The State Bar of Michigan mourns the loss of its 65th president, Alfred M. Butzbaugh, who died January 11 in Fitchburg, WI, at the age of 79.
"Al Butzbaugh leaves a legacy of extraordinary accomplishments," SBM Executive Director Janet Welch said. "He was an unsurpassed champion for access to justice, a legendary mentor, and an all-around role model not just for lawyers in Michigan but for human beings everywhere."
"All of us are so saddened by the news of the passing of Al Butzbaugh," SBM President Dennis M. Barnes said. "Al was greatly loved and admired by lawyers across the state, and indeed, by all who knew him. He will be deeply missed."
Butzbaugh was elected president of the State Bar of Michigan for the 19992000 bar year. Before retirement, he served as chief judge at the Berrien County Trial Court 2nd Judicial Circuit. Prior to that, he was a senior partner with the St. Joseph firm of Butzbaugh & Dewane, a practice focused on civil litigation, business transactions, and estate planning.
He served on the State Bar Board of Commissioners beginning in 1992 and rose to the rank of president after serving as treasurer (19961997), vice president (19971998), and president-elect (19981999). He served on the Representative Assembly representing Berrien County from 1973 to 1979 and from 1996 to 2000.
Butzbaugh was an advocate for assuring equal access to justice for all people and served as chair of the State Bar of Michigan Access to Justice For All Task Force from 1996 to 1999, where he championed creation of the State Bar's Access to Justice Campaign. He received the State Bar's Roberts P. Hudson award in 2001 and was the 2019 Founder Award Recipient presented by the Michigan State Bar Foundation. Examples of efforts made possible through his work at the Foundation as a State Bar leader and in other capacities are expanded pro bono, telephone hotlines, immigration law services, foreclosure prevention projects, coordinated statewide fundraising for legal aid, and assistance for self-represented litigants.
Butzbaugh served as president of the Berrien County Bar Association from 1982 to 1983. He was a fellow of the Michigan State Bar Foundation and the American Bar Association Foundation. He was also a member of the State Bar of Texas and the American Bar Association.
Butzbaugh was involved in many civic activities and was responsible for initiating the Youth Sports for Benton Harbor endowment program to establish and maintain sports programs for the children of Benton Harbor. He also served as a mentor for the Benton Harbor Area Schools and initiated and taught a Chess Club at the Gifted and Talented Academy in the Benton Harbor Area Schools.
Butzbaugh received his B.A. and law degrees from the University of Michigan and his M.B.A. from the University of Chicago. He and his wife Tiffany L. Butzbaugh have three daughters, Currie, Alexa, and Mia.
A memorial service is planned for the spring.
