderated by Clyde J. Robinson; Brian Hanna, executive director, State of Michigan Cannabis Regulatory Agency; Landon Bartley, AICP principal planner, City of East Lansing Planning & Zoning; and John W. Fraser, member, Dykema
3:45 p.m. — Solving All the Section’s Problems – A Rousing Round Table, with DeYana Hill, assistant corporation counsel, City of Detroit; Matthew Zalewski, shareholder, Rosati, Schultz, Joppich, Amtsbuechler; and Lori Grigg Bluhm, city attorney, City of Troy
4:30 p.m. — Adjournment to Happy Hour
5 p.m. — GLS Council Meeting, all are welcome
To register for the 2025 GLS Winter Educational Seminar, visit https://connect.michbar.org/govlaw/home.
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