State Bar of Michigan

06/06/2026

"When a firm grows quickly, staff are often expected to handle more work with the same tools. They are scrambling to solve workflow problems they did not create and were never empowered to fix," writes attorney and law firm consultant A.D. Ocean.

She offers advice on how firms can retain talented staff and ensure "profitability stops coming at the expense of the very people who make it possible in the first place" in this Michigan Bar Journal article.

Your firm is thriving. The phones are ringing. New matters keep rolling in. Revenue charts are pointing up and to the right. And yet, every few months, another excellent paralegal resigns, or an attorney joins a rival firm. A legal assistant quietly hands in their notice. The office manager who “h...

06/04/2026

How do libraries access and lend e-books? Rather than being purchased like print books, e-books are licensed, which can come with time-limited or loan-limited-ed terms, embargoes, and prices far above consumer retail.

Kincaid C. Brown, Director of the University of Michigan Law Library, explains the nuances of library e-book licensing and related state law reform.

Libraries don’t “buy” most e-books the way they buy print books; they license them. That reality is at the crossroads of budgetary constraints and patron satisfaction in modern libraries. With print, a library typically pays once, owns the copy, and lends it until it wears out. With e-books, p...

06/03/2026

Congratulations to these attorneys who recently moved into new jobs! Have a new hire or promotion to announce? Send your information to [email protected].

06/02/2026

Michigan attorneys can learn more about Limited-Scope Representation and how it can help them build a legal practice that promotes work-life balance, empowers clients, and strengthens their bottom line in a new webinar series from the State Bar of Michigan.

Each session in the three-part webinar series covers a different aspect of Limited-Scope Representation. The webinars start at noon and run approximately 60-75 minutes. Michigan attorneys can register for all three for just $20 or any individual webinar for $10.

Learn more and register at loom.ly/9BxOmDQ

06/02/2026

Safeguarding client funds is among the legal profession’s most fundamental obligations. Yet wire transfers have become a prime target for fraud and cyberattacks — particularly in matters involving settlement proceeds, business transactions, and real estate closings. When a wire fraud attack occurs, who bears the loss?

In the latest Ethics Perspectives column for the Michigan Bar Journal, Alecia Chandler, SBM’s professional responsibility programs director, examines the ethical and practical challenges attorneys face as cybercrimes become more prevalent

Wire transfers are routine in the practice of law, but they have become a prime target for fraud and cyberattacks. Settlement proceeds, business deals, and real estate closings are particularly vulnerable to criminals who exploit urgency and trust. When funds are diverted, the critical question is:....

06/01/2026

Grammar enthusiasts: Should a singular possessive ending in “s” add another “s” after the apostrophe?

In the latest Michigan Bar Journal, Mark Cooney, legal writing expert and a professor at Cooley Law School, examines the debate behind possessives with sibilant endings and why there is inconsistency across the board.

This morning, a newsletter editor gently corrected my wife for creating this singular possessive: Ellis’s (as in Jane Ellis’s house). The self-assured editor instructed my wife to remove the offensive s after the apostrophe but added, in a supportive vein, that grammar is tricky.

05/31/2026

Stress is inherent in the legal profession, which requires intense focus, swift decision-making under pressure, and emotional regulation during tense times. Structured breathing, brief cold exposure, and a physiological reset are some recommended techniques legal professionals can use to improve their nervous system regulation.

If one were to search “hot topics in lawyer well-being” or “lawyer wellness trends for 2026,” right up there with cold plunging, high protein or plant-based diets, and the use of AI in mental health support would be nervous system regulation — in particular vagus nerve stimulation. This ar...

05/30/2026

In Memoriam information is shared monthly and published in the Michigan Bar Journal as soon as possible after receiving it. These were shared in the May 2026 issue.

To notify us of the passing of a loved one or colleague, please email [email protected].

05/29/2026

"The pipeline is changing. The question is whether the profession is changing with it. Because representation is not just about who enters the law — it is about who stays, who advances, and who feels that they belong once they arrive. The data shows progress, but it also suggests friction: movement at the entry level, slower change at the top. That tension is not new," states SBM President Lisa J. Hamameh.

SBM's 9th female president, she shares her path to becoming an attorney, and her insights on the current state of women in the legal profession in her latest column in the Michigan Bar Journal.

I did not set out to become a lawyer. There were no attorneys in my family — none in my immediate or extended circle. For much of my childhood, and even into young adulthood, higher education itself felt out of reach. The idea of law school was not just distant; it was unrealistic.

05/28/2026

The latest issue of the Michigan Bar Journal is here with an overview of the Sixth Circuit’s four en banc decisions from 2024, and additional en banc decisions from 2025.

Plus, a structure for determining if litigation or arbitration is the better path for the resolution of a given dispute, an introduction of Grand Rapids' new Mayor, and much more.

Read the full issue here: https://loom.ly/UxGp0So