State Bar offices change but Kent County leadership continues

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LEGAL NEWS PHOTO BY CYNTHIA PRICE

By Cynthia Price
Legal News
 

As Bruce Courtade, attorney in the Grand Rapids office of Rhoades McKee, steps down as State Bar of Michigan (SBM) President, Kathleen M. Allen, of Legal Aid of Western Michigan, stepped up as Chair of the SBM Representative Assembly.

Changing of the guard took place at the SBM annual meeting in Lansing last week.

Of course, Courtade is not going anywhere in terms of SBM?service. As the Immediate Past President, he still has a lot of involvement at the leadership level. He said after the inauguration of Brian D. Einhorn as new president, it felt as if the year had passed by very quickly.

Courtade was as humble and upbeat as ever in his farewell speech. He thanked everyone who had helped him out over his year in office, and likened himself to a University of Michigan head coach who had clumsily led the marching band in performing the school song, yet the band played wonderfully, praising SBM Executive Director Janet Welch as the real conductor. He gave heartfelt thanks to his wife of 12,657,600 minutes, Jenny, for her support.

He quoted pop star Michael Jackson singing about changing the man in the mirror, and ended by saying, “Thank you for giving me the honor of being your president.”

Courtade’s speech immediately preceded the swearing-in of new officers by Michigan Supreme Court Justice Robert P. Young. They include President-Elect Thomas C. Rombach; Vice-President Lori A. Buiteweg; Secretary Lawrence P. Nolan; and Treasurer Donald G. Rockwell.

Einhorn, of Collins Einhorn Farrell in Southfield, gave an amusingly self-deprecating inaugural speech exploring how often past presidents had concerned themselves with “the image of lawyers.” He said he too wants the profession to be regarded with the respect due its hard-working and deeply-giving practitioners. His history of leadership in legal organizations, including serving as president of the Association of Defense Trial Counsel, will stand him in good  stead as he focuses on “the importance of transparency in judicial campaign funding and increasing confidence in the legal process.”

While Kathleen Allen will not have the broad visibility of the presidency, she fulfills a critical role. The Representative Assembly is SBM’s policy-making body and meetings entail vigorous and complex debate. Allen has been a member since 2006.

Allen is a staff attorney at Legal Aid of Western Michigan, having previously served as legal director of Legal Assistance Center and as an associate in the law offices of Charles F. Justinian.

During Allen’s service to the Women Lawyers Association of Michigan (including the 2006-2007 presidency), she became friends with Cylenthia LaToye Miller. Allen was sworn in by Miller, who is now a judge.

A strong Grand Rapids presence was felt at the annual Diversity Reception, held at Troppo’s near the Lansing Center location of the SBM meeting. Grand Rapids Bar Association Executive Director Kim Coleman and GRBA President Kris VandenBerg arranged to have materials on the new grabLAW promotion, urging all new attorneys to consider Grand Rapids, displayed at the registration table for the reception.
 

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