Michigan Association for Justice
{{Short description|Professional association}}
The Michigan Association for Justice (MAJ), formerly the Michigan Trial Lawyers Association (MTLA) is a professional association of over 1,400 plaintiff's attorneys and staff, with offices in Lansing, Michigan.
MAJ provides members with professional networking, online listserves, a data bank of relevant court documents and legal experts, and a member directory. The organization also provides an extensive continuing legal education (CLE) program in locations throughout Michigan. Additionally, MAJ's Lansing-based government affairs staff lobbies legislators and state agencies to advance a pro-civil justice legislative agenda, intended to preserve and enhance the rights of injured people.
MAJ states that it "promotes justice and fairness for injured persons, safeguards victims' rights--particularly the right to trial by jury--and strengthens the civil justice system through education and disclosure of information critical to public health and safety."{{Cite web|url=https://www.michiganjustice.org/index.cfm?pg=Mission|title=MAJ Mission Statement|website=www.michiganjustice.org}} It provides information and professional assistance to its members. It is headquartered in Lansing, Michigan. The MAJ is an affiliated member of the American Association for Justice.
History
=Past presidents=
- 1945 - 49 Samuel Charfoos (d)
- 1949 - 53 Hon. Theodore R. Bohn
- 1953 - 55 Benjamin Marcus (d)
- 1955 - 56 Carl Gussen (d)
- 1956 - 57 James A. Markle (d)
- 1957 - 58 Saul M. Leach
- 1958 - 59 Duane S. Van Benschoten (d)
- 1959 - 60 I. Goodman Cohen (d)
- 1960 - 61 D. Charles Marsten
- 1961 - 62 Dean Robb
- 1962 - 63 Max Dean
- 1963 - 64 George L. Downing
- 1964 - 65 Lee C. Dramis (d)
- 1965 - 66 Howard Silver
- 1966 - 67 James E. Burns (d)
- 1967 - 68 Cassius E. Street
- 1968 - 69 James W. Baker (d)
- 1969 - 70 Eugene D. Mossner
- 1970 - 71 Irving Kroll
- 1971 - 72 Morton E. Schneider
- 1972 - 74 Harry M. Philo
- 1974 - 75 George Bedrosian
- 1975 - 76 Sheldon L. Miller
- 1976 - 77 James F. Logan
- 1977 - 78 Clifford H. Hart
- 1978 - 79 George M. Maurer, Jr.
- 1979 - 80 Jack H. Bindes
- 1980 - 81 Jeffrey N. Shillman
- 1981 - 82 Paul A. Rosen (d)
- 1982 - 83 George T. Sinas
- 1983 - 84 Beverly Clark
- 1984 - 85 Sherwin Schreier
- 1985 - 86 Nicholas J. Rine
- 1986 - 87 Hon. William B. Murphy
- 1987 - 88 Carl R. Edwards
- 1988 - 89 Charles J. Barr
- 1989 - 90 Sheldon D. Erlich
- 1990 - 91 Barry Waldman
- 1991 - 92 Thomas Hay
- 1992 - 93 Marjory Cohen
- 1993 - 94 Michael Pianin
- 1994 - 95 Dave Getto
- 1995 - 96 Mark Weiss (d)
- 1996 - 97 Richard Skutt
- 1997 - 98 Kathy Bogas
- 1998 - 99 Carol McNeilage
- 1999 - 2000 Barry Goodman
- 2000 - 01 Jules Olsman
- 2001 - 02 Norman Tucker
- 2002 - 03 Alan Helmkamp
- 2003 - 04 Brian Waldman
- 2004 - 05 Michael Pitt
- 2005 - 06 Linda Miller Atkinson
- 2006 - 07 [http://www.abclawcenters.com/about-the-firm/about-the-attorneys/jesse-reiter/ Jesse Reiter]{{Cite web|url=https://www.abclawcenters.com/about-the-firm/about-the-attorneys/jesse-reiter/|title=Jesse Reiter | Exclusive Focus on Birth Injury|website=www.abclawcenters.com}}
- 2007 - 08 Robert Raitt{{cite news |title=Business & Professional Memos |url=https://digital.bentley.umich.edu/djnews/djn.2007.05.31.001/29 |access-date=29 April 2021 |work=The Detroit Jewish News |publisher=The Detroit Jewish News Virtual Archives |date=31 May 2007}}
- 2008 - 09 Judy Susskind
- 2009 - 10 Richard Warsh
- 2010 - 11 Barry J. Gates
- 2011 - 12 Michael J. Behm
- 2012 - 13 Marc E. Lipton
- 2013 - 14 Gerald H. Acker{{Cite web|url=https://patch.com/michigan/berkley/huntington-woods-resident-gerald-acker-of-goodman-acker-pc-elected-president-of-michigan-association-for-justice|title=HUNTINGTON WOODS RESIDENT, GERALD ACKER OF GOODMAN ACKER P.C., ELECTED PRESIDENT OF MICHIGAN ASSOCIATION FOR JUSTICE|date=June 19, 2013|website=Huntington Woods-Berkley, MI Patch}}
- 2014 - 15 Scott A. Goodwin{{cite web |last1=Goodwin |first1=Scott |title=Scott Goodwin Named President-Elect of the Michigan Association for Justice |url=https://www.1888goodwin.com/2013/08/06/scott-goodwin-named-president-elect-of-the-michigan-associate-for-justice/ |website=www.1888goodwin.com |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200929052744/https://www.1888goodwin.com/2013/08/06/scott-goodwin-named-president-elect-of-the-michigan-associate-for-justice/ |archive-date=29 September 2020}}{{Better source needed|date=March 2021}}
- 2015 - 16 Ven R. Johnson
- 2016 - 17 Thomas W. Waun
- 2017 - 18 Brian J. McKeen
- 2018 - 19 Debra A. Freid{{Cite web|url=https://www.wilx.com/content/news/MSU-fires-universitys-VP-general-counsel-505220811.html|title=UPDATE: MAJ applauds MSU for the firing of Young|first=Holly|last=Nobles|website=www.wilx.com|date=February 2019 }}
- 2019 - 20 Robert J. MacDonald{{Cite web|url=http://legalnews.com/detroit/1474976|title=Daily Briefs > Detroit Legal News|website=legalnews.com}}
- 2020 - 21 Donna M. MacKenzie{{cite web |title=MacKenzie is new president of the MAJ |url=https://milawyersweekly.com/news/2020/06/05/mackenzie-is-new-president-of-the-maj/ |publisher=Michigan Lawyers Weekly |date=5 June 2020}}
- 2021 - 22 Ronald K. Weiner{{cite web |title=Ronald K. Weiner sworn in as 69th MAJ president |url=https://milawyersweekly.com/news/2021/06/08/ronald-k-weiner-sworn-in-as-69th-maj-president/ |publisher=Michigan Lawyers Weekly |date=8 June 2021}}
- 2022 - 23 Stuart A. Sklar{{Cite web|url=https://legalnews.com/jackson/1513109/|title=Crossroads: New MAJ President Takes Helm at Pivotal Time > Detroit Legal News|website=legalnews.com}}
Membership and governance
The MAJ is currently presided over by President Stuart A. Sklar. He works with the other officers and MAJ Executive Director Steve Pontoni, who oversees the day-to-day operation of the organization. The executive board, which meets throughout the year, is made up of 120 members including all past presidents.