DMBA Foundation recognizes 2011 class of Foundation Fellows

The Detroit Metropolitan Bar Association Foundation recognized its 2011 Class of Foundation Fellows during ceremonies for the 8th Annual Dennis W. Archer Public Service Award Jan. 26. Former U.S. Attorney and Detroit Deputy Mayor Saul A. Green of Miller Canfield was named a Supporting Fellow while eleven other DMBA leaders were welcomed as Fellows as part of the event, during which Michigan Department of Human Services Director Maura D. Corrigan was presented with the 8th Annual Archer Award. The Bar Association Foundation's Fellows program recognizes members who have made exceptional contributions to the practice of law and who are exemplary lawyers in the community. Fellows make a significant, ten-year commitment to the Foundation and are named either Patron Fellows, Supporting Fellows, or Fellows. The program was inaugurated in 2006. "Whenever one thinks of attorneys who have made a solid, lasting and positive impact on our community, Saul Green is one of the first names that comes to mind," said E. Christopher Johnson, Jr., co-chair of the Detroit Metropolitan Bar Association Foundation. "Whether he was taking the time to sponsor an Explorer Scout Troop while working as a U.S. Attorney or pitching in during challenging times for our city, Saul has always been one of the leading lights of Detroit." Green himself chose to focus on Corrigan's record and the importance of getting the legal community involved in public service. "This year's Dennis W. Archer Public Service Award presentation was a truly outstanding event," he said. "Justice Corrigan's selection as this year's recipient is a deserving commemoration of a career dedicated to work on behalf of children and families. It is also important to commend the DMBA Foundation for annually convening the Detroit Metropolitan legal community in a celebration of commitment to community service." Eugene H. Boyle, Jr. and Harold Gurewitz are two of Detroit's other notable attorneys who were also welcomed into the 2011 Class of Fellows. Boyle, a Patron Fellow, is president of Boyle Burdett, a firm he founded in 2007. He formerly served as the youngest president of the Detroit Metropolitan Bar Association, has been an Adjunct Professor of Law at his alma mater, the University of Detroit Mercy School of Law, and he is an active member of its law Alumni Association. Boyle is a top attorney with extensive experience in commercial business, probate, and First Amendment litigation. He has tried cases throughout Michigan as well as in New York, Chicago, and Florida. Gurewitz has more than forty years' experience working on both sides of the criminal system -- as a defense attorney and as an Assistant U.S. Attorney and Chief of the Economic Crime Unit. He has successfully argued cases in venues up to and including the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit and is the recipient of the 1998 Gilman Award from the Detroit Chapter of the Federal Bar Association, the 2010 Kaplan Social Justice Award from Congregation T'chiyah (along with this wife, attorney Mary Ellen Gurewitz), and the 2012 "Warrior of Justice" Award from the Legal Aid and Defender Association of Detroit. "Becoming a Patron Fellow of the Detroit Metropolitan Bar Association is a very happy and natural continuation of a relationship that began with my law career back in 1988," Boyle said. "I remember helping Reginald Turner sell tickets to a Barristers social event. We were clerking for the Justices of the Michigan Supreme Court at the time. The next thing I knew, I was elected to the Barristers Board of Directors, became its social chairman, was selected as Barrister of the Year, and was elected its president in 1995. I then served on the DMBA Board of Directors and became its president in 2001. Throughout my career, the friendships I've formed through my years with the DMBA remain among my closest professional relationships. The DMBA has been a valuable resource for me over the years, and I am excited to continue on as a Patron Fellow of the Foundation." "Our Fellows program serves two equally important purposes," said Lorraine H. Weber, JD, the Foundation's executive director. "The first is to recognize Detroit Metropolitan Bar Association members who, through their practice of law and their service to our community, have provided the rest of us an inspiration and a benchmark to measure ourselves against. The second is that our Fellows' commitment to the Foundation allows us to make a concrete, measurable difference in the lives of the people we serve through our Access to Justice and Community Service programs. Every single one of them is vital to our continued success." The following attorneys were also welcomed as Fellows during the Bar Association Foundation's annual event: Richard L. Cunningham, Michigan Department of Attorney General; Gene J. Esshaki, Abbott Nicholson PC; Christopher R. Gura, Abbot Nicholson PC; Hon. Katherine L. Hansen, Justice, 36th District Court; Robert S. Krause, Dickinson Wright; Stephen D. McGraw, Kerr, Russel and Weber, PLC; Paul J. Millenbach, V.P. Foster Swift; Leo A. Nouhan, Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan; James S. Rosenfeld, Butzel Long; Steven D. Sallen, Maddin, Hauser, Wartell, Roth & Heller, PC. Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan, DTE Energy, General Motors and several of Michigan's other leading law firms and corporations joined to co-sponsor the event. Archer Award event proceeds benefit the Detroit Metropolitan Bar Association Foundation's Access to Justice and public service programs including The Thomas M. Cooley Pro Bono Mentor Program, the Detroit Legal Services Clinic, and For the Seventh Generation, which serves children in Wayne County's foster care system. For more information or to make a contribution visit www.detroitlawyer.org/dmbafoundation.html or call 313-961-6120. Published: Fri, Mar 16, 2012

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