Among the speakers at the May 1 ceremony was Judge Richard Kuhn Jr., whose late father was one of five distinguished jurists honored posthumously by the OCBA with memorial plaques.
By Tom Kirvan
Legal News
In a fitting highlight to the annual Law Day observance May 1, the Oakland County Bar Association hosted a special ceremony honoring the legacy and service of five distinguished members of the bench.
The ceremony, which took place in the Oakland County Commissioners Auditorium, featured the unveiling of five bronze memorial plaques, “each commemorating a judge whose contributions have left a lasting impact on the administration of justice in Oakland County,” according to Jennifer Quick, executive director of the OCBA.
The honorees included late Oakland County Circuit judges Alice L. Gilbert, Richard D. Kuhn, John J. (Jack) McDonald, Gene Schnelz, and Edward Sosnick.
“The plaques will be permanently installed on the third floor of the Sixth Judicial Circuit Court, serving as a tribute to the professionalism, integrity, and dedication these jurists exemplified during their careers,” said Quick.
Among those taking part in the ceremony were Chief Judge Jeffery Matis, who delivered opening and closing remarks; OCBA President Sarah Kuchon, who served as master of ceremonies; and State Bar President Lisa Hamameh, who offered a Moment of Reflection.
Offering special tributes at the event were Dean Greenblatt, the son of Alice Gilbert; Judge Richard Kuhn Jr., the son of Richard Kuhn; Judge Julie McDonald, the daughter of Jack McDonald; Kurt Schnelz, the son of Gene Schnelz; and Judy Cunningham, former Corporation Counsel in Oakland County and a longtime friend of Edward Sosnick.
Judge Gilbert, who died in December 2020 at age 88, served two stints on the Circuit Court (1976-92 and 1994-2002), notably becoming the first female member of the Oakland bench in 1976 – the country’s Bicentennial. Prior to her Circuit Court service, Gilbert was elected twice to the 48th District Court bench in Bloomfield Hills. The first woman member of the OCBA, Gilbert earned her juris doctor from Northwestern University School of Law and was just one of two women in her graduating class.
Judge Kuhn, who passed away in 2016 at the age of 86, was an alumnus of Michigan State University and Detroit College of Law. He was a practicing attorney for 13 years before being elected to the Circuit Court in 1972, where he served with distinction for 32 years before retiring. His lifelong passion for public service actually began at the age of 13 when he spent three years as a Page in the U.S. Congress. He later was a delegate to Michigan Constitutional Convention, assisting with the writing of the state’s current constitution.
Judge McDonald, who died in 2019 just weeks before he would have celebrated his 80th birthday, was a product of Flint Northern High School, the University of Detroit, and the Detroit College of Law. He was a longtime member of the Oakland County Board of Commissioners before he was appointed to the Circuit Court in 1993 by then Governor John Engler. A native of Pennsylvania, McDonald served 17 years on the Circuit Court. A star football player in high school, McDonald took his gridiron talents to U of D in 1957 on a partial athletic scholarship and later would earn a master’s degree from Wayne State University before embarking on his legal studies during night classes at DCL.
Judge Schnelz, who passed away in December 2020 at the age of 87, was a 1958 graduate of Detroit College of Law. He started his own law practice in Walled Lake, partnering with Harold Bulgarelli, a future district court judge. In 1974, Schnelz was elected to the 52-1 District Court, which served as a stepping stone to the Circuit Court four years later. He retired from the Circuit Court in 2007, but not before he received a host of coveted awards from the OCBA and the State Bar, which in 1994 presented him with the Roberts P. Hudson Award, its highest honor. A past president of the OCBA, Schnelz served on the State Bar Board of Commissioners for 20 years, a record number.
Judge Sosnick, who died in September 2023 at the age of 82, earned his bachelor and law degrees from Wayne State. He spent several years in private practice before joining the Oakland County Prosecutor’s Office as a senior trial attorney, a job that would lead to a seat on the district court bench. He ascended to the Circuit Court in 1989, serving until his retirement in 2013. His retirement lasted all but a month, as he became director of the RESTORE Foundation, a nonprofit created to help supply funding for the drug treatment program in Oakland County. A recipient of the State Bar’s Champion of Justice Award, Sosnick also was instrumental in creating various programs to help children of divorced parents, elder abuse victims, and those struggling with substance abuse issues.
State Bar President Lisa Hamameh was among the legal dignitaries on hand for the special ceremony.
Legal News
In a fitting highlight to the annual Law Day observance May 1, the Oakland County Bar Association hosted a special ceremony honoring the legacy and service of five distinguished members of the bench.
The ceremony, which took place in the Oakland County Commissioners Auditorium, featured the unveiling of five bronze memorial plaques, “each commemorating a judge whose contributions have left a lasting impact on the administration of justice in Oakland County,” according to Jennifer Quick, executive director of the OCBA.
The honorees included late Oakland County Circuit judges Alice L. Gilbert, Richard D. Kuhn, John J. (Jack) McDonald, Gene Schnelz, and Edward Sosnick.
“The plaques will be permanently installed on the third floor of the Sixth Judicial Circuit Court, serving as a tribute to the professionalism, integrity, and dedication these jurists exemplified during their careers,” said Quick.
Among those taking part in the ceremony were Chief Judge Jeffery Matis, who delivered opening and closing remarks; OCBA President Sarah Kuchon, who served as master of ceremonies; and State Bar President Lisa Hamameh, who offered a Moment of Reflection.
Offering special tributes at the event were Dean Greenblatt, the son of Alice Gilbert; Judge Richard Kuhn Jr., the son of Richard Kuhn; Judge Julie McDonald, the daughter of Jack McDonald; Kurt Schnelz, the son of Gene Schnelz; and Judy Cunningham, former Corporation Counsel in Oakland County and a longtime friend of Edward Sosnick.
Judge Gilbert, who died in December 2020 at age 88, served two stints on the Circuit Court (1976-92 and 1994-2002), notably becoming the first female member of the Oakland bench in 1976 – the country’s Bicentennial. Prior to her Circuit Court service, Gilbert was elected twice to the 48th District Court bench in Bloomfield Hills. The first woman member of the OCBA, Gilbert earned her juris doctor from Northwestern University School of Law and was just one of two women in her graduating class.
Judge Kuhn, who passed away in 2016 at the age of 86, was an alumnus of Michigan State University and Detroit College of Law. He was a practicing attorney for 13 years before being elected to the Circuit Court in 1972, where he served with distinction for 32 years before retiring. His lifelong passion for public service actually began at the age of 13 when he spent three years as a Page in the U.S. Congress. He later was a delegate to Michigan Constitutional Convention, assisting with the writing of the state’s current constitution.
Judge McDonald, who died in 2019 just weeks before he would have celebrated his 80th birthday, was a product of Flint Northern High School, the University of Detroit, and the Detroit College of Law. He was a longtime member of the Oakland County Board of Commissioners before he was appointed to the Circuit Court in 1993 by then Governor John Engler. A native of Pennsylvania, McDonald served 17 years on the Circuit Court. A star football player in high school, McDonald took his gridiron talents to U of D in 1957 on a partial athletic scholarship and later would earn a master’s degree from Wayne State University before embarking on his legal studies during night classes at DCL.
Judge Schnelz, who passed away in December 2020 at the age of 87, was a 1958 graduate of Detroit College of Law. He started his own law practice in Walled Lake, partnering with Harold Bulgarelli, a future district court judge. In 1974, Schnelz was elected to the 52-1 District Court, which served as a stepping stone to the Circuit Court four years later. He retired from the Circuit Court in 2007, but not before he received a host of coveted awards from the OCBA and the State Bar, which in 1994 presented him with the Roberts P. Hudson Award, its highest honor. A past president of the OCBA, Schnelz served on the State Bar Board of Commissioners for 20 years, a record number.
Judge Sosnick, who died in September 2023 at the age of 82, earned his bachelor and law degrees from Wayne State. He spent several years in private practice before joining the Oakland County Prosecutor’s Office as a senior trial attorney, a job that would lead to a seat on the district court bench. He ascended to the Circuit Court in 1989, serving until his retirement in 2013. His retirement lasted all but a month, as he became director of the RESTORE Foundation, a nonprofit created to help supply funding for the drug treatment program in Oakland County. A recipient of the State Bar’s Champion of Justice Award, Sosnick also was instrumental in creating various programs to help children of divorced parents, elder abuse victims, and those struggling with substance abuse issues.
State Bar President Lisa Hamameh was among the legal dignitaries on hand for the special ceremony.
Photo courtesy of OCBA
Five bronze memorial plaques honor late Oakland County Circuit judges Alice L. Gilbert, Richard D. Kuhn, John J. (Jack) McDonald, Gene Schnelz, and Edward Sosnick.
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