Commissioners Brame, Fisher receive awards

Congratulations to Commissioner Tracey Brame, who has been recognized by Michigan Lawyers Weekly as the 2020 Lawyer of the Year.  Ms. Brame, of Grand Rapids, is the associate dean at Western Michigan University Thomas M. Cooley Law School in Grand Rapids and a professor and co-director of the Access to Justice Clinic. She earned her Juris Doctor degree from University of Michigan Law School. Ms. Brame was appointed to the MIDC to represent the Chief Justice of the Supreme Court for a term expiring April 1, 2023.  Read more about Ms. Brame’s contributions to the legal field and meaningful and long-standing commitment to reforming the criminal legal system here.

Congratulations to Judge Jim Fisher, who will be honored with the State Bar of Michigan’s Champion of Justice award for his leadership and contributions in reforming Michigan’s indigent defense system.  Judge Fisher, of Hastings, served as the first chair of the Michigan Indigent Defense Commission and is a designee by the Michigan Judges Association.  He is Of Counsel with Dickinson Wright in Grand Rapids where his primary practice areas are arbitration and mediation. He previously served as chief judge of Barry County Circuit Court and is a director of Hastings City Bank.  Judge Fisher earned a bachelor’s degree in engineering from General Motors Institute and a law degree from Wayne State University. You can read about the award here.