To our readers:
We knew we wanted to do something special to celebrate the 100th anniversary of the Michigan Bar Journal. Ultimately, we decided the best way to honor this historic milestone is by modernizing the Bar Journal in both its print and online forms.
We hope you like what you see.
Credit goes to brand designer Sarah Lawrence Brown for the new look of the Bar Journal that arrives in your mailboxes 11 times each year. Our goal was simple: To provide a clean, fresh presentation to readers. Online, we will still provide the PDF version of the magazine, but now also offer a more robust website with accessible versions of our articles that are easier to share across a variety of platforms.
The reason? The Michigan Bar Journal is the flagship publication of the State Bar of Michigan, and our primary goal is always to serve you better.
For those of you used to getting most of your information online, this will serve you better. For those of you who wish to share what you read each month on social media or through text messages, this will serve you better. And, if you occasionally search online for legal news and information, this will serve you better. You can access the online version of the Bar Journal at michbar.org/journal or follow the State Bar of Michigan on your favorite social media platform to get links to the articles.
That’s a lot of changes, but one facet of the Bar Journal remains the same: It will continue to offer analysis of diverse areas of law and insights on important current legal news through feature articles and columns written by lawyers for lawyers.
A special thank you goes to the Michigan Bar Journal Committee, whose dedicated members volunteer their time and work tirelessly to plan themes for every edition, coordinate with authors and edit their submissions with an eye on the expectations of our audience, and provide valuable advice to me.
In this month’s edition, we are tackling access to justice as a cornerstone topic worthy of being featured in the issue marking the Bar Journal’s 100th year. You will find articles dissecting what has been done — and what can be done — to make strides in this fundamental issue of justice with contributions from Michigan’s leading experts, including two state Supreme Court justices.
Our centennial celebration will continue over the next 11 issues with flashbacks dedicated to a specific decade to highlight our history and important legal milestones, along with occasional reflections from people with long-standing connections to the Bar Journal. It starts this month with a deep dive into why bar journals like ours exist in the first place.
Our commitment to better serving Michigan attorneys remains steadfast, and we will continue to make improvements to our design, delivery systems, and content platforms. Please let us know what you think. We would love to hear your opinion on the refreshed Bar Journal, ideas for content you would like to see, and other ways we can continue to make it better. All input is welcomed. Please feel free to contact me now or any time in the future at barjournal@michbar.org.
Thank you for reading.