Photos: State Bar of Michigan
Four members of the State Bar of Michigan have been selected to receive the 2009 Champion of Justice Award.
Retired 17th Circuit Court Judge Robert A. Benson continues to serve as a visiting judge in several district and circuit courts in western Michigan. Benson was appointed to the bench in 1980, and his tenure was highlighted by his opinions related to sentencing guidelines and the Open Meetings Act. Judge Benson served on the state Appellate Defender Commission for six years, and chaired the panel from 2006-2008. He is renowned as a legal scholar, and is often sought out by other attorneys and jurists for his wisdom. He has served as a trustee of the Grand Rapids Bar Association and has been part of the American Inns of Court.
E. Christopher Johnson is the director of the graduate program in corporate law & finance at Thomas M. Cooley Law School’s Auburn Hills Campus. He also serves the legal profession as a member of the American Bar Association’s Presidential Advisory Council on Diversity in the Legal Profession, the ABA Council for Legal Education Opportunity, and the Standards Review Committee for the ABA Section of Legal Education. He chairs the SBM Access to Justice Initiative Corporate Pro Bono Committee, and co-chairs both the Legacy Justice Campaign for the Detroit Legal Aid and Defender Office and the Detroit Metropolitan Bar Association Foundation.
Hon. Leonia J. Lloyd of Detroit’s 36th District Court has presided over the city’s Drug Treatment Court since 2002. Under her leadership it has been named one of the top three drug courts in the nation, and received the National Association of Drug Court Professional’s prestigious Transformation Award. She works with local law enforcement to reduce prostitution and illicit drug use, participated in the development of the 36th District Court’s Handgun Intervention Program, and helped create the court’s Dose of Reality Tour. She sits on the boards of the Michigan Association of Drug Court Professionals, Alternatives for Girls, and the National Association of Drug Court Professionals.
Paul D. Reingold of Ann Arbor is a professor and director of the Clinical Law Program at the University of Michigan. A former legal services attorney, Reingold fights to protect the constitutional rights of people who seldom get a voice in the legal system, such as prison inmates. Two of his most prominent victories dealt with prisoners’ civil rights and the creation of a free health insurance program that currently serves over 10,000 people.
Champion of Justice Awards are given to not more than five practicing lawyers and judges each year by the State Bar of Michigan. Criteria for the award are:
- State Bar of Michigan membership for at least 10 years;
- Integrity and adherence to the highest principles and traditions of the legal profession;
- Superior professional competence; and
- An extraordinary professional accomplishment that benefits the nation, the state, or the local community in which the lawyer or judge lives.
The awards will be presented at the State Bar of Michigan Annual Meeting Awards Banquet at the Hyatt Regency Dearborn on Wednesday, September 16, 2009, 6:30 p.m. to 9:30 p.m.
Source: State Bar of Michigan
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