November 26, 2019

Oakland County Circuit Court in Michigan Appoints New Ombuds

Julie I. Fershtman and Edward H. Pappas have been named the next Ombudspersons for the Oakland County Circuit Court. They follow Joel Serlin, who is retiring from the role he established in 2011. The Oakland County Circuit Court provides confidential, independent, neutral, and informal dispute resolution services for attorneys with concerns about the court, which is comprised of 19 elected judges and administrative staff in three divisions (civil/criminal, family, and business).


Fershtman and Pappas are both past presidents of the State Bar of Michigan. “Like Joel, both Julie and Ed represent the highest echelon of professionalism and are well known to both bench and bar,” said Oakland County Bar Association President Daniel Quick. “Together, they will make the program even stronger than it is today and a productive channel for both lawyers and judges to address issues,” added Circuit Court Chief judge Shalina Kumar.

Fershtman is has practiced law locally for over three decades, handling a broad range of matters, and is widely considered one of the nation's leading practitioners in equine law. She was the fifth woman in the State Bar’s history to serve as president. The State Bar recently selected her to serve on the ABA House of Delegates, representing Michigan. She graduated from Emory College and earned her JD at Emory Law School.

Pappas is currently the President of the Michigan State Bar Foundation. His professional affiliations include the American College of Civil Trial Mediators, the National Academy and Distinguished Neutrals, the International Institute for Conflict Prevention and Resolution Panel of Distinguished Neutrals, and the American Arbitration Association's Roster of Neutral Commercial Litigation Arbitrators and Mediators. He earned his BBS and JD from the University of Michigan. (LegalNews.com; OCBA Ombuds; Fershtman Law; Dickinson Wright.)

Related post: Michigan County Court Launches Pilot Ombuds Program

No comments:

Post a Comment