State Bar of Michigan

09/11/2026

All Michigan attorneys are required to renew their license and complete mandatory regulation disclosures annually. Login at michbar.org/MemberArea to complete your license renewal today!

For more information, visit loom.ly/1etjjVY

09/09/2026

The State Bar of Michigan is offering two webinars in October to help Michigan attorneys perform their best.

In the Tips and Tools for a Successful Practice webinar, set for October 6, 2026, you can learn how to maintain client relationships, draft effective fee agreements, analyze ethical issues, and use innovative techniques and technology for effective law office management.

The Lawyer Trust Accounts webinar is set for October 27, 2026, and will focus on the ethical management of lawyer trust accounts — including how to process client or third-party funds as well as an in-depth look at recordkeeping requirements.

Learn more, including how to register, here: loom.ly/dQv5EcY

09/09/2026

The State Bar of Michigan is now offering the guidebook, "Courtroom Etiquette Basics" to provide Michigan attorneys with a foundational understanding of courtroom procedures and the universal expectations of professionalism, preparation, and respect for the court.

Click here to download the guide: loom.ly/UXAx2gY

09/06/2026

In 1934, when George Clifton Edwards, Jr. graduated from Harvard University with a master's degree in literature, becoming an attorney was not on his list of goals. After moving to Detroit and becoming involved in the UAW, he started attending classes at the Detroit College of Law and would later be appointed to the Michigan Supreme Court, but less than five years after that, he resigned from the bench.

Take a look back at his career here: loom.ly/aRWdwrU

In 1934, when George Clifton Edwards, Jr. graduated from Harvard University with a master’s degree in literature, he had great plans for his future. He “wanted to help (1) end war; (2) end poverty; (3) end race injustice. In [his] spare time [he] thought [he] might try writing the great American...

09/05/2026

The "Michigan Rules of Evidence Handbook—With Common Objections & Evidentiary Foundations (2026)," with BarkaiBots access aims to help attorneys practice and refine their courtroom skills before they are called on to examine witnesses, make and respond to objections, present evidentiary foundations, and meet other needs in the heat of trials, depositions, and other adversarial undertakings.

This review published in the Michigan Bar Journal explores the handbook: loom.ly/SCgjI9I

John Barkai, Michigan Rules of Evidence Handbook—With Common Objections & Evidentiary Foundations (2026), with BarkaiBots access. Available at Amazon, $12.99, 6” x 9” paperback, 133 pages, including the rules and advice on using them in the courtroom.

09/04/2026

The State Bar of Michigan Representative Assembly has named Rita O. White one of the winners of this year's Unsung Hero Award, which is given annually to an attorney who has exhibited the highest standards of practice and commitment for the benefit of others.

White began her legal career more than 25 years ago as a Wayne County Assistant Prosecutor in Detroit, before she founded her own law firm, The Law Office of Rita O. White, in 2011 where she specializes in criminal, appellate, probate, and family law.

She currently serves as a member of the State Bar of Michigan's Character & Fitness Committee and on the SBM Representative Assembly. In addition, she is an active member of the Women Lawyers Association of Michigan, Wayne County Criminal Defense Bar Association, Federal Bar Association-Eastern District of MI, and National Black Lawyers Association, Top 100. She is also vice president of the Juvenile Trial Lawyers Association of Michigan and a Detroit Bar Association Lifetime Fellow.

Her award will be presented during the Representative Assembly meeting on September 18, 2026.

09/02/2026

The State Bar of Michigan Representative Assembly has named Samuel H. Pietsch one of the winners of this year's Unsung Hero Award, which is given annually to an attorney who has exhibited the highest standards of practice and commitment for the benefit of others.

Samuel H. Pietsch has practiced law since 1979 and currently serves as a senior trial attorney with Ven Johnson Law, practicing across the firm’s offices in Detroit, Flint and Kalamazoo. Over the course of his career, he has appeared in nearly every circuit and probate court in Michigan’s Lower Peninsula, focusing on serious injury and wrongful death cases, particularly matters involving automobile, motorcycle and truck collisions, but has also represented Michigan families in complex cases involving medical malpractice, product failure, improper highway design, workplace injury, police misconduct and insurance disputes.

Pietsch is a sustaining member of the Michigan Association for Justice and a past and current recipient of the Super Lawyers distinction. He has volunteered with Forgotten Harvest, an organization that collects and distributes food to individuals experiencing hunger and homelessness and has spent more than 30 years serving as a sports and fitness coach in his home city.

His award will be presented during the Representative Assembly meeting on September 18, 2026.

09/01/2026

Many lawyers understand their stress patterns remarkably well. They know they are overworked. They recognize the signs of burnout. They have read the articles, attended the seminars, and perhaps tried meditation, therapy, or exercise. And still, they find themselves caught in the same loops.

Most stress-management strategies work from the top down — asking lawyers to think differently, reframe their perspective, or push through. What many lawyers need is something that works from the inside out: directly with the nervous system, at the level where stress is actually held.

That is precisely what Emotional Freedom Techniques (EFT), commonly called tapping, does. Learn more about EFTs and how they can help you manage stress.

Many lawyers understand their stress patterns remarkably well. They know they are overworked. They recognize the signs of burnout. They have read the articles, attended the seminars, and perhaps tried meditation, therapy, or exercise. And still, they find themselves caught in the same loops — waki...

08/31/2026

The 2026 Member-to-Member Referral Guide is here! SBM launched its Member-to-Member Referral Guide in 2025 to facilitate client referrals and help connect attorneys in various practice areas.

An Associate Attorney at Willis Law, Jennifer assists with multiple types of adoptions, including: direct placement, interstate, adult, stepparent, and guardianship adoptions. She is a Fellow in the Academy of Adoption and Assisted Reproduction Attorneys (AAAA). Her other main areas of practice incl...

08/31/2026

The State Bar of Michigan Representative Assembly has named James L. Liggins, Jr. the winner of this year's Michael Franck Award, which is given annually to an attorney who has made an outstanding contribution to the improvement of the profession.

Liggins, Jr. is senior counsel at Warner Norcross + Judd, LLP, where he practices litigation and dispute resolution, white collar criminal defense, and construction disputes. He currently serves on the Board of Trustees for Western Michigan University, is a member of the Board of Directors for Southwest Michigan First, and sits on the State Board of Ethics.

In addition, he is on the board of the Harold and Grace Upjohn Foundation, a non-profit that "seeks to enhance the quality of life for the members of the greater Kalamazoo community," and of the Bronson Healthcare Group. He is also a past chair of the board of directors for the United Way of Southcentral Michigan, Douglass Community Association, and the Kalamazoo Defender, which he helped to found.

His award will be presented during the Representative Assembly meeting on September 18, 2026.