During its annual meeting on May 27, the Women’s Bar Association, Oakland County region of the Women Lawyers Association of Michigan, honored Oakland County 46th District Court Judge Debra Nance with the Joan Young Judicial Excellence Award for 2021.
Nance was elected to the bench on November 6, 2012. She began a six-year term as judge of the 46th District Court on January 1, 2013. She was re-elected to her second term on November 6, 2018 and began her second six-year term on January 1, 2019.
Nance received her Bachelor of Arts degree from the University of Detroit. She began her career as an assistant personnel superintendent at the Hudson’s Northland store before serving as personnel superintendent for several other Hudson’s stores throughout Michigan. She also worked in various human resource management capacities in the automotive industry prior to launching her legal career.
Nance began her career as an attorney after obtaining a law degree from Wayne State University Law School. She gained experience while working in the Oakland County Prosecutor’s Domestic Violence Unit and the Wayne County Prosecutor’s Child & Family Abuse Bureau. After graduating, she worked on assignment to the Office of the General Counsel at Ford Motor Company. In 2001, she went into private practice at a mid-sized law firm where she developed a litigation practice in the areas of Civil Litigation, Probate Litigation, Juvenile & Family Litigation and Adoption Law.
Nance volunteered in numerous projects prior to taking the bench. She volunteered at free legal aid clinics. She worked to educate local youth by participating in the 50th Anniversary of the Brown v. Board of Education Project in Southfield Public Schools. She has supported organizations such as the Women’s Survival Center of Oakland County and Alternatives for Girls coming out of foster care. She worked as an “Election Protection Attorney” in a number of elections to ensure the fairness and integrity of the election process. Nance also worked as a volunteer attorney mediator for small claims, consumer and commercial disputes, and landlord/tenant matters in District Court. Prior to taking the bench, Nance served on the Michigan State Bar Character & Fitness Committee which reviews the suitability of law graduates seeking to obtain a license to practice in Michigan.
Since taking the bench, Nance developed and presented Careers in the Courtroom to encourage elementary and high school students to pursue careers as defense attorneys, prosecutors, civil attorneys, and judges. The program also introduces students to the importance of jury service. In addition, for adults, Nance has designed and presented How to Prepare for Your Day in Court and Tips for Landlords and Tenants which she shares with neighborhood/condo associations, church groups, and veteran’s groups. In community forums and townhalls, she has spoken on topics such as Breaking the Cycle of Incarceration and Breaking the Silence on Domestic Violence.
Nance conceived and presented the City of Southfield’s first Opioid Crisis Townhall in cooperation with fire, police, and other elected officials. In addition, Nance was instrumental in developing From Expungement to Entrepreneurship: The Pipeline to Possibilities to help “returning citizens” start small community based businesses.
In 2018 Nance was invited to host a weekly radio show, “Your Best Chance with Nance,” designed to provide the listener with access to justice by increasing the public’s understanding of the criminal justice system, the court process and the people who serve there. The show broadcast throughout the State of Michigan.
Nance is currently a member of the State Bar of Michigan, the Michigan District Judges Association, the Oakland County District Judges Association, the Association of Black Judges of Michigan, the National Association of Women Judges, the National Bar Association Judicial Council, the Wolverine Bar Association, the D. Augustus Straker Bar Association, the Women Lawyers Association of Michigan, and the Black Women Lawyers Association of Michigan.
In service to the legal community, Nance has lectured to lawyers at the Institute of Continuing Legal Education, and new lawyers at the Oakland County Bar Association. She has also lectured to students at Western Michigan University Cooley Law School and the University of Michigan Law School.
She served as a Board Member for the D. Augustus Straker Bar Association, served on the Oakland County Bar Association Judicial Candidates Committee, and was a long-serving member of the Adoption subcommittee of the Family Law Division of the State Bar of Michigan. Nance was elected by her peers to serve as president of the Association of Black Judges of Michigan for 2016-2017.
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