Governor fills Wayne County court vacancies

Gov. Rick Snyder has appointed Charles Hegarty and Qiana Lillard to Wayne County Cicuit Court.

“Charles and Qiana are qualified professionals with years of experience and I am confident they will serve Wayne County residents well on the bench,” Snyder said.

Since 1998, Hegarty has worked as an attorney in private practice for the law firm of Bodman PLC, where he is a partner.

Hegarty, a Canton resident, is a member of Bodman’s litigation and construction law practice group, and specializes in construction, commercial, employment, environmental, personal injury, probate, product liability, real estate and trusts.

Previously, he practiced at the Garan Lucow Miller law firm in Troy, where he focused on civil cases.  He was also a law clerk for the Livingston County Circuit Court.

Hearty earned a degree from the Notre Dame Law School and a bachelor’s degree in psychology from the University of Michigan.

He fills a vacancy created by the removal of former Judge Deborah Ross Adams.

Lillard is an assistant Wayne County prosecuting attorney, where she serves on the sexual assault team and as a specially assigned prosecutor for the special victims unit.

The Harper Woods resident handles high-profile cases involving serial rapists, police officers charged with sexual assault, child homicides and other highly publicized sexual assault
cases. Prior to taking on her current job in 2005, Lillard was an associate attorney for the insurance company, AAA, where she focused on subrogation, uninsured motorist arbitration, first
party PIP and RBI litigation, as well as third party auto negligence and homeowners tort liability cases.

She also served as an associate attorney for the Michigan Basic Property Insurance Association, as a legal intern for Detroit Edison, and as a law clerk for the University of Notre Dame.
Lillard has been a member of numerous related organizations, including the Women Lawyers Association.

She has a law degree and bachelor’s degree in English from the University of Notre Dame.

Lillard fills the vacancy created by the resignation of Wendy Baxter.

Both appointees must seek election in November 2014 to serve the remainder of terms ending Jan. 1, 2019.