LEGAL NEWS PHOTOS THIS PAGE BY CYNTHIA PRICE
by Cynthia Price
Legal News
Foster Swift’s Jonathan David is a modest man, but for him writing is both a passion and something he does as naturally as breathing.
Regarding winning an honorable mention in the State Bar of Michigan fiction contest, David comments, “I love writing, But if somebody asks me for my two cents, getting honorable mention is not that big a deal. I got the same thing when I entered two years ago, so I’m kind of in an honorable mention rut.”
The award, however, put him in at least the top one-third of a very impressive group. The State Bar divided up the 31 entries received among five judges — Rosemarie Aquilina, 30th Circuit Court Judge; Frederick Baker Jr., recently retired Supreme Court commissioner, now Of Counsel to Willingham & Cote?; Francine Cullari, a private practice lawyer who teaches business law and international business law at the University of Michigan–Flint; John O. Juroszek who works for the Michigan Supreme Court and is a longtime member of the SBM Publications and Website Advisory Committee; and John R. Runyan, an attorney with Sachs Waldman who is the chair of the SBM Publications and Website Advisory Committee.
Judges scored the stories, which had to be on a law-related subject, and the two highest-scoring from each judge advanced to the finals. Of those, the judges chose the top four (there was a tie for second place) and the rest received honorable mention status.
First place went to Charles Regan Shaw, a solo practitioner in Clinton Township; tied for second were Jason J. Elmore of McCurdy Wotila and Porteous in Cadillac, who is also in the Army JAG Corps; and Mark Co. Rossman of Rossman Law PLC; and Donnelly Wright Hadden, also in private practice, who has had several books published, won third place.
Joining Jonathan David, who goes by “Jay,” in the finalist category are Kyle J. Bristow, Robert B. Nelson, John A. Streby (who has received three honorable mentions), Geoffrey S. Weed, and Sharon M. withers.
All are published on the SBM?website; David’s story, “Easy Peasy,” can be found at www.michbar.org/file/barjournal/shortstory/2015/david.pdf.
“Easy Peasy” is about a man who intends to give $5 during an unaccustomed visit to a church, but accidentally pulls out a $100 and throws it into the collection plate.
The story is told from the point of view of his friend, enlisted to be his lookout as he goes to “take back” his change. After he is caught, the man comes up with a unique and amusingly inept defense as he represents himself.
There are a few surprises, but the very short story is fairly simple and straightforward.
David’s approach to writing is unusual. “It’s funny,” he says, “when I start writing, I don’t really have an idea what the story will be about. I usually write a paragraph and see where it takes. In this case, I had a line come into my head, so I typed it up.”
He says he writes the first draft very quickly, and it comes easily, but adds, “I spend a lot of time rewriting because I’m kind of a perfectionist. I spend a lot more time on the rewrite, so usually I write something and then put it away for at least a week.”
David also writes a legal column, formerly for the Advance newspapers, the Lowell Ledger and the Kalamazoo Gazette, but now syndicated. He says the organization in Colorado that distributes the paper sends him clips when something runs, and they come from all over the country. Several appear on the website go60.us.
The columns have titles like, “So That’s What Those Legal Terms Actually Mean,” and “How to Make Your Eventual Executor Less Stressed Out,” intended to make estate planning issues easier to understand for the general public, especially seniors.
In addition to a strong estate planning practice and work in probate and trust administration, David has a general business practice including real estate, business entity selection, and formation, governance and management of non-profit organizations.
The BV® Distinguished™ Martindale-Hubbell attorney participates in the Business Law, Elder Law and Disability Rights, Probate and Estate Planning and Real Property Law Sections of the State Bar. He is also a past board member of the West Michigan Estate Planning Council.
An avid runner, David has served on the board of RunGR.com, as well as that of ALS of West Michigan (the organization advocating for those with Lou Gehrig’s Disease).
He attended the University of Michigan for a B.A. in history and received his J.D. from Thomas M. Cooley Law School.
And David’s writing skills also extend into the world of music. He wrote both the lyrics and tune for a song originally intended for American Idol, but after the lead singer for the band Midlife Crisis recorded it for that competition, he liked it so well that Midlife Crisis has performed it in concert.
Earlier this summer, the Grand Rapids native and his wife became empty-nesters when his son got married and his daughter moved to Madison, Wisconsin.
––––––––––––––––––––
Subscribe to the Legal News!
https://www.legalnews.com/Home/Subscription
Full access to public notices, articles, columns, archives, statistics, calendar and more
Day Pass Only $4.95!
One-County $80/year
Three-County & Full Pass also available
