By Tom Kirvan
Legal News
Attorney Donna M. MacKenzie has officially begun her tenure as the 68th president of the Michigan Association for Justice, it was announced this week. MacKenzie was unanimously elected by the MAJ general membership. Her one-year term runs from June 1, 2020 to May 31, 2021.
“I am deeply honored to continue serving MAJ in my new role as president, especially as the association is celebrating its 75th anniversary this year,” MacKenzie said. “MAJ members are the best trial lawyers in the state—fighting day in and day out to safeguard access to justice for those injured by the misconduct or negligence of others. When our civil justice system functions correctly, communities are safer places to live and work.”
MacKenzie, a shareholder at Olsman MacKenzie Peacock & Wallace, PC in Berkley, devotes a majority of her practice to representing individuals injured as a result of neglect and abuse in nursing homes, assisted living facilities and adult foster care homes, while also handling medical malpractice and sexual assault cases.
Since joining MAJ in 2005, MacKenzie has served as an officer in the association for the past four years, holding positions as treasurer, secretary, vice president, and president-elect. She also is a leader in several state and national organizations. She is the Vice-Chair-Elect for the American Association for Justice Nursing Home Litigation Group, a member of the council of the State Bar of Michigan Negligence Section, and Immediate Past President of the Women Lawyers Association of Michigan.
MacKenzie has received numerous awards and recognition for her work, including the Evelyn Forrest Respected Advocate Award from the Women Lawyers Association of Michigan – Oakland | Women’s Bar Association in 2020. She also was recognized by Crain’s Detroit Business as one of Michigan’s Most Notable Women Lawyers in 2017, and was selected to the Michigan Lawyers Weekly Leaders in the Law Class of 2017. In addition, MacKenzie received the F. Scott Baldwin Award from the American Association for Justice in 2015. She was named to the Michigan Top 100 Super Lawyers list from 2015-17 and 2019, and also was recognized in 2016, 2018 and 2020 by Best Lawyers in America as Medical Malpractice “Lawyer of the Year” in Troy.
“During this global pandemic, a fair and open civil justice system is more important than ever,” MacKenzie noted. “We are seeing in Michigan and throughout the country an unmitigated assault on the rights of consumers, patients, and workers as powerful interests demand sweeping immunity for COVID-19 injuries. It is imperative that we continue to do everything we can to effectively advocate for our clients and hold bad actors responsible when they fail to protect the health of Michiganders.”
MacKenzie is a Fellow of the Michigan State Bar Foundation, a Fellow of the Oakland County Bar Foundation, and a Trustee of the Macomb County Bar Foundation. These non-profit organizations serve the public by funding and promoting programs to increase access to the justice system. She regularly serves as a case evaluator in Macomb County, and has served as a private arbitrator in civil disputes. She also serves as a team co-captain for the annual “Walk to End Alzheimer’s” and “The Longest Day” events, both of which benefit the Alzheimer’s Society.
MacKenzie is a graduate of Alma College and during that time also studied overseas at the University of Aberdeen in Scotland. She obtained her juris doctor degree from Wayne State University Law School.
MacKenzie and her husband, Brandon, live in Macomb County and have three children.
Along with MacKenzie, new MAJ officers for 2020-21 are:
• President-Elect - Ronald K. Weiner, Lipton Law Center, PC, Southfield;
• Vice President - Stuart A. Sklar, Fabian, Sklar, King & Liss, PC, Farmington Hills;
• Secretary - Jennifer L. McManus, Fagan McManus, PC, Royal Oak;
• Treasurer – Eric Steinberg, Law Offices of Lee Steinberg, PC, Southfield; and,
• Immediate Past President – Robert J. MacDonald, MacDonald & MacDonald PLLC, Flint
The Michigan Association for Justice, formerly the Michigan Trial Lawyers Association (MTLA), is a trade association of more than 1,500 plaintiff's attorneys and staff, with offices in Lansing.
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