Congratulations to Kalamazoo attorney Leo Goddeyne, who has been named the recipient of Michigan Community Resources' Pro Bono Partner Brick Award. The award honors pro bono partners who have meaningfully contributed to MCR's mission of building strong nonprofits.

We are proud to be one of the law firms pioneering the Mansfield 2.0 rule to close the gap in leadership roles for women and minorities in law firm hiring. In 2017, we were among several dozen of the nation's leading firms to adopt the original Mansfield Rule, named for the first woman admitted to practice law in the United States, Arabella Mansfield.

We're very excited for the opening of The Corner Ballpark and the role we played in helping to revitalize the former site of Tiger Stadium. Thom Linn served on the Old Tiger Stadium Conservancy and along with David Mitchell played a crucial role in conceiving, funding and implementing the plans for the site. 

Announcing the winners of the prestigious 2017 Richard J. Seryak Award in recognition of pro bono service: Cara Houck and Kimberly Scott. 

The annual award was first given in 2015, in memory of Richard Seryak, who during his 40-year legal career at Miller Canfield exemplified the standard of pro bono service. Seryak’s widow Dr. Helene Dombrowski and children Elizabeth Seryak and Dr. Kaitlin Seryak established the award to recognize attorneys who continue Richard Seryak’s legacy. The Seryak family provides a stipend for the award winner to donate to the legal service organization of his or her choice.

Kimberly Scott has been named in Michigan Lawyers Weekly’s Leaders in the Law Class of 2018.

Scott, a principal attorney in the firm’s Ann Arbor, Michigan, office, is known for her work in complex and “bet-the-company” litigation that present unique challenges, such as novel issues or procedure of law. For the past year, she has also become known as one of the attorneys who was named as class counsel in the widely publicized Hamama v. Adducci. Scott is working on the pro bono case with the ACLU of Michigan, representing more than 200 Iraqi nationals who had been ordered to be deported without a hearing. The case is the first in a series of recent putative class actions nationwide urging federal courts to allow time for individual immigration hearings in light of changed conditions in the immigrants’ home countries.

Spring is finally here, and with the warmer weather come the sights and sounds of newness everywhere you look, including downtown. It seems only fitting that this time of year we’re also celebrating and contributing to the success of Detroit’s newest businesses, businesses that are bringing energy and vitality to the city as fresh as spring itself.

We are excited that our client, Detroit Blows, one of the city’s first blow-dry bars, and its owners Katy Cockrel and Nia Batts, are receiving a $20,000 grant from Motor City Match, which connects new and growing businesses with funding, real estate and the tools entrepreneurs need to succeed.

Miller Canfield, a global law firm headquartered in Detroit, is pleased to  announce that Thomas Linn is the winner of the second annual Richard J. Seryak Award in recognition of his commitment to pro bono service. The announcement was made by CEO Michael McGee.

Linn joined Miller Canfield in 1976, and served as one of the firm’s managing directors for more than 20 years, and as CEO for nearly eight years.

“Throughout his career, Thom has shown a profound commitment to providing representation to those without financial means,” McGee said. “His work has been instrumental in growing the pro bono program at Miller Canfield.”

We are thrilled to announce that Wendolyn Wrosch Richards has rejoined us at Miller Canfield in the role of Pro Bono Counsel, a new position in the firm.

“The creation of the Pro Bono Counsel position is a reflection of Miller Canfield’s serious commitment to supporting pro bono services, and our investment in the communities where we work and live,” said Miller Canfield CEO Mike McGee. “During the past year, the firm has contributed more than $1.8 million to pro bono endeavors, including the more than 5,000 hours of pro bono services our attorneys have performed. Under Wendy’s leadership, we can do even more.”