ROBERTS P. HUDSON AWARD
JANET WELCH
Janet Welch served with distinction as the State Bar of Michigan’s fifth executive director, providing transformational leadership, vision, and perseverance to the organization for 15 years.
Her work and her commitment won her the respect and admiration of many. Her nomination was signed by 60-plus colleagues — including 29 former State Bar of Michigan presidents, 15 former Hudson Award winners, Michigan Supreme Court Chief Justice Bridget McCormack, and American Bar Association Immediate Past President Reginald M. Turner.
“We recognize that the Hudson Award is considered the highest award conferred by the State Bar, which is given periodically to a member of the State Bar of Michigan who best exemplifies that which brings honor, esteem, and respect to the legal profession,” they wrote. “Without question, Janet has far exceeded all of the criteria for this honor.”
Welch came to the State Bar of Michigan in 2000, serving as general counsel until she was promoted to executive director in 2007. She evolved during her tenure into a national leader on innovation in the law and an expert on incorporated bars.
“She served with superior professional competence, integrity, creativity, and adherence to the highest principles and traditions of the legal profession,” her nominators observed. “In her years of service, the State Bar of Michigan has been a nationally recognized, and envied, example of tremendous leadership, innovation, and accomplishment.”
Among the highlights of Welch’s tenure and her lasting impact cited by nominators was her work on the 21st Century Practice Task Force, which brought together more than 150 lawyers and judges from across the justice system and legal profession to examine, identify, and study the future’s challenges and opportunities.
“This was a complex, substantive, and collaborative effort, and Janet’s leadership helped assure its success,” the nominators wrote. “The Task Force worked through several subcommittees to identify five central problems and keys to solving them. Its recommendations continue to guide the Bar and others in meeting emerging needs of the public, justice system, and profession.”
In addition, Welch played a pivotal role in the Judicial Crossroads Task Force, formed to address the changing landscape of Michigan’s justice system, which was designed for the 19th century. The task force’s recommendations were groundbreaking — including the creation and expansion of problem-solving courts and specialized courts in Michigan, the shift of indigent defense funding responsibilities from local to state government, the upgrading of court technology statewide, and the improvement in access to free guidance on legal matters.
“We strongly believe that Janet has been an exemplar of extraordinary service to the Bar, the profession, and the public we serve,” they concluded. “We cannot think of a more fitting way for the Bar to express its gratitude for all that she has done than honoring her with the 2022 Roberts P. Hudson Award.”
FRANK J. KELLEY DISTINGUISHED PUBLIC SERVICE AWARD
HON. CYNTHIA STEPHENS
Recently retired Michigan Court of Appeals Judge Cynthia Stephens devoted her entire legal career to public service.
She began her distinguished career as a government lawyer and went on to be appointed to the district bench in 1981, the circuit bench in 1985, and, finally, the Court of Appeals bench in 2008. In addition, Stephens served on the State Bar of Michigan Board of Commissioners, chairing both the Justice Initiatives Committee and Children’s Task Force. Also, the Michigan Supreme Court recently appointed her as a founding chair of the Commission on Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion.
Michigan Court of Appeals Chief Judge Elizabeth Gleicher said Stephens is a public servant and much more.
“She has been a role model, inspiration, and mentor for dozens — if not hundreds — of Michigan lawyers and judges,” she said. “She teaches, counsels, and encourages young lawyers and new judges, myself included, both formally and informally, and she leads by developing relationships with people built on respect and compassion.”
Gleicher said Stephens “draws upon a deep well of experience and never hesitates to offer ideas, solutions, and approaches” — especially when it comes to lending her expertise to expand access to justice.
“Her work reflects intellectual courage and a deep understanding of the need for justice to recognize and respect the rights of the people who come before the court, including the disfavored and disempowered,” Gleicher noted. “She treats every case that comes before her as worthy of close and careful attention and applies to her decisions a notion of equal justice honed by her deep experience at every court level.”
Her most substantial contribution, Gleicher said, “is that for other judges, she exemplifies integrity and commitment to the idea that justice means not only deciding the cases that come before the court, but also includes maintaining a focus on enforcing constitutional and civil rights with an eye toward social justice.”
CHAMPION OF JUSTICE AWARD
MARGARET “PEGGY” COSTELLO
The Champion of Justice Award this year salutes Detroit Mercy Law School Professor Margaret “Peggy” Costello, who has been both an ally and an advocate for veterans.
Costello established and currently directs the Detroit Mercy Law Veterans Law Clinic, which has provided more than 50,000 hours of free legal services to more than 1,000 low- to no-income veterans. By training more than 400 students to help veterans, the Veterans Law Clinic has helped clients receive back pay, benefits, and monthly income.
Costello created the Veterans Law Clinic because she saw that many lawyers, although they wanted to help, didn’t have the knowledge necessary to navigate the often-complicated issues veterans faced. In addition to the students trained through the Veterans Law Clinic, Costello has trained hundreds of attorneys throughout the United States to serve veterans and developed Project Salute, a mobile clinic that travels the country in a bus that has been retrofitted with office space to assist veterans.
Rebecca Simkins Nowak, a law school classmate, friend, and current colleague at the University of Detroit Mercy Law School, said Costello’s dedication and impact are unparalleled.
“Peggy’s passion for helping veterans and serving the Bar is evident in that she is always willing to help, teach, and train other lawyers who seek to assist veterans,” Nowak said. “She identified a need to help veterans, and with the same energy and drive she has demonstrated in every aspect of her legal career, she has made a significant contribution to them.”
CHAMPION OF JUSTICE AWARD
ROBYN MCCOY
Robyn McCoy is a visionary attorney who pushes back against injustice with real solutions.
She created the Michigan Children’s Law Center program “What to Do When Stopped by the Police” to help young people and all Michigan residents know how to best handle encounters with law enforcement officers. McCoy’s many programs and presentations also include “Expungement and Federal Pardon Process,” which is designed to help people gain the knowledge they need to clean up their records.
Earlene R. Baggett-Hayes, a Pontiac attorney and alternative dispute resolution specialist, called McCoy an insightful mentor who helps her clients from start to finish and often does so on a pro bono basis.
McCoy not only advises convicted felons of their expungement rights and the specific steps required to erase criminal records — she walks them through the entire process to make sure their criminal records are cleared, Baggett-Hayes said.
Baggett-Hayes said she is particularly impressed with the “expansive nature” of McCoy’s work for justice, which also includes offering support to those who are underrepresented in the legal profession.
“McCoy also works to expose people of color and women to positions in which they have not historically been well represented,” she added. “She motivates them and provides information to facilitate their movement. She plans and conducts seminars to explain how various elevation and promotional processes work. She also writes recommendation letters to confirm and support their acceptability.”
McCoy also regularly meets with legal and political leaders to further enhance her knowledge and experience, Baggett-Hayes noted. “She is an extraordinary professional within our legal profession.”
KIMBERLY M. CAHILL BAR LEADERSHIP AWARD
D. AUGUSTUS STRAKER BAR ASSOCIATION
When it comes to supporting diversity in the legal profession and increasing access to justice for all, the D. Augustus Straker Bar Association does it all — from helping to award scholarships to hosting fundraisers to volunteering in the community.
Founded in 1990, the D. Augustus Straker Bar Association’s mission is to “increase minority representation in the legal profession, support and encourage legal practice opportunities for minorities, and facilitate equal justice for all citizens.”
The D. Augustus Straker Bar Association provides service to the community through a variety of events including multiple expungement clinics such as a recent collaboration with Lakeshore Legal Aid to facilitate its expungement work, anti-human trafficking efforts, and a minority bar passage program.
Since first awarding scholarships in 1999, the D. Augustus Straker Bar Foundation has given away more than $100,000 in scholarships. In addition, the D. Augustus Straker Bar Association partnered with a variety of organizations to host a “Harriet” Movie Screening & Taste of Soul Food Mixer Fundraiser to give attendees information about local social service organizations and raise money for local nonprofits that help survivors of human trafficking.
The D. Augustus Straker Bar Association has been recognized with numerous awards including the Oakland County Bar Association’s Michael K. Lee Award Recognizing Diversity, which specifically honors a person or organization that has demonstrated a record of promoting cultural diversity in the legal community through participation in pipeline programs and commitment to the tenets set forth in the mission statement of the Diversity in the Legal Profession Committee.
JOHN W. CUMMISKEY PRO BONO AWARD
JOHN RUNYAN
John Runyan is dedicated and unwavering: For more than 45 years, he has dutifully and honorably served on the Board of Directors of Michigan Indian Legal Services.
Runyan has been with Michigan Indian Legal Services since the very beginning, joining the board when it was organized in 1975 and now serves as its only remaining charter member.
Administrative Law Judge Kandra Robbins, who met Runyan 23 years ago when she was appointed to the board, called him a giving and kind mentor.
“John has provided leadership, guidance, and service to the board,” she said. “He has served as secretary, vice president, and president as well as chairperson of many of the board’s standing committees.”
Robbins said it is difficult to estimate how much time Runyan has “generously provided” over the years, but she knows it’s astounding.
“The Board meets a minimum of four times a year,” she noted. “Each Board meeting can last for four hours. In the early years of John’s service, this required him to travel from his home in the metro-Detroit area to Traverse City. Currently, the Board is able to utilize technology to reduce travel time. However, each meeting still requires hours of preparation to be an effective Board member. And John is certainly an effective Board member.”
In addition to serving as a board member for Michigan Indian Legal Services, John chairs the State Bar’s Michigan Bar Journal Committee and has written numerous articles for the publication.
“I am proud to call John a friend and to serve with him,” Robbins said. “He is the epitome of a dedicated attorney providing service wherever he can to serve the public.”
JOHN W. REED LAWYER LEGACY AWARD
PETER HENNING
Peter Henning was so much more than just a law professor.
“He was a giant of the law school — a passionate and beloved teacher, a brilliant legal scholar, and an inspirational mentor, colleague, and friend,” said Wayne State Law School Dean Richard A. Bierschbach.
Henning passed away in January after a battle with an aggressive form of frontotemporal dementia. He taught at Wayne State University Law School for 28 years and was a nationally recognized scholar. Prior to his nearly three decades at Wayne State, he had a notable career as a federal prosecutor.
“What made him most well-known to the public was probably his work in the New York Times, where he wrote biweekly columns on white collar crime for many years,” Bierschbach said. “But it often felt like Peter was everywhere all at once.”
For years, Henning was the go-to expert legal analyst for media throughout the state of Michigan because of his ability to summarize a variety of issues and make them easy to understand.
Henning was revered by his students and his law school colleagues. He was voted Teacher of the Year at Wayne State University Law School four times; received the Donald H. Gordon Excellence in Teaching Award, the highest teaching honor awarded by the law school; and was honored with the President’s Award for Excellence in Teaching, the highest teaching honor awarded by Wayne State University.
“Simply put, he loved his students and they loved him,” Bierschbach recalled.
His nomination was supported by multiple former students including Grant Newman, now special assistant to the solicitor general in the West Virginia Attorney General’s Office. Newman took several of Henning’s courses at Wayne Law and considered him a “legend” — but said he would miss the friendship they developed after law school the most.
“He was a warm and generous man and mentor, always funny, and never — and I mean never — too busy to offer a word of advice or encouragement to a young attorney trying desperately to get his sea legs in the turbulent world of the law,” Newman said. “I will miss him dearly. Indeed, I already do.”
LIBERTY BELL AWARD
GRACE FRENCH
Grace French turned tragedy into triumph.
After coming forward about her abuse as a child at the hands of former Michigan State University Dr. Larry Nassar, French began advocating on behalf of other Nassar survivors and later all survivors of sexual abuse.
Her work helped countless others overcome their fears of coming forward to speak out against both their abusers and the entities that enabled them. She has also been a resource, both personally and through her non-profit, The Army of Survivors, for hundreds of others.
In 2018, French was awarded both the ESPY Arthur Ashe Courage Award and the Glamour Women of the Year Award. In 2019, she spoke about sexual abuse at the United Nations General Assembly. And she is currently a member of U.S. Rep. Elissa Slotkin’s Title IX Advisory Board.
Okemos attorney James White, who represented French in litigation against Michigan State University, said she is well deserving of the Liberty Bell Award.
“I have watched her grow into an empowered young woman who, while being heavily involved in the Nassar litigation and criminal prosecutions, graduated from the University of Michigan, founded her non-profit, advocated for survivors of abuse across the nation, and began a successful career in marketing,” White said.
Another Larry Nassar survivor, Louise Harder, who is now a board member of The Army of Survivors, said French shared her story publicly in hopes that future generations will live in a safer society.
“She doesn’t act for recognition or money,” Harder said. “It’s personal.”