Miller Canfield Participated in Jury Reform Webinar for Institute of Continuing Legal Education
Miller Canfield principal, Mark T. Boonstra (Ann Arbor, Mich.) recently served as the moderator and a faculty member for the Institute of Continuing Legal Education (ICLE) Webcast, Michigan Jury Reform – What You Need to Know Now.
Boonstra, along with the Honorable Timothy G. Hicks of the Muskegon County Circuit Court and Mitchell Ribitwer, a criminal practitioner in Royal Oak, led the discussion about the newly adopted controversial jury reform amendments and revisions to the Michigan Court Rules (effective September 1) and proposed revisions to the Michigan Model Civil Jury Instructions (comments due October 1). The webcast included valuable information about understanding the various rule changes and expanded role of the court and jurors in jury trials, the biggest issues for civil and criminal practitioners, as well as and best practice recommendations.
At Miller Canfield, Boonstra is co-chair of the firm’s Appellate Section and is deputy leader of the Litigation Group representing various business and commercial disputes. Over the years, he has gained extensive experience assisting Fortune 500 and international companies on matters involving antitrust and securities law, constitutional law, contract and business tort claims, non-compete and trade secret claims, and other corporate governance disputes. Boonstra is a member of the Michigan Supreme Court’s Model Civil Jury Instruction Committee and is named a Best Lawyer in America for his work in Antitrust Law, Bet-the-Company Litigation and Commercial Litigation. He resides in the firm’s Ann Arbor office and received his J.D. from the University of Michigan Law School, a Master of Applied Economics from the University of Michigan and his B.A. from Michigan State University.