Cooley Law School associate dean recognized as a ‘Champion of Justice’ by Grand Rapids Bar Association
Cooley Law School Associate Dean and Professor Tracey Brame was awarded the Grand Rapids Bar Association’s Champion of Justice Award during the organization’s 2025 Law Day event at the Grand Rapids Art Museum on May 8. Pictured (l-r) are Kenyatta Brame, Tracey Brame, Congresswoman Hillary Scholten, Kimani Brame, and Kamau Brame.
On May 8, Cooley Law School Associate Dean and Professor Tracey Brame was awarded the Grand Rapids Bar Association’s Champion of Justice Award during the organization’s 2025 Law Day event at the Grand Rapids Art Museum.
The Champion of Justice Award recognizes innovative contributions of a lawyer which advance the mission of the GRBA, which is: To promote justice, professional excellence, and respect for the law, foster the dignity and integrity of the profession, and/or provide law-related services to the community.
The event, held in conjunction with the Federal Bar Association- Western District of Michigan, explored the American Bar Association’s 2025 Law Day theme, “The Constitution's Promise: Out of Many, One,” and featured artist Sam Knecht, who spoke about his oil-on-linen piece, “Signing of the American Constitution,” which currently hangs in Washington, D.C.
The Champion of Justice Award recognizes innovative contributions of a lawyer which advance the mission of the GRBA, which is: To promote justice, professional excellence, and respect for the law, foster the dignity and integrity of the profession, and/or provide law-related services to the community.
The event, held in conjunction with the Federal Bar Association- Western District of Michigan, explored the American Bar Association’s 2025 Law Day theme, “The Constitution's Promise: Out of Many, One,” and featured artist Sam Knecht, who spoke about his oil-on-linen piece, “Signing of the American Constitution,” which currently hangs in Washington, D.C.
50th ABA National Conference on Professional Responsibility tackles ethics in changing legal landscape
The American Bar Association will hold its ABA 50th National Conference on Professional Responsibility on May 28-30 in Arlington, Virginia, with an array of programs focusing on timely legal ethics issues, including artificial intelligence, executive orders and lawyer well-being.
The conference, sponsored by the ABA Center for Professional Responsibility, will take place Wednesday through Friday, May 28-30, at the Ritz-Carlton, Pentagon City in Arlington, Virginia.
The annual event, the preeminent educational and networking opportunity in the field of legal ethics and professional responsibility, brings together leading experts, scholars and practitioners from across the country. Issues such as nonlawyer ownership of firms, conflicts of interest and the ABA Model Rules of Professional Conduct will be addressed by more than 50 experts in more than 15 sessions.
Programming includes:
• “Through the Past, Darkly: Explorations Into the Provenance and Virtues of the ABA Model Rules of Professional Conduct, and Auguries as to Their Future” - In recognition of the 50th anniversary of the conference, this simultaneously self-reflective and forward-looking session will launch the 2025 conference motifs. Experience a multimedia tour through the history of the law of lawyering, beginning with the genesis of uniform ethics rules, traversing the development and evolution of the Model Rules and concluding with forecasts about the future of legal ethics and professional regulation. The session will be headlined by Loyola University of Chicago Law School Adjunct Professor James Grogan; Rosing Pott & Strohbehn partner Lynda Shely; and Collins Einhorn President Don Campbell. Doug Ende, chief disciplinary counsel of the Washington State Bar Association, will give introductory remarks. Thursday, 9:15-10:35 a.m.
• “Law Firm and Lawyer Responses to Executive Orders and Administration Directives” - The early days of the new administration have brought challenges for lawyers in private practice, highlighted by executive orders that target specific firms and directives aimed at pursuing sanctions and bar discipline against attorneys who dissent from government policies. Responses among law firms and bar associations have varied. In this session, we will hear from legal professionals and bar leaders who are actively engaged in addressing these developments and discussing the implications for the profession. Speakers are ABA President Bill Bay, Cornell Law Professor Brad Wendel and Cato Institute Senior Vice President for Legal Studies Clark Neily. Thursday, 4:10-5:10 p.m.
• “AI: The Next Level” - The panel will go beyond the basics to explore the next level of issues with AI. Topics to be covered include: regulation of AI in the U.S. and other countries and how it will impact the practice of law; deepfakes and how to recognize them; law firm training of staff on uses and risks of AI; and how to vet an AI vendor and what provisions must be included in a vendor contract. Panelists include HWG LLP partner Hilary Gerzhoy; McDermott, Will & Emery CIO Michael Shea; and McDermott, Will & Emery partner Jason Krieser. Friday, 8:30-9:50 a.m.
• “Balancing Act: Supporting the Well-being of Law Students and New Lawyers While Protecting the Public” - As a new generation of lawyers prepares to enter the legal profession and learns to navigate the early years of practice, law schools and legal employers must be equipped to help them succeed and also aid those who are facing impairment and wellness issues. Coaching new lawyers to stay afloat in environments that are often “sink or swim” can mean balancing accommodations with fairness and accountability. This session will address the ethical issues faced by students and new lawyers as well as the obligations of law schools and legal employers who support and supervise new professionals. Panelists are Crystal Rae Coel, assistant dean for student affairs for the Louis D. Brandeis School of Law at the University of Louisville; Lindsey D. Draper, retired Milwaukee County Circuit Court commissioner; and Yvette Hourigan, director of the Kentucky Lawyer Assistance Program. Friday, 9:55-10:55 a.m.
Two awards will also be given during the conference, at 5:45 p.m. on Thursday, May 29. Mason Ji will receive the 2025 Rosner & Rosner Young Lawyer Professionalism Award. A Rhodes Scholar, Ji has made significant contributions to advancing legal and judicial ethics, lawyer professionalism, client protection and professional regulation.
Also, Myles V. Lynk, an emeritus professor of law at Arizona State University’s Sandra Day O’Connor College of Law, will receive the 2025 Michael Franck Professional Responsibility Award, one of the ABA’s top ethics honors. Lynk is nationally recognized as a leader in legal ethics and professional responsibility through his work as a lawyer, law professor, disciplinary counsel, and tireless contributor to the ABA.
For additional information on the conferece, visit www.americanbar.org/groups/professional_responsibility.
The conference, sponsored by the ABA Center for Professional Responsibility, will take place Wednesday through Friday, May 28-30, at the Ritz-Carlton, Pentagon City in Arlington, Virginia.
The annual event, the preeminent educational and networking opportunity in the field of legal ethics and professional responsibility, brings together leading experts, scholars and practitioners from across the country. Issues such as nonlawyer ownership of firms, conflicts of interest and the ABA Model Rules of Professional Conduct will be addressed by more than 50 experts in more than 15 sessions.
Programming includes:
• “Through the Past, Darkly: Explorations Into the Provenance and Virtues of the ABA Model Rules of Professional Conduct, and Auguries as to Their Future” - In recognition of the 50th anniversary of the conference, this simultaneously self-reflective and forward-looking session will launch the 2025 conference motifs. Experience a multimedia tour through the history of the law of lawyering, beginning with the genesis of uniform ethics rules, traversing the development and evolution of the Model Rules and concluding with forecasts about the future of legal ethics and professional regulation. The session will be headlined by Loyola University of Chicago Law School Adjunct Professor James Grogan; Rosing Pott & Strohbehn partner Lynda Shely; and Collins Einhorn President Don Campbell. Doug Ende, chief disciplinary counsel of the Washington State Bar Association, will give introductory remarks. Thursday, 9:15-10:35 a.m.
• “Law Firm and Lawyer Responses to Executive Orders and Administration Directives” - The early days of the new administration have brought challenges for lawyers in private practice, highlighted by executive orders that target specific firms and directives aimed at pursuing sanctions and bar discipline against attorneys who dissent from government policies. Responses among law firms and bar associations have varied. In this session, we will hear from legal professionals and bar leaders who are actively engaged in addressing these developments and discussing the implications for the profession. Speakers are ABA President Bill Bay, Cornell Law Professor Brad Wendel and Cato Institute Senior Vice President for Legal Studies Clark Neily. Thursday, 4:10-5:10 p.m.
• “AI: The Next Level” - The panel will go beyond the basics to explore the next level of issues with AI. Topics to be covered include: regulation of AI in the U.S. and other countries and how it will impact the practice of law; deepfakes and how to recognize them; law firm training of staff on uses and risks of AI; and how to vet an AI vendor and what provisions must be included in a vendor contract. Panelists include HWG LLP partner Hilary Gerzhoy; McDermott, Will & Emery CIO Michael Shea; and McDermott, Will & Emery partner Jason Krieser. Friday, 8:30-9:50 a.m.
• “Balancing Act: Supporting the Well-being of Law Students and New Lawyers While Protecting the Public” - As a new generation of lawyers prepares to enter the legal profession and learns to navigate the early years of practice, law schools and legal employers must be equipped to help them succeed and also aid those who are facing impairment and wellness issues. Coaching new lawyers to stay afloat in environments that are often “sink or swim” can mean balancing accommodations with fairness and accountability. This session will address the ethical issues faced by students and new lawyers as well as the obligations of law schools and legal employers who support and supervise new professionals. Panelists are Crystal Rae Coel, assistant dean for student affairs for the Louis D. Brandeis School of Law at the University of Louisville; Lindsey D. Draper, retired Milwaukee County Circuit Court commissioner; and Yvette Hourigan, director of the Kentucky Lawyer Assistance Program. Friday, 9:55-10:55 a.m.
Two awards will also be given during the conference, at 5:45 p.m. on Thursday, May 29. Mason Ji will receive the 2025 Rosner & Rosner Young Lawyer Professionalism Award. A Rhodes Scholar, Ji has made significant contributions to advancing legal and judicial ethics, lawyer professionalism, client protection and professional regulation.
Also, Myles V. Lynk, an emeritus professor of law at Arizona State University’s Sandra Day O’Connor College of Law, will receive the 2025 Michael Franck Professional Responsibility Award, one of the ABA’s top ethics honors. Lynk is nationally recognized as a leader in legal ethics and professional responsibility through his work as a lawyer, law professor, disciplinary counsel, and tireless contributor to the ABA.
For additional information on the conferece, visit www.americanbar.org/groups/professional_responsibility.
Understanding neurodiversity can help in becoming a better lawyer
By American Bar Association
Lawyers should learn to embrace the possibility of having to accommodate differences that their clients or employees may have, according to panelists at an American Bar Association webinar exploring neurodiversity.
According to Deborah Marcuse, principal attorney at Marcuse Law, the topic of neurodiversity is an invitation to “talk about how our brains work.”
“On a good day I would submit to you that my neurodivergence is my superpower as a lawyer,” Marcuse said. “Both because the way my brain works align well with some of the essential skill sets that our profession requires, and also because the intense depression and anxiety that I sometimes experience help me better understand and assist my clients who are experiencing discrimination and retaliation at work.”
But, Marcuse added, “On a bad day these same skills seem so ill-suited to functioning in this high-stress, deadline-driven, confidence-requiring profession that it seems impossible to go forward.”
During the program, “Accommodating Neurodiversity: A Model for Inclusion in the Legal Profession,” panelists agreed they would like to see the legal profession improve when it comes to accepting people with differing abilities.
Bethel Habte, an associate at Katz Banks Kumin, said law students identify as neurodivergent at a greater rate than practicing attorneys. According to a 2023 Bloomberg analysis, 25% of law students disclosed their neurodivergence, compared to 7% of attorneys.
Habte said younger people are more vocal about what they need to be successful in law school and in the workplace. She added that the legal profession needs to look at areas where it is “inhospitable” to diversity and change it to be more inclusive.
Rebecca Rodgers, lead attorney at the AARP Foundation, said neurodivergence is often, but not always, invisible, and neurodivergent people must make a conscious decision about whether to disclose their identities in the workplace.
Rodgers said disabled employees are more likely to feel content at work if they disclose their disabilities to others. “That means we don’t have to be hiding essential aspects of ourselves at work,” Rodgers said. “But oftentimes we worry about being perceived as lazy or as incompetent if we do disclose our disabilities.”
Even though tremendous progress has been made toward neurodiversity, a great stigma still persists, Rodgers said, “especially in a legal profession where we feel a lot of pressure to be perfect.” She added that not disclosing could make people struggle more if they don’t get the accommodations they need, but “that attorney still needs to be qualified to do the job with or without reasonable accommodations under the American with Disabilities Act.”
Rodgers said some neurodivergent attorneys may not need any accommodation because they could have their own coping mechanisms for the workplace. She said some may request a particular need without disclosing that they have a disability. “Some people are more understanding if I say, ‘There are too many conversations in this room happening at once. I can’t focus, please slow down,’ than if I directly say, ‘I am autistic, and this is what I need.’”
The panelists agreed that the bar application process has room for improvement when it comes to accommodating neurodiversity. The mental health questions on the character and fitness application sometimes cause anxiety for people because the questions are characterized as broad and vague and people are trying to be as truthful as possible, Hatbe said.
Rodgers shared some ways to create a welcoming environment for neurodivergent employees:
• Be mindful of the language used in job descriptions. Focusing on excellent writing skills may weed out people who communicate effectively, but may not have excellent writing skills.
• Avoid using grades as a sole method to determine whether an attorney will be successful.
• Set clear expectations about assignments.
• Normalize talking to employees about work styles.
• Create quiet spaces to work.
• Provide information in both audio and visual formats.
• Record meetings.
• Help employees customize workspaces for optimum focus.
Avoid making assumptions about capabilities of neurodivergent lawyers because “we are all different people but do assume competence,” Rodgers said.
https://www.americanbar.org/news/abanews/aba-news-archives/2025/05/understanding-neurodiversity-better-lawyer/
Lawyers should learn to embrace the possibility of having to accommodate differences that their clients or employees may have, according to panelists at an American Bar Association webinar exploring neurodiversity.
According to Deborah Marcuse, principal attorney at Marcuse Law, the topic of neurodiversity is an invitation to “talk about how our brains work.”
“On a good day I would submit to you that my neurodivergence is my superpower as a lawyer,” Marcuse said. “Both because the way my brain works align well with some of the essential skill sets that our profession requires, and also because the intense depression and anxiety that I sometimes experience help me better understand and assist my clients who are experiencing discrimination and retaliation at work.”
But, Marcuse added, “On a bad day these same skills seem so ill-suited to functioning in this high-stress, deadline-driven, confidence-requiring profession that it seems impossible to go forward.”
During the program, “Accommodating Neurodiversity: A Model for Inclusion in the Legal Profession,” panelists agreed they would like to see the legal profession improve when it comes to accepting people with differing abilities.
Bethel Habte, an associate at Katz Banks Kumin, said law students identify as neurodivergent at a greater rate than practicing attorneys. According to a 2023 Bloomberg analysis, 25% of law students disclosed their neurodivergence, compared to 7% of attorneys.
Habte said younger people are more vocal about what they need to be successful in law school and in the workplace. She added that the legal profession needs to look at areas where it is “inhospitable” to diversity and change it to be more inclusive.
Rebecca Rodgers, lead attorney at the AARP Foundation, said neurodivergence is often, but not always, invisible, and neurodivergent people must make a conscious decision about whether to disclose their identities in the workplace.
Rodgers said disabled employees are more likely to feel content at work if they disclose their disabilities to others. “That means we don’t have to be hiding essential aspects of ourselves at work,” Rodgers said. “But oftentimes we worry about being perceived as lazy or as incompetent if we do disclose our disabilities.”
Even though tremendous progress has been made toward neurodiversity, a great stigma still persists, Rodgers said, “especially in a legal profession where we feel a lot of pressure to be perfect.” She added that not disclosing could make people struggle more if they don’t get the accommodations they need, but “that attorney still needs to be qualified to do the job with or without reasonable accommodations under the American with Disabilities Act.”
Rodgers said some neurodivergent attorneys may not need any accommodation because they could have their own coping mechanisms for the workplace. She said some may request a particular need without disclosing that they have a disability. “Some people are more understanding if I say, ‘There are too many conversations in this room happening at once. I can’t focus, please slow down,’ than if I directly say, ‘I am autistic, and this is what I need.’”
The panelists agreed that the bar application process has room for improvement when it comes to accommodating neurodiversity. The mental health questions on the character and fitness application sometimes cause anxiety for people because the questions are characterized as broad and vague and people are trying to be as truthful as possible, Hatbe said.
Rodgers shared some ways to create a welcoming environment for neurodivergent employees:
• Be mindful of the language used in job descriptions. Focusing on excellent writing skills may weed out people who communicate effectively, but may not have excellent writing skills.
• Avoid using grades as a sole method to determine whether an attorney will be successful.
• Set clear expectations about assignments.
• Normalize talking to employees about work styles.
• Create quiet spaces to work.
• Provide information in both audio and visual formats.
• Record meetings.
• Help employees customize workspaces for optimum focus.
Avoid making assumptions about capabilities of neurodivergent lawyers because “we are all different people but do assume competence,” Rodgers said.
https://www.americanbar.org/news/abanews/aba-news-archives/2025/05/understanding-neurodiversity-better-lawyer/
