Michigan Assoc. for Justice presents 2011 Respected Advocate Awards

The Michigan Association for Justice is proud to announce that it has chosen defense counsel and MDTC member Paul Lazar to be the recipient of the 2011 Respected Advocate Award. MDTC has selected plaintiff's counsel and MAJ member Thomas Evans as their 2011 Respected Advocate Award winner. The Respected Advocate Awards are presented each year by MAJ and MDTC to an attorney from the other side of the courtroom that has a "history of success in civil litigation matters, unfailing adherence to the highest standards of ethics and candor in dealing with the court and with counsel, and the respect and admiration of counsel on the opposing side of the bar." Both candidates for the mutual Respected Advocate Awards are nominated "in recognition of their superb skills as courtroom adversaries, whose civility and decorum distinguishes them as outstanding advocates on behalf of their clients." Paul Lazar. A Flint Resident for most of his life, he practices law at Hanba & Lazar, a firm he formed in 1981 that focuses on workers compensation and business law. Lazar worked in the financial sector for 22 years before attending the Detroit College of Law [now Michigan State University College of Law] during evenings and weekends and graduating with his J.D in 1974. Thomas J. Evans. Evans is president of Evans, Portenga, PC, in Muskegon where he and partner Roy Portenga limit their practice to serious personal injury, workers compensation and social security disability cases. The firm does pro bono work on a referral basis from Legal Aid of Western Michigan. Evans is a board member of Family Promise of Lakeshore, an organization dedicated to finding permanent housing for homeless families. Published: Thu, Sep 22, 2011