Judges, lawyers and others will gather on June 11 to celebrate the public service career of retired Michigan Supreme Court Justice Marilyn Kelly. Donations and net proceeds from the event will benefit the Marilyn Kelly Public Interest Endowed Scholarship at Wayne State University Law School. A reception will begin at 6 p.m. at the Roostertail, 100 Marquette Drive, Detroit, with a brief program at 7:30 p.m. featuring remarks by Michigan Supreme Court Justice Michael Cavanagh. Anyone interested in attending and supporting the event is welcome to register or donate to the scholarship fund at www.specialevents.wayne.edu/2013law-kelly.
The event, which includes a strolling supper, will help build the scholarship fund to assist students committed to pursuing public interest legal careers. The cost of the evening is $125 per person, which includes a tax-deductible $50 charitable gift. In addition, four sponsorship levels are available through May 31. Questions? Email lawalumni@wayne.edu.
Kelly has served in many leadership roles, including as chief justice of the Michigan Supreme Court, a judge of the Michigan Court of Appeals and as a member and president of the State Board of Education. She also has provided leadership to countless other community and justice system efforts, including innovations to assist those with economic or other barriers.
In establishing this public interest law scholarship, Kelly said, “My many years in public service have shown me the importance of public interest legal work in improving access to justice for those in need. Because lawyers are uniquely suited to help advance that goal in our society, it is my hope that this scholarship will help law students who are committed to public interest legal careers assisting the poor or other underserved groups.”
As chief justice of the Michigan Supreme Court from 2009-11, Kelly spearheaded projects to enhance access to justice, including creating a statewide task force to expand help for the self-represented, distributing the first ever judicial pro bono toolkit to help judges encourage volunteer legal help for the poor, establishing a top staff position of director of access and fairness, working to improve indigent defense, promoting strategies to help those with language or cultural barriers and devoting much of her 2010 State of the Judiciary address to the Legislature to access issues. She retired from the Michigan Supreme Court in
January 2013, and now holds the position of distinguished jurist in residence at Wayne State University Law School, where she will teach an access to justice seminar in the fall 2013 term.
The June 11 event honoring Kelly is hosted by top leaders in legal and other professions in cooperation with Wayne State University Law School. Members of the Host Committee include: Dean Jocelyn Benson, Hon. Richard Bernstein, Hon. Avern Cohn, Hon. Eugene Driker, J. Kay Felt, Robert Garvey, George Googasian, Hon. Harold Hood, Hon. Damon Keith, Michael Pitt, Hon. James Ryan and Hon. Kathleen Straus.
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