Foundation News

Awards Reception Set for March 3, 2005

The Foundation will return to the Ford Conference and Event Center in Dearborn for its annual reception honoring 2005 Outstanding Women Law Students and Dean's List Donors. Keynoter Carole Chiamp will offer remarks on "Following Your Dream," something she did in pursuing her culinary goals while retaining her prominent law practice.

Awards Reception Held on March 18, 2004

The WLAM Foundation held its 2004 Awards Reception on March 18, 2004, at Ford's Conference and Event Center in Dearborn. Prominent speakers included Michgian Supreme Court Justice Marily Kelly and Domino's General Counsel Elisa D. Garcia. Photos.

Annual Awards Reception Held on March 27, 2003

The Foundation honored its 15 Outstanding Women Law Students, as well as donors, at Ford World Headquarters on March 27, 2003. This special event featured remards by Daniel Mulhern, husband of Michigan Governor Jennifer Granholm. Photos

Law Student Applications Due October 15th

Law Students are reminded that their applications for the 2004 awards must be returned no later than October 15, 2003. See our announcement about the awards and contact the career counselling office at each law school for additional information.

Ford Motor Company Fund: Making a Contribution to Women’s Education

The Women Lawyers Association of Michigan Foundation is very pleased to announce that a special 2002 donation made by the Ford Motor Company Fund was matched in 2003: $20,000 will again fund five awards of $4,000 each to Outstanding Women Law Students at each of Michigan’s accredited law schools. Awardees must possess good academic standing, and demonstrated capabilities in the areas of leadership, community service, and potential for advancing the position of women in society. Ford Motor Company Fund Scholars will receive awards applied directly to the cost of their law school education.

“Ford Motor Company and the Ford Fund have been steady and generous supporters of the Foundation’s work,” according to the Foundation’s Chair, Dawn Van Hoek. “Ford clearly encourages women to develop their leadership potential while working on issues of significance to women in society,” she added. Dennis Ross, Ford Motor Company’s General Counsel, has shown a particular interest in the award project, appearing at a special reception also attended by Detroit Mayor Kwame Kilpatrick, in 2002. In addition to the Ford Fund contribution earmarked for student awards, an annual gift from Ford Motor Company underwrites a reception for the student awardees, held each spring.

2002 Art & Awards Reception

The Foundation’s 2002 Art & Awards Reception was held on Thursday, March 21, 2002, at Wayne Law School’s Partrich Auditorium and Atrium, in Detroit, from 5:00 to 7:30 p.m. The event featured the sale of art by accomplished attorneys, and a program recognizing Foundation donors and the 2002 Outstanding Women Law Students. Ten awardees received a total of $16,000 to help them accomplish their educational goal of becoming lawyers: they were chosen on the basis of demonstrated leadership on women’s issues. Photos.

Creative Lawyering for Woman Client

Southfield attorney Joseph Stewart used creative lawyering to gain financial relief for his divorce client, a woman who was abused during her marriage. Read our summary of the case, or the full opinion.

Board Member Elected President of Macomb County Bar Association

Kimberly Cahill, Vice Chairperson of the WLAM Foundation Board of Directors, was recently sworn in as the 2001-2002 President of the Macomb County Bar Association. Ms. Cahill specializes in real estate, family law, and probate and estate planning from her practice in Center Line, Michigan. She practices law with her mother, Florence Schoenherr-Warnez, and sister, Dana Warnez, and is a past president of the Women Lawyers Association of Michigan. Ms. Cahill is a graduate of the University of Michigan Law School.

"Art by Attorneys" Appears on State Bar of Michigan's November, 2000 Journal

One of the four prints in the Foundation's "Art by Attorneys" gallery appeared on the cover of the State Bar of Michigan's November, 2000 Journal. The featured artist is WLAM Member Lori Zurvalec, the artist who created "Interwined Sunflowers." This print remains available for a $100 contribution to the WLAM Foundation.

Law Student Applications Due October 15th

Law Students are reminded that their applications for the 2002 awards must be returned no later than October 15, 2001. See the career counselling office at each law school for additional information.

Board Members in the News

Foundation Chairperson Dawn Van Hoek was honored as the 2000 Significant Contributor to WLAM during a luncheon at the May, 2000 Women and the Law Conference. The award is given to an active WLAM member who has made significant contributions to the organization and whose service is noteworthy.

Foundation Vice Chairperson Kimberly M. Cahill recently won election to the State Bar of Michigan's Board of Commissioners, representing District D. Ms. Cahill currently serves as Chair of the Bar's Representative Assembly.

Corporations Lead in Contribution to Foundation's Scholarship Fund: Law Firms Close Behind

Donations to the Foundation topped $20,000 during 2000, as detailed in our press release of June 28, 2000.

Reception for Students, May 12, 2000

Winners of the year-2000 Outstanding Woman Law Student Awards will be announced at a special reception in their honor on Friday, May 12, 2000, at the Novi DoubleTree Hotel, from 5:00 to 7:30 p.m. The reception will follow the first day of the WLAM Women and the Conference. Representative from the law firms and corporations which contributed to the scholarship fund so generously during 2000 will also attend and accept recognition and thanks from all.

 

“Art for Attorneys” Fundraiser, March 2, 2000

The Detroit office of Dykema Gossett, high above the Detroit River, was the setting for “Art for Attorneys,” a March 2nd fundraiser for the WLAM Foundation’s law student scholarship fund. With the law firm’s generous support, which included wine and hors d’oeuvres, the Foundation raised nearly $1,000 at an event rated with a high “fun factor.” Three women artists exhibited and sold their work: WLAM member Barbara A. Wynder displayed pottery and ceramics, Kara Laramie displayed unique jewelry and household art, and April Sytsma displayed her beautiful handmade paper designs. All three artists donated a portion of their sales to the Foundation.

We thank the three artists, the Dykema Gossett law firm, organizer Nancy Glen, and the numerous supporters and attendees of the event.

 

Traveling Art Show

The WLAM Foundation took its art show on the road throughout 1999-2000, working with WLAM Regions to encourage contributions. The road show was launched by the following:

 

September 15 - 17, 1999

A framed set of the four Foundation prints was exhibited at the State Bar of Michigan Membership Services Booth, during the State Bar's Annual Meeting in Grand Rapids.

 

New Board Members

Joining the WLAM Foundation Board in 2005:

Sharon D. Hatchett
Ms. Hatchett has worked on the Legal Staff of General Motors Corporation since 1981, and currently handles complex transactions. During her career at GM, she has handled joint venture arrangements, divestitures, stock purchase agreements, debt restructurings, product development and supply arrangements, and transportation and purchasing matters. Ms. Hatchett brings a wealth of board experience to the WLAM Foundation, as she has served on the Chicago Bar Foundation Board, and more recently the Friends of Modern Art Board of the Detroit Institute of Arts.

Liesl A. Maloney
Ms. Maloney is a partner at the law firm of Honigman Miller Schwartz and Cohn, where her practice centers on intellectual property and technology, and corporate and securities. A cum laude graduate of the University of Michigan Law School, she was an editor of its Journal of Law Reform. Ms. Maloney was born in Wiesbaden, West Germany, and worked as a Bank Examiner for the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation following her graduation, magna cum laude, from Angelo State University.

Joining the WLAM Foundation Board in 2003:

Charlotte Johnson
Charlotte Johnson is an Assistant Dean of Students at the University of Michigan Law School and a graduate of the Law School. She received her B.A. from the University of Detroit. Prior to joining the Law School, she was a partner at Garan Lucow Miller in Detroit. Since 1998, she has served as a member of the University’s defense and communications teams with respect to the lawsuits challenging the University’s admissions policies. Dean Johnson serves the Bar with distinction as a member of the State Bar’s Pro Bono Involvement Committee, Chair of the Access to Justice Task Force and as a member of the Standing Committee on Character and Fitness. Last year she was named a Fellow of the Michigan State Bar Foundation, an honor bestowed on those attorneys who have distinguished themselves in the areas of leadership and service to the Bar. Charlotte is a member of the Washtenaw County, American Bar, Wolverine Bar, National Bar and Women Lawyers Associations. She is past Director for Region VI of the NBA, serving Michigan, Ohio, Kentucky and Tennessee.

Meghan Kennedy Riordan
Meghan Kennedy Riordan has been engaged in the practice of Immigration Law since 1990. Ms. Riordan graduated with honors from Canisius College in Buffalo, New York in 1987 with a Bachelor's degree in History and minored in International Relations. Ms. Riordan received her Juris Doctor in 1990 from the University of Detroit School of Law in Detroit, Michigan. From 1988 through 1995, Ms. Riordan was a Law Clerk, and then an Associate, with the Immigration Law firm of English and Van Horne in Detroit, Michigan where she was responsible for handling all types of business and employment based Immigration Law matters. In 1996, Ms. Riordan joined the internationally recognized law firm of Mandel, Lipton and Stevenson in Chicago, Illinois where she continued her practice in corporate Immigration Law. Ms. Riordan has been a member of the American Immigration Lawyers Association (AILA) since 1990 and was the Treasurer of the Michigan AILA Chapter from 1993 through 1995, and the Michigan AILA Chapter Vice Chairperson from 1995 through 1996. Ms. Riordan is the author of several published immigration law articles and frequently lectures throughout the Detroit metropolitan area.

Joining the WLAM Foundation Board in 2002:

Laura Canfield
Ms. Canfield joins the Foundation Board as the Immediate Past President of the Women Lawyers Association of Michigan. Since 1999, she has served as the Senior Clams Attorney for SECURA Insurance, in Okemos, where she manages all litigated files for Michigan. Ms. Canfield also practiced at Plunkett & Cooney in Lansing and with John S. Lobur in Howell, prior to joining SECURA. She is a graduate of Chicago-Kent College of Law and Michigan State University.

Valerie Newman
Ms. Newman is an Assistant Defender at the State Appellate Defender Office where she has worked since 1993. She is also an adjunct clinical law professor at the University of Michigan Law School and Wayne State University Law School. Her State Bar activities include: Chairperson of the Defender Systems and Services Committee and an appointed member of the Domestic Violence and Criminal Justice Issues Task Force of the Open Justice Commission. She is a graduate of Wayne State Law School and the University of Michigan.

Joining the WLAM Foundation Board in 2001:

Kathleen A. Lang
Ms. Lang is a member of the Dickinson Wright law firm, practicing from its Detroit office. She is a Director of the firm’s product liability, employment, appellate, insurance, and immigration practice areas. She has handled numerous prominent matters, representing such clients as Ford Motor Company and Chrysler Corporation, since her graduation from the University of Detroit Mercy Law School in 1982. Ms. Lang is active in many community and professional groups, and has lectured for the Institute of Continuing Legal Education.

We welcomed in 1999 the following attorneys to the Board of Directors of the Women Lawyers Association Foundation:

Deborah R. Garcia-Luna

Ms. Garcia-Luna is a 1983 graduate of the University of Texas, where she received her BA in English, with a minor in Spanish. She received her Master of Arts in Human Services from Saint Edward's University, and a JD in 1992 from the Thurgood Marshall School of Law. Ms. Garcia-Luna is currently an Assistant Attorney General for the State of Michigan, Corrections Division, representing the Michigan Department of Corrections in federal constitutional law claims. Her professional memberships include the YMCA Board, Hispanic Bar Association Board of Directors, and Professional Development and Opportunities Committee of the State Bar of Michigan's Open Justice Commission. She also serves as Secretary of the State Bar's Latin American Bar Association Section.

 

Jennifer T. Gilhool

Jennifer Gilhool is a 1994 graduate of the University of Michigan Law School, were she was the recipient of the Trial Advocacy Award. Upon graduation, Ms. Gilhool joined the Chicago law firm of Jenner & Block as an associate. In late 1995, Ms. Gilhool returned to Michigan where she jointed the litigation firm of Kell & Lynch, P.C., in Birmingham, Michigan. In 1998, Ms. Gilhool joined Ford Motor Company's Office of the General Counsel, where she specializes in product litigation with an emphasis on airbag litigation.

 

Michelle D. Johnson

Michelle D. Johnson was born and raised in the City of Detroit. She attended Detroit Public Schools, and graduated from Cass Technical High School in 1991. She then moved to Ithaca, New York, to attend Cornelll University, where she majored in Government, with a concentration in Economics. She graduated from Cornell in 1995 with honors, and began law school at the University of Detroit Mercy School of Law. There, she actively participated in the Black Law Students Association, the Michigan Business Law Journal, and was introduced to the Women Lawyers Association of Michigan. She graduated in May of 1998. Ms. Johnson then began working for the Michigan Senate, in Lansing, serving as minority counsel to the Judiciary and Financial Services Committees. She is currently employed as a litigation associate by the law firm of Smith, Haughey, Rice & Roegge, P.C., in Grand Rapids, Michigan.

 

Linda Fowler Sims

Linda Fowler Sims was born and raised in Westland, Michigan, educated in the Inkster Public School system, and graduated as Valedictorian of her high school class. She then attended the University of Michigan, earning a BA in Early Childhood Education. After graduation, she taught kindergarten in the Inkster Public School system for three years. She then received a scholarship to Vanderbilt University School of Law, and returned to Detroit after graduation to clerk for United States District Court Judge Anna Diggs Taylor. Following a two-year clerkship, she worked at the University of Michigan Law School in the offices of student services and admissions. She is currently the Assistant Dean for Recruitment and Admissions for the Wayne State University Law School, where she has been working for the past seven years. Ms. Sims has served on the Board of Advisors for the American Institute for Paralegal Studies, received the Wayne State University Presidential Bonus Award in 1994, and received an award for Outstanding Community Service from the Top Ladies of Distinction, Inc. She is a member of Jack & Jill of America, Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc., Phi Alpha Delta International Legal Fraternity and the State Bar of Michigan.