Unsung Hero Award

Elizabeth Hohauser

Elizabeth Hohauser is this year’s winner of the State Bar of Michigan Representative Assembly’s Unsung Hero Award. The award honors an attorney who has exhibited the highest standards of practice and commitment for the benefit of others.

Hohauser is this year’s winner for her work with children in the Michigan foster care system, her dedication to helping her clients, and the service she provides for her community. 

A 2000 graduate of the University of Detroit-Mercy Law School, Hohauser, who also earned a bachelor’s degree in education from Michigan State University, decided to become a lawyer to make a positive impact on her community. Since then, she has continued that mission in not only her career but her personal life. 

Throughout her career Hohauser has developed a reputation for going above and beyond the call of duty as an attorney. One of her former pro bono clients, a victim of domestic abuse with three children, said of Hohauser, “I am extremely grateful for her, not only for fighting hard and representing  me in this very difficult matter, but also for being there to support me emotionally. It is because of her that I am truly a thriving survivor of domestic violence.”  

Hohauser served as Director of Legal Services and Policy for The New Foster Care, and as an attorney for Collins Einhorn Farrell, PC; Hohauser Kuchon; and Eagle Automation Services where she was also business manager.

In 2018, she opened her own solo litigation practice, and her level of dedication can be seen through an anecdote she likes to tell: When she established her solo litigation practice in 2018, her husband humorously asked her to promise it wouldn't turn into a non-profit. (She has since successfully demonstrated that she can sustain herself financially while still serving her community.)

In addition to her legal career, Hohauser is active in her community. She volunteers with elementary students for Mock Trial, offers pro bono legal services to underserved communities, and co-hosts an annual "youth law conference" for high school students. 

She said she feels deeply honored to have her contributions recognized by the Representative Assembly.

When she is not working, she spends time gardening, chasing chickens out of the garage, and camping with her family and two dogs.