By: Lori T. Williams, Esq., Oakland/Wayne County Legal News Examiner for Examiner.com and Owner/Managing Attorney of Your Legal Resource, PLLC
On November 4th, attorneys, law students, and business professionals gathered at Thomas M. Cooley Law School in Auburn Hills for the annual networking event celebrating diversity among the various Metro Detroit Bar Associations. 15 local special purpose bars were invited to the event, which was co-hosted by D. Augustus Straker Bar and the Women's Bar Association. Representatives from each of the following special purpose bar associations attended the event and stated a few words about their organization:
State Bar of Michigan;
Stonewall Bar Association;
Women's Bar Association (Oakland Region of WLAM);
D. Augustus Straker Bar Association;
Arab American Bar Association;
Armenian American Bar Association;
Wolverine Bar Association
Sponsors for the event included Wiklund and Bond Financial Services in Auburn Hills, and Access Insurance Agencies of Grand Rapids. Members of the bar and guests in attendance enjoyed Networking and light refreshments.
On November 5th, 43 new attorneys were admitted to the Bar in Oakland County. Family, friends, and sponsors gathered, along with Oakland County Judges, to welcome the new admittees. Representatives from the Oakland County Bar Association, the Women's Bar Association, and the Michigan Association for Justice were also in attendance providing congratulations and membership information about their respective organizations. OCBA President, Attorney Jennifer Grieco, shared how networking through the OCBA was critical to the growth of her practice throughout her career, as well as to help her get acclimated to Oakland County as a new attorney from Ohio. Judge Pezzetti also remarked about the Inns of Court and how she enjoyed the interaction between the bench and bar through that organization. The overall message from several of the speakers was that networking is critical for attorneys whether they are new or experienced, and building relationships with colleagues and other professionals makes one's career more enjoyable and can help foster a lucrative practice through mutual referrals.
Lori T. Williams, Membership Chair for the Women's Bar Association and Owner of Your Legal Resource, PLLC and Donna M. MacKenzie, Shareholder of Olsman, Mueller, Wallace & MacKenzie, P.C., both attended the swearing in ceremony on behalf of the Women's Bar Association and passed out goodie bags to the new admittees.
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