Two newly elected attorneys will join the Board of Commissioners and four incumbents won re-election in the 2023 State Bar of Michigan elections. SBM members also elected representatives to the Judicial Tenure Commission, Representative Assembly, and the Young Lawyers Section Executive Council.

THE NEWLY ELECTED COMMISSIONERS ARE:

PONCE D. CLAY, who was elected to serve District H representing Lenawee, Monroe, and Wayne counties. Clay, of Detroit, is the current president of the D. Augustus Straker Bar Association and serves on the State Bar of Michigan Unauthorized Practice of Law Committee. He is founder and managing attorney with Clay Law PLC in Detroit, focusing on real estate transactions, probate estate administration, veterans’ law, landlord-tenant matters, and business development.

JOSHUA A. LERNER, who was elected in District I to represent Oakland County. Lerner is a member of the SBM Representative Assembly, panelist for the Attorney Discipline Board, past chair of the Young Lawyers Section, and former member of the Board of Commissioners. He is a partner at Cohen Lerner & Rabinovitz in Royal Oak, focusing on civil litigation including personal injury law, medical provider collections, business, and commercial litigation.

RE-ELECTED COMMISSIONERS ARE:

DAVID C. ANDERSON of Southfield, who was re-elected in a contested race in District I to represent Oakland County.

HON. B. CHRIS CHRISTENSON of Flint, who was re-elected in an uncontested race to serve District B representing Bay, Genesee, Iosco, Midland, Saginaw, Sanilac, Saginaw, and Tuscola counties.

ROBERT EASTERLY of East Lansing, who was re-elected in an uncontested race to serve District E representing Barry, Clinton, Eaton, Gratiot, Ingham, Ionia, Livingston, and Shiawassee counties.

HON. DAVID A. PERKINS of Detroit, who was re-elected in a contested race to serve District H representing Lenawee, Monroe, and Wayne counties.

The Board of Commissioners provides oversight to the State Bar on finance, public policy, professional standards, member services, and communications. This year’s newly and re-elected commissioners will serve three-year terms expiring in September 2026.

JUDICIAL TENURE COMMISSION

James W. Burdick of Bloomfield Hills won a contested election to serve a three-year term on the Judicial Tenure Commission from Jan. 1, 2024, to Dec. 31, 2026. The Judicial Tenure Commission is a constitutionally created body that promotes the integrity of the judicial process and preserves public confidence in the courts.

SBM REPRESENTATIVE ASSEMBLY

The 150-member Representative Assembly was created in 1972; it serves as the final policy-making body for the State Bar of Michigan.

Elected representatives in uncontested races were:

2ND CIRCUIT (BERRIEN COUNTY)

Amber D. Peters, St. Joseph.

3RD CIRCUIT (WAYNE COUNTY)

Richard M. Soranno, Detroit; LaKena T. Crespo, Detroit; Lisa W. Timmons, Detroit; Dawn S. Lee-Cotton, Detroit; Macie D.A. Tuiasosopo Gaines, Grosse Pointe; Kimberley A. Ward, Detroit; Shanika A. Owens, Detroit.

6TH CIRCUIT (OAKLAND COUNTY)

Dennis M. Flessland, Huntington Woods; Michael J. Blau, Farmington; Tracey L. Lee, West Bloomfield; Mary A. Bowen, Troy; Jennifer A. Cupples, Berkley; Ryanne E. Rizzo, Birmingham.

9TH CIRCUIT (KALAMAZOO COUNTY)

Donald L. R. Roberts, Kalamazoo.

10TH CIRCUIT (SAGINAW COUNTY)

Jennifer A. Jones, Saginaw.

11TH CIRCUIT (ALGER, LUCE, MACKINAW, AND SCHOOLCRAFT COUNTIES)

Chad W. Peltier, Newberry.

17TH CIRCUIT (KENT COUNTY)

Jonathan J. Paasch, Grand Rapids; Natasha L. Rao, Grand Rapids.

18TH CIRCUIT (BAY COUNTY)

Stephan M. Gaus, Bay City.

19TH CIRCUIT (BENZIE AND MANISTEE COUNTIES)

Lesya N. Dull, Manistee.

20TH CIRCUIT (OTTAWA COUNTY)

Anna C. White, Holland.

21ST CIRCUIT (ISABELLA COUNTY)

Becky J. Bolles, Mt. Pleasant.

22ND CIRCUIT (WASHTENAW COUNTY)

Mark W. Jane, Ann Arbor.

24TH CIRCUIT (SANILAC COUNTY)

Matthew C. Lozen, Sandusky.

25TH CIRCUIT (MARQUETTE COUNTY)

Hon. Karl A. Weber, Marquette.

30TH CIRCUIT (INGHAM COUNTY)

Nicole A. Evans, East Lansing.

37TH CIRCUIT (CALHOUN COUNTY)

Lee D. Graham, Battle Creek. .

50TH CIRCUIT (CHIPPEWA COUNTY)

Robert L. Stratton III, Sault Ste. Marie.

57TH CIRCUIT (EMMETT COUNTY)

Christina L. DeMoore, Petoskey.

YOUNG LAWYERS SECTION EXECUTIVE COUNCIL

The Young Lawyers Executive Council governs the members of the Young Lawyers Section, one of the State Bar’s largest sections. The section provides education, information, and analysis about issues of concern through meetings, seminars, public service programs, and newsletters. The section has won numerous awards for its public service and educational programs.

Winners of uncontested races for seats with two-year terms expiring in 2025 are:

DISTRICT 1 (MACOMB AND WAYNE COUNTIES)

Darnell T. Barton, Detroit; Fawzeih H. Daher, Detroit; Aaron J. Hall, Mt. Clemens.

DISTRICT 2 (OAKLAND COUNTY)

Isra K. Khuja, Troy; Alexander P. Sheldon-Smith, Farmington Hills; Kayla M. Toma, Auburn Hills; Jessica D. Warfield, Southfield.

DISTRICT 3 (ALL COUNTIES EXCEPT MACOMB, OAKLAND, AND WAYNE)

Jacob Eccleston, Kalamazoo.