Vicki King (center) recently passed the midway point of her 1-year term as president of the Oakland County Bar Foundation. She is pictured at last year’s Signature Event with (l-r) Katie Tillinger, deputy director of Membership and Foundation for the OCBA; her husband, David King, who works in the computer technology department for Henry Ford Health System; OCBF Trustee Sonja Lengnick, an attorney with Kienbaum Hardy; and Mark Chutkow, of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Michigan.
Photo courtesy of OCBA
By Tom Kirvan
Legal News
Two years into the pandemic, attorney Vicki King is acutely aware of the challenges she faces in her role as president of the Oakland County Bar Foundation, a nonprofit organization that relies on the generosity of area businesses and members of the legal community to support its charitable mission.
The spread of the coronavirus, which forced the cancellation of the Foundation’s Signature Event in 2020 and pushed back the 2021 edition to an early fall date with crowd limitations, already has altered plans for this year’s version of the popular fund-raiser, according to King.
“Because of the pandemic, we’ve had to be flexible with scheduling, not only with the Signature Event, but also with our annual Fellows Reception,” said King, senior counsel in the Detroit office of Gordon Rees Scully Mansukhani. “The Signature Event, which is our primary fund-raiser, has normally been held in the spring, but this year we plan to hold it outside in late June. The Fellows Reception, which traditionally is held in late January, has been rescheduled for late February.”
The fluid and uncertain nature of life in the COVID-19 era has been particularly nettlesome for organizations that count on large public events to fund their operations, King acknowledged.
“It’s the way of the world now and we’re doing our best to maintain some continuity with our events and programs, while also being aware of the health concerns that are still very real in the community,” King said. “We’re doing our best to strike the right balance.”
In years past, the Signature Event has been held at Oakland Hills Country Club, drawing a sellout crowd of more than 400 members of the legal community. In 2019, the last year the event took place in its traditional form, the fund-raiser generated more than $238,000 in sponsorships and ticket sales.
Over the past 20 years, the Foundation has contributed approximately $3 million to legal assistance and education programs in the community, according to King. Proceeds from past events have assisted the important work of the CASA Program (Court-Appointed Special Advocates) through CARE House, the Family Law Assistance Project, Beaumont Patient Legal Support Program, Michigan Center for Civic Education, Southwest Detroit Immigrant and Refugee Center, Jewish Family Service, Youth Law Conference, and more.
This year, like last fall, the Signature Event will be staged at Orchard Hills Country Club, King indicated.
“We plan to hold it outside on the patio overlooking the lake,” King said of the event planned for Thursday, June 23. “The weather should be beautiful then and hopefully we will have turned the corner on the pandemic.”
As a forerunner to its chief fund-raiser, the OCBF will hold its annual Fellows Reception on Monday, Feb. 28 from 5:30-7:30 p.m. at the Rust Belt Market in Ferndale.
The reception serves as an opportunity to welcome a new class of “fellows” into the fold, according to King.
“In years past, we typically have anywhere from 25 to 40 new fellows join our ranks,” she said.
A fellow is designated by a pledge of $1,000. A patron fellow is designated by a pledge of $2,500. A charter fellow is designated by a pledge of $5,000. A philanthropist is designated by a pledge of $10,000. A pledge may be paid in full at the time or nomination or at the rate of $100 a year or $500 a year for 10 years (in the case of charter fellows).
Funds from the fellows’ program help support various legal aid projects and causes in the Oakland County community, King indicated.
“The fellows’ program is an opportunity for individuals to get involved and support the Foundation monetarily throughout their career,” King said. “Membership is not only a significant honor, but it also demonstrates care – care for the Foundation and all of the various legal services providers and community groups that benefit from the Foundation’s grants.”
As the president of the OCBF, King is goal-oriented, a trait she has displayed since she was a teen growing up in Rochester Hills after her family emigrated from Canada when her father requested a transfer to a General Motors facility in the U.S.
Her desire to promote the good legal works of the Foundation, which has served as a lifeline to many charitable organizations in the legal community, dovetails neatly with her longtime interest in serving the cause of others. So much so that in 2015 King was recognized by the Oakland County Bar Association as the recipient of the coveted “Distinguished Service Award.”
In her recent column in the OCBA’s “Laches” magazine, King highlighted a timeless message from the late Margaret Mead, the renowned cultural anthropologist and social activist.
“Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world,” said Mead. “Indeed, it’s the only thing that ever has.”
Such words of wisdom resonate with King, who for years has been firmly committed to helping ensure that the OCBF continues “to be a strong contributor to worthy organizations in the Oakland County community.”
Patrick McCarthy, a partner with Howard & Howard and a past president of the OCBF, is among those impressed by King’s work on behalf of the Foundation.
“I am very pleased that Vicki is the President of the Oakland County Bar Foundation,” said McCarthy, a current member of the OCBF Board. “Her prior history and tireless dedication as a trustee of the Foundation served her well in preparation for this important role. As expected, she is admirably implementing the necessary vision as president and demonstrating focused passion in support of our mission. The Foundation is fortunate to have Vicki lead our organization.”
Those comments were echoed by attorney David Plunkett, the immediate past president of the Foundation.
“Vicki is an invaluable part of OCBF,” said Plunkett. “I was on the board when Vicki joined, and I don’t think I’ve seen another trustee throw herself/himself into the workings and mission of the OCBF quite as thoroughly as Vicki did and continues to do.
“At the core of the OCBF’s mission is our goal of improving and facilitating the administration of justice in Oakland County and throughout the state of Michigan,” Plunkett noted. “We work toward that goal by providing grants to worthy organizations, which grants are evaluated in the first instance by the Projects Committee. Vicki’s importance to OCBF is perhaps best exemplified by not only her long tenure as a co-chairperson of the Projects Committee and continued membership on that committee, but also the thoroughness and care she has brought to those positions. Vicki has continued her great work for the OCBF as president, especially during these challenging times when fund-raisers and other events are challenging.”
A product of Rochester Adams High School, King earned a bachelor’s degree cum laude from Hillsdale College in 1994 with a double major in history and the classics. Seven years later, King obtained a master’s degree summa cum laude from Central Michigan University in software engineering administration.
Shortly thereafter, she and her husband David began raising their family, which now includes three sons, Alexander, Nathan, and Daniel. At the time, King worked in the information technology field as a senior software quality assurance engineer.
King was a mother of two when she embarked upon her law school studies at the Auburn Hills campus of Cooley.
“I was enrolled in the weekend program there and it was a big commitment since my boys were 2 and 5 at the time,” said King. “But on the other hand, the entire family owned it. I’ll never forget when I got my bar exam results, my sons jumped up and down with excitement that I had passed. They were full of joy, as were my husband and I. It truly was a team effort.”
After interning at Collins Einhorn during law school, King landed a job as a judicial staff attorney for Oakland County Circuit Judge Leo Bowman, where she would work for nearly 11 years before joining Gordon Rees Scully Mansukhani in 2021.
“I learned so much working for Judge Bowman, as my job touched so many areas of the law – civil, criminal, professional liability, employment law, and appellate cases,” King related. “There was always something new and interesting.”
Judge Bowman, King noted, encouraged her to become involved in the Oakland County Bar Association, eventually leading to her service as chair of the New Lawyers Committee and as a trustee on the OCBA Board since 2017. She was appointed to the Foundation Board in 2016, rising through the officer ranks to become president last summer.
“I have made so many wonderful friends through my involvement with the Bar Association and the Bar Foundation,” said King. “It’s been rewarding in so many ways and it’s meaningful to know that we have made an impact in the legal community with our volunteer efforts.”
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