Each year, the Women Lawyers Association of Michigan recognizes outstanding leadership in advocacy for the advancement of women, judiciary role models, and regional development.
2026 WLAM Awardees
WLAM is pleased to announce the recipients of our 2026 Awards Program.
- Julia Donovan Darlow – Jean L. King Leadership Award
- The Honorable Brandy R. McMillion – Mary S. Coleman Award
- Zenna Elhasan – Geraldine Bledsoe Ford Award
- Regional Leadership Awards
- Laura Helderop – Western Region
- Lindsey LaForest – Wayne Region
- Natasha Rao – Oakland Region
- Becca Zarras – Wayne Region
- 2026 Members to Watch
- Antonia Giles
- Destiny Hughes
- Lindsey Mead
The awardees will be recognized at our 108th Annual Meeting, Saturday, April 25, 2026 in Detroit. These individuals bring honor, esteem and respect to the legal profession.
Jean L. King Leadership Award
Pioneer of Self-Determination for Women and Girls
Presented in commendation for visionary leadership in the face of opposition and outstanding efforts toward the advancement of women and the legal profession.
2026 Recipient – Julia Donovan Darlow
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Born in Detroit in 1941, Julia Donovan Darlow graduated from Wayne University Law School in 1971 and joined a large, venerable Detroit law firm. As the divorced mother of a toddler and the only woman lawyer in her office, she found invaluable support within the small, diverse cadre of women, then beginning a variety of legal practices in Detroit, who were invigorating the Women Lawyers Association of Michigan, founded 50 years before. Together they fought for the election and appointment of women judges and the education of lawyers, judges and the public on issues of concern to all women, ranging from domestic violence and rape to equal employment and equal pay. Julia co-chaired WLAM’s early conferences on Women and the Law. As WLAM President in 1977-78, she met with women lawyers around the State to organize regional WLAM chapters.
Julia served for 10 years as Commissioner on the governing body of the Michigan State Bar. She was elected President of the Michigan Bar for the 1985-1986 term, the first woman to hold this position in Michigan. She appointed lawyers from underrepresented groups as committee chairs and to other leadership positions within the Bar and brought continuing Bar attention to diversity within the Bar and to legal issues affecting women, minorities, seniors and people with disabilities. For two years following her presidency, Julia led the Michigan Supreme Court Task Force on Gender Issues in the Courts, which worked closely with the Court’s Task Force on Race and Ethnic Issues in the Courts in an early major reform effort. The Task Force did extensive research, conducted surveys, held public hearings throughout the State and published a lengthy report that made extensive recommendations for positive change.
Throughout her 35-year career as a practicing lawyer, Julia worked in the nonprofit sector both as legal counsel and in founder, leadership and educational roles. Among organizations supporting women in the community, she served Women in Transition (the first state-funded women’s shelter), the Michigan Women’s Campaign Fund, Hutzel Hospital (founded by and for women at the end of the Civil War), Michigan Girl Scouts, Girls Group, and the Michigan Women’s Foundation, now Michigan Women Forward. Her service to Michigan nonprofit institutions also included many years on the Boards of the Detroit Medical Center, Marygrove College and Michigan Opera Theatre. She was the Reporter and principal drafter of the Michigan Nonprofit Corporation Act of 1980 and a member of the drafting committee for the American Bar Association Model Nonprofit Corporation Act adopted by many States across the country.
Julia developed a substantial international business law practice. Her clients included American, German, Canadian and Japanese corporations and joint ventures. Her work took her from boardrooms and corporate offices in Toronto, Frankfort, Tokyo, Mexico City, Warsaw and Lisbon to plants and foundries in the Polish and former East German countryside. As a strong business developer within her firm, she consistently included junior women on her client teams and gave considerable attention to their training in transactional law and client development and service.
In 2006 Julia won statewide public election to the Board of Regents, the governing body of the University of Michigan. During her eight year term, Julia worked hard on ensuring access and adequate, well-structured financial support for students, on attracting students from varied backgrounds and all regions of Michigan and on serving the needs of students with disabilities, undocumented students and first generation students, as well as on oversight of the U of M health care system.
Past Recipients
Hon. Sima G. Patel – 2025
Judge Patel was appointed to the Court in 2022. Before joining the bench, she was an appellate attorney in private practice for over 11 years representing clients in complex litigation before the Michigan Supreme Court, Michigan Court of Appeals, and the Federal 6th Circuit Court of Appeals. Judge Patel began her legal career as a law clerk in the Michigan Supreme Court, serving three terms for Justice Elizabeth A. Weaver and three for Justice Diane Hathaway. Judge Patel was recognized as a 2021 Michigan Lawyers Weekly Leader in the Law. She won the WMU Thomas M. Cooley Law Review Distinguished Brief Award for writing one of the top scholarly appellate briefs submitted to the Michigan Supreme Court in 2020. Judge Patel is a contributing author for the Institute for Continuing Legal Education publication Torts: Michigan Law and Practice. She received her bachelor’s degree from the University of Colorado, and her law degree from Thomas M. Cooley Law School.
Hon. Kirsten Frank Kelly – 2024
Judge Kelly was elected to the Court of Appeals in 2000 and reelected in 2006, 2012 and 2018. She graduated from Michigan State University and from the University of Detroit School of Law. After law school, Judge Kelly joined the Detroit law firm of Durant and Durant, where she practiced civil litigation and became a partner in the firm.
In 1987, she was elected a municipal judge, and she was twice reelected to that position. She was appointed to the Wayne Circuit Court by Governor John Engler in 1994. In 1997, she was appointed presiding judge of the Family Division of the Wayne Circuit Court by the Supreme Court. In 1999 she was also appointed the presiding judge of Family Division – Juvenile Division.
Judge Kelly served two terms as president of the Michigan Association of Municipal Judges and served on the board of directors of the Michigan District Judges Association. She also serves on the Rules and Family Law committees of the Michigan Judges Association.
Judge Kelly’s civic activities include being on the KIDS-Talk Advisory Committee and Chancellor of the Detroit Bar Association Inns of Court. Judge Kelly and her husband, William Kelly, have three children.
Hon. Elizabeth L. Gleicher – 2023
Judge Gleicher was appointed to the Court in 2007. Previously, she was an attorney in private practice for twenty-seven years. She began her career at Goodman, Eden, Millender & Bedrosian in Detroit, and opened her own litigation practice in 1994. She is an elected Fellow of the International Society of Barristers (2004) and the American College of Trial Lawyers (2005). She received the Respected Advocate Award from the Michigan Defense Trial Counsel in 2005 and the State Bar of Michigan Champion of Justice Award in 2001. Judge Gleicher has served on the faculty of the Institute for Continuing Legal Education and as an Adjunct Professor at Wayne State University Law School. She received her bachelor’s degree from Carleton College in Northfield, Minnesota, and her law degree from Wayne State University Law School.
Dana Warnez – 2022
By being one of the few female SBM Presidents the State has ever seen, Dana serves as an inspiration to female attorneys across the state.
A quote from Dana: “I hope we can look back on my year and say that we started some great things,” said the Macomb County probate attorney who took over in September as the 87th president of the 47,000-member organization. “If we just save one person’s life, it’s tremendous. Hopefully we help many people along the way.”
From a Legal News Article: Warnez recalled how difficult it was to deal with the 2008 death of her sister, Kim Cahill after a short battle with cancer. Cahill had served as SBM president in 2006-07. “I’ve lived it,” she said. “I lost my sister and law partner and it was rough trying to figure things out. It’s not an easy task. There are days you want to throw your hands up and give up but you can’t.”
Paula Talarico – 2021
Paula is a WLAM Past President of both the State and Wayne Region. She has also served on the board of the WLAM Foundation since 1998 and been treasurer since 2008. During her 20+-year tenure on the Foundation’s board, Paula has been an integral part of raising funds to award more than $500 million to more than 250 outstanding female law students. Paula was WLAM President during a tumultuous time for women–shortly after Clarence Thomas’s confirmation. During her term, Paula worked on retaining membership and also publicly supported the Attorney Grievance Commission’s decision to take action against an attorney who sexually harassed an intern. Sex harassment not being something the Grievance Commission previously investigated.
Jennifer Grieco – 2020
Jennifer M. Grieco is the Immediate Past President of the State Bar of Michigan, having served as President from 2018-2019. She concentrates her practice in the area of complex commercial litigation. Her experience encompasses a broad range of commercial disputes with a particular emphasis on business tort claims including professional malpractice, contract claims, construction litigation and coverage claims.
Jennifer has more than 20 years of trial experience and has been awarded multiple high-profile verdicts and arbitration awards. She has also been granted summary judgment/disposition on numerous occasions in favor of her clients as both the plaintiff and the defendant.
Jennifer is a 1993 graduate of the University of Toledo and a 1997 cum laude and order of the coif graduate of the University of Toledo, College of Law, where she served as Note and Comment Editor of the University of Toledo Law Review.
Debra A. Freid – 2019
Debra A. Freid is a managing partner of Freid, Gallagher, Taylor & Associates, P.C., a state-wide practice based in Saginaw. Her specialization includes all types of employment discharge and discrimination cases, civil rights claims and serious personal injury litigation. Ms. Freid is currently the President of the Michigan Association for Justice and a member of the American Association for Justice and the Women Lawyers Association of Michigan. She is a member of the National Employment Lawyers Association, the Michigan State Bar Labor & Employment Law and Negligence Sections, and the Saginaw County Bar Association. Ms. Freid is an Associate member to the American Board of Trial Attorneys and has been recognized by National Trial Lawyers of America as one of the “Top 100 Trial Lawyers” since 2015, and as a recipient of Lawyers’ Weekly Women in the Law award in 2017, and as a 2019 Michigan Super Lawyer. Freid earned her B.A. at Wayne State University and her J.D., cum laude, at Wayne State University Law School in 1981.
Julie I. Fershtman – 2018
Julie I. Fershtman is a Shareholder in the Southfield, Michigan, office of Foster, Swift, Collins & Smith, PC, where her practice focuses on insurance defense, commercial litigation, insurance coverage, and equine law.
Julie was the 2011-2012 President of State Bar of Michigan (only the 5th woman). More recently, in 2015-2016, she co-chaired the State Bar’s “21st Century Practice Task Force,” which examined issues facing the legal profession and offered recommendations to protect the public and support lawyers in the face of a rapidly changing profession. She currently serves on the board of trustees of the Michigan State Bar Foundation and the Board of Directors of the Michigan Supreme Court Historical Society.
She has tried cases before juries in 4 states and has been admitted pro hac vice counsel in state and federal courts in 17 jurisdictions. She is listed in The Best Lawyers in America for Commercial Litigation and Insurance Law.
A frequent speaker, her speaking engagements span 29 states, primarily on topics of liability, insurance, and risk management. She writes frequently and is the author of 2 books and a contributor to 5 books published by the ABA. She has written more than 400 published articles and is an active blogger.
She graduated from Emory College in 1983 and Emory Law School in 1986. Julie and her husband, Robert Bick, live in Franklin. Their daughter, Katie, is a Junior in college.
Alice B. Jennings – 2017
Alice B. Jennings is a partner in the law firm of Edwards & Jennings, P.C. Ms. Jennings attended Michigan State University (MSU). She graduated in 1971 with a B.A. in Social Work.
Ms. Jennings also performed work on her Masters in Social Work at MSU. Ms. Jennings attended Wayne State University Law School, after working for the Detroit Board of Education as a teacher and social worker for several years.
Ms. Jennings was a founding member of the Black Women’s Lawyers Association. She is a member of the National Bar Association, the Wolverine Bar Association, the Michigan Trial Lawyers Association, the American Trial Lawyers Association and Trial Lawyers for Public Justice.
In 1978, Ms. Jennings received her J.D. and passed the Michigan state bar examination. After graduating from law school, Ms. Jennings served her legal apprenticeship with the Michigan law firm of Philo, Atkinson, Darling, Steinberg, Harper and Edwards. After a few years, Ms Jennings became a partner with the Philo firm. In 1982, Alice B. Jennings, with her partner, Carl R. Edwards, established the law firm of Edwards & Jennings, P.C. From 1996 to 1998, Ms. Jennings was the Chairperson of the Civil Liberties Section of the Michigan State Bar Association.
Since 2012, Ms. Jennings has been a Board member of the James and Grace Lee Boggs School. The school focuses on “place based” community education.
Ms. Jennings has focused her most recent practice on employment/labor law, civil rights, and whistleblower cases. In addition, she is involved in personal injury cases and cases involving environmental justice. As part of her philosophy to expand social justice, Ms. Jennings has mentored hundreds of law clerks, lawyers and community activists.
Deborah L. Gordon – 2016
Deborah L. Gordon is a trial lawyer specializing in the areas of discrimination and civil rights since 1977. She served as an Assistant Attorney General for the State of Michigan in the Civil Rights and Civil Liberties Division and a Senior Trial Lawyer for the EEOC. She has been a Cooperating Attorney for the ACLU since 1982, and, in that role, won, among other cases, a precedent setting case blocking “drunk driving roadblocks” in the State of Michigan. Ms. Gordon has won over 50 jury trials on behalf of plaintiffs in discrimination and civil rights cases. She is former chairperson of the Labor and Employment Law Section of the State of Bar of Michigan, and is a member of the American College of Trial Lawyers, the Women Lawyers Association of Michigan, the Michigan Association for Justice (MAJ), the Detroit Metropolitan Bar Association, and the Federal Bar Association (FBA). She has been listed in “The Best Lawyers in America” (employment and labor law) since 1987 and is a frequent lecturer and author.
Carole Chiamp – 2015
Carole Chiamp has practiced law since 1974 and is the principal in the firm Chiamp & Associates, P.C., a general practice law firm with an emphasis on divorce litigation. Ms. Chiamp has also served as a mediator and arbitrator since 1975. She is a graduate of the Detroit College of Law, and has been honored with awards ranging from Best Lawyers in America, DBusiness Top Lawyer, Distinguished Alumni Award from Detroit College of Law at Michigan State University and a Champion of Justice Award Recipient from the State Bar of Michigan, to name just a few. Ms. Chaimp has helped shape the family law and works tirelessly to ensure that voices of women and children are represented both inside and outside the courtroom. Ms. Chaimp is a columnist for the Michigan Family Law Journal, a faculty member of the Annual Family Law Institute, and has written several important articles including Trial Preparation for Family Law and Tort Remedies for Domestic Abuse: An Underused Avenue of Relief. Ms. Chaimp has given a voice to survivors of domestic violence before many had the courage to speak.
Carole’s dedication is not limited to women in the legal profession. She volunteers her services at the Detroit Public Schools, she is a lifetime member of NAACP, and she serves on the Board of the Citizens for Better Care, an independent non-profit consumer advocacy and information agency for residents of long-term care and their support people. Services include regional ombudsman services in nursing homes, adult foster care, homes for the aged, family council development, family support services, elder abuse education, state and federal legislative and policy advocate, and participation in consumer coalitions. Carole also finds to the time to serve on numerous professional associations and boards, including the Michigan Judicial Tenure Commission, Michigan Civil Rights Commission, 21st Century Commission on the Courts, Task Force on Child Support and Alimony Awards, and is a Past President of the Detroit Bar Association.
Dawn Van Hoek – 2014
Dawn Van Hoek is Director of the State Appellate Defender Office, Michigan’s only state-funded public defense agency. Twice recognized by Michigan Lawyers Weekly as one of the state’s most influential lawyers, Ms. Van Hoek has chaired the State Bar’s Representative Assembly, Attorney Discipline Board hearing panels, and co-chaired the Bar’s Task Force on Racial, Ethnic and Gender Issues in the Courts and Legal Profession. She has served as President of the Women Lawyers Association of Michigan Foundation since 1997, leading a scholarship program that has awarded nearly $500,000 to 210 outstanding women law students. Ms. Van Hoek is a past president of the statewide Women Lawyers Association of Michigan and also has served as the President of the Wayne Region Women Lawyers Association of Michigan.
A recipient of the 2013 Metro Detroit ACLU’s Bill of Rights Award, Ms. Van Hoek was honored in 2014 with the WLAM Foundation’s Legacy Award. She currently serves on the boards of the Michigan Campaign for Justice, the Criminal Defense Attorneys of Michigan, and Wayne County’s Criminal Advocacy Program. Her community service includes serving as a mentor in the Just the Beginning Program, linking college-bound students with practicing lawyers.
Hon. Sara Smolenski – 2013
Judge Smolenski began her legal career in 1983 as an Assistant City Attorney for the City of Grand Rapids. She joined the firm of Smith Haughey Rice & Roegge, where she practiced until her election to the 63rd District Court bench in 1990. She has ably served as 63rd District Court Judge for the last 22 years; she was appointed Chief Judge of that court in 1996 by the Michigan Supreme Court. Judge Smolenski’s contributions to organizations supporting women and children are impressive. Her resume details service on many Boards of Directors, including the YWCA, the American Cancer Society, the Kent County Literacy Council and St. John’s Home for Children. She was the coach (and star player) for the women’s team in the first WLAM Western Region Women Lawyers vs. Judges Charity Softball Game, and she now serves as the coach (and, still, star player) for the judges’ team.
Lorraine Weber – 2012
Lorraine Weber is the daughter and granddaughter of lawyers. An honors graduate of the University of Michigan and Boston College of Law, she joined Wayne County Probate Court in 1979, where she served as Probate Division Attorney, Juvenile and Probate Register and Court Administrator. She left the Court to serve as Project Director for the Michigan Supreme Court Task Forces on Gender and Racial/Ethnic Issues in the Courts. Two landmark reports were issued from the Task Forces outlining recommendations for improving fairness and eliminating bias in Michigan’s legal system.
Ms. Weber has served as special advisor to the State Bar of Michigan Task Force on Racial/Ethnic and Gender Issues in the Courts and the Legal Profession and Director of the State Bar of Michigan Open Justice Commission. She helped to develop programs aimed at eliminating all forms of bias in the legal profession and promoting fairness in the courts. She is a founding member and former Board member of the National Consortium on Racial and Ethnic Fairness Issues in the Courts. She received the Consortium’s Founders Award in 1999.
Ms. Weber currently serves as Executive Director of the Detroit Metropolitan Bar Association Foundation, working with law firms, courts and community organizations to improve the quality of justice through education, dialogue, and community activities. The Foundation supports a diverse mix of programming, including the Detroit Legal Services Clinic, the For the Seventh Generation program and the Cooley Pro Bono Mentor program, among others.
Ms. Weber is an adjunct Professor at the Thomas M. Cooley Law School. In 2003, she received the Community Service Pride Award from the Triangle Foundation. She is an ordained minister involved in a spiritual support groups for young girls and women. Since 2005, Ms. Weber has been the assigned mentor for the young women attorneys nominated to participate in the nationally recognized Mentium program and sponsored by the WLAM Foundation.
Jennifer Salvatore – 2011
Kathy Bogas – 2010
Hon. Melinda Morris – 2009
Deborah LaBelle – 2008
Kim Cahill – 2007
Mary S. Coleman Award
First Woman Justice of the Michigan Supreme Court
Presented in recognition of significant contributions as a judiciary role model for women in the legal profession and in society.
2026 Recipient – Hon. Brandy R. McMillion
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The Honorable Brandy R. McMillion currently serves as a United States District Court Judge for the Eastern District of Michigan, sitting in Detroit, Michigan. She was appointed to the bench by President Joseph R. Biden, Jr. on November 13, 2023.
Judge McMillion attended the University of Michigan College of Engineering, where she received her B.S.E. and M.S.E. degrees in Industrial and Operations Engineering in 2001 and 2002. She earned her law degree with honors and a pro bono distinction from The George Washington University Law School in 2006.
Prior to her appointment to the bench, she served as an Assistant United States Attorney in the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Michigan from 2015 to 2023, where she was the Chief of General Crimes and was also the Opioid Fraud Abuse and Detection AUSA. Prior to transitioning her career into public service, Judge McMillion worked as a commercial litigator for several large law firms in Chicago and Detroit. She has always been committed to public and legal service. Her commitment to giving back led her to previously serve in numerous pro bono capacities as a practicing attorney. One of her most meaningful pro bono positions was as a Court Appointed Special Advocate (CASA) advocating for the rights of abuse and neglected children in the foster care system. Her desire to protect the rights of others has also led to her selection as a Michigan State Bar Foundation Fellow, supporting programs that ensure justice is administered fairly in the civil justice system.
In her spare time, Brandy enjoys supporting the Michigan Wolverines, actively participating in her children’s academic and extracurricular activities, volunteering, and influencing the lives of those in her community. She is an active member of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc. and has served on the boards of local non-profits dedicated to lifting women and children out of poverty. Judge McMillion serves as the President of the Parent Teacher Organization for her children’s elementary school. She also a member of the Federal Bar Association and the Wolverine Bar Association.
Judge McMillion resides in Metro-Detroit with her husband, daughter, and two sons.
Past Recipients
Hon. Tracey A. Yokich – 2025
Judge Tracey A. Yokich was appointed to the Macomb County Probate Court by Governor Jennifer M. Granholm on July 1, 2003 and was elected to the 16th Judicial Circuit Court for the County of Macomb in 2004. She is a 1982 graduate of James Madison College at Michigan State University and received her Juris Doctorate from the University of Detroit School of Law in 1985. Judge Yokich subsequently clerked for the Hon. George Clifton Edwards, Jr. in the United States Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit in Cincinnati, OH.
Judge Yokich returned to Michigan and served as a Macomb County Assistant Prosecuting Attorney, from 1986 to 1989, Macomb County Assistant Corporation Counsel from 1989 to 1990. She returned to the Office of the Prosecuting Attorney in 1997.
She has also served three terms in the Michigan House of Representatives representing the citizens of Eastpointe, St. Clair Shores, Lake Township and Harrison Township from 1991-1996. During her tenure in the Michigan House of Representatives, Judge Yokich served on the Appropriations Committee, Judiciary Committee, Public Health Committee, and the Conservation, Environment, and Great Lakes Committee.
Judge Yokich is a Michigan State Bar Foundation Fellow, an active member of the Women Lawyers of Michigan – Macomb and a Past President of the Michigan Judges Association. She is a member of the Selfridge Base Community Council, the Michigan Air Guard Historical Association and served in the Michigan Air National Guard from 1995-2006.
Hon. Mariam Saad Bazzi – 2024
Judge Mariam Saad Bazzi has served on the Third Circuit Court since 2017 where she currently serves in the Criminal Division. In addition to her regular duties, she oversees a Mental Health Court docket, she has served on the Court’s Executive Committee, and served on the Court’s Strategic Planning Team. She is currently the Judicial Sponsor of the Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Committee for the Court. She also was appointed by the Michigan Supreme Court to serve on the Michigan Continuing Judicial Education Board. She has presented at judicial conferences and seminars both locally and internationally covering topics including felony criminal sentencings, domestic violence, conflict of interest rules for the judiciary, and diversity and inclusion initiatives for the court.
She previously served as an Assistant Wayne County Prosecuting Attorney prior to her appointment to the bench. During her service at the Wayne County Prosecutor’s Office, she prosecuted thousands of criminal cases including violent crimes, drug cases, financial crimes and other complex, and high-profile cases. Prior to leaving that office for the bench, she was the Lead Attorney in charge of the Mortgage and Deed Fraud Task Force in Wayne County.
Judge Bazzi has been active in many community and civic organizations. She currently serves as President of the Leaders Advancing and Helping Communities (LAHC) Board. Prior to her judicial appointment, she was elected to the Dearborn Board of Education and Henry Ford College Board of Trustees where she chaired both boards. She also previously served on Michigan’s Middle Eastern Affairs Commission, Michigan’s Environmental Justice Work Group, and as the President of the Arab American Political Action Committee.
Judge Bazzi holds a J.D. from Wayne State University Law School and a B.S. in Political Science from the University of Michigan-Dearborn. She is married to Abdul Bazzi and together, they have three children.
Hon. Carla G. Testani – 2023
Hon. Carla G. Testani has served in the Family-Domestic Division of the 3rd Circuit Court of Michigan since 2018. After receiving a Bachelor’s of Science at the University of Michigan- Dearborn, she graduated from Wayne State University Law School. In law school, she represented indigent residents of Wayne County as a litigation supervisor in Wayne State’s Free Legal Aid Clinic. For two decades before joining the bench, she concentrated her private practice in the area of matrimonial law, and spent a significant amount of time as both a mediator/arbitrator and collaborative practitioner.
Judge Testani currently serves on the SBM Family Law Council and the Michigan Judges Association Executive Board. She also serves the legal community through presentations for continuing legal educational programs specifically addressing family law, procedural law, and best practices. Judge Testani promotes the judicial system by volunteering in local schools and public speaking to various community organizations. She lives in Northville with her husband and three children.
Hon. Allie Greenleaf Maldonado – 2022
The Honorable Allie Greenleaf Maldonado is the Chief Judge of the Little Traverse Bay Bands of Odawa Indians (LTBB) and also a citizen of the tribe. Judge Maldonado has served the LTBB as a judge since 2002.
Prior to becoming a judge, she successfully litigated the first case in which the Michigan Court of Appeals overturned the termination of parental rights due to a failure by the state to follow the Indian Child Welfare Act (ICWA). Over the course of her career, Judge Maldonado’s efforts in helping to bring Michigan and other states into compliance with ICWA resulted in numerous accolades, including the Unsung Hero Award from the State Bar of Michigan, the Woman of the Year designation from Michigan Lawyers Weekly, and the Michiganian of the Year award from The Detroit News. She also was honored in 2016 as a Woman Inspiring Change by Harvard Law School, a title she shared with U.S. Supreme Court Justice Sonia Sotomayor and Senator Elizabeth Warren, among others.
Judge Maldonado continues to work tirelessly on various initiatives in the community including (but not limited to) the Michigan Association of Drug Court Professionals, Tribal State Federal Judicial Forum, Northern Community Mediation, Grain Train Food Cooperative, Federal Bar Association, and Native American Bar Association. WLAM and the surrounding legal community is so fortunate to have Judge Maldonado as a leader.
Hon. Michelle Rick – 2021
Judge Rick is an example of boots on the ground dedication to the advancement of women and providing access to those disadvantaged to the judicial system. In 2019, Judge Rick coordinated “Project Access”, a traveling expungement clinic that brought law students, pro bono attorneys, lawyers, judges, law enforcement, and court staff together to help people navigate the complicated expungement process. Project Access served 10 communities in mid and northern lower Michigan. Also in 2019, Judge Rick was one of twenty judges in the state to receive the Michigan Supreme Court’s “Judge Who Gives Back” award.
Most recently, Judge Rick served as a judicial advisor to the Jail and Pretrial Incarceration Task Force, which has proposed sweeping criminal justice reforms. She was also instrumental in developing solutions within the community, including a women’s drug treatment court and a high-risk felony court. She has also served as a mentor to many young women throughout her career, and has been a consistent speaker to educate the public and the courts about Human Trafficking. Judge Rick has used her position in the community and on the bench to better the greater community.
Prior to being elected to the Michigan Court of Appeals, Judge Rick served as a Circuit Court Judge for the 29th Circuit Court, an Assistant Prosecutor, and an Assistant State Attorney General.
Chief Justice Bridget Mary McCormack – 2020
Chief Justice Bridget Mary McCormack joined the Michigan Supreme Court in January 2013, and became Chief Justice in January 2019.
Before her election to the Court in November 2012, she was a law professor and dean at the University of Michigan Law School. Since joining the Court, Chief Justice McCormack continues to teach at the Law School.
Chief Justice McCormack is a graduate of the New York University Law School, where she was a Root-Tilden scholar and won the Anne Petluck Poses Prize in Clinical Advocacy. She spent the first five years of her legal career in New York, first with the Legal Aid Society and then at the Office of the Appellate Defender. In 1996, she became a faculty fellow at the Yale Law School.
Hon. Kathleen Ryan – 2019
Judge Ryan was elected to the Oakland County Probate Court bench in 2010 and was appointed Chief Judge in January of 2018. She is a graduate of the University of Notre Dame and University of Detroit-Mercy School of Law. Prior to taking the bench, Judge Ryan was partner at her law firm working as a private practitioner specializing primarily in probate and family litigation.
Judge Ryan is an active member of the State Bar of Michigan, the Oakland County Bar Association and the Michigan Probate Judges Association. Judge Ryan holds memberships in the Incorporated Society of Irish American Lawyers, the Michigan Irish American Chamber of Commerce, the Women’s Official Network, the Women’s Lawyers Association of Michigan, and the Michigan Inter Professional Association. She is also the Vice Chair of the SAVE Task Force (Serving Adults who are Vulnerable and/or Elderly).
Hon. Denise Langford Morris – 2018
Judge Langford Morris has been on the Oakland County Circuit Court bench since 1992, becoming the first African American judge on the court. She is currently the “dean of the bench,” which means she is the longest-serving member of her bench, and she is the first female and African American “dean.”
Before taking the bench, she was the first African American trial lawyer to work for Oakland County Prosecutor L. Brooks Patterson, and also served as an assistant US attorney and spent some time in private practice. Judge Langford Morris earned her bachelor’s and master’s degrees from Wayne State and her JD from Detroit Mercy Law, all while raising her daughter. Before and during law school, she was a social worker with the Michigan Department of Social Services, working on behalf of abused and neglected children and the elderly.
She helped form the D. Augustus Straker Bar Association, an organization formed to promote legal practice opportunities for minorities and women. She is the past chair of the National Bar Association Judicial Council and a past president of the Association of Black Judges of Michigan, and has served on numerous boards, including HAVEN, the Oakland Livingston Human Services Agency, and the Child and Abuse Neglect Council.
She currently serves on the board of the Michigan Supreme Court Historical Society, the Salvation Army’s William Booth Legal Aid Clinic, and the Women Lawyers Association of Michigan. She is also on the University of Detroit Mercy Board of Trustees and chairs its Academic Affairs Committee. She has received numerous honors and awards, including the Oakland County Bar Association’s Professionalism Award, the State Bar of Michigan Champion of Justice Award, and the Black Women Lawyers Torchbearers of Justice Award. In 2006, the Detroit Mercy Black Law Students Association began awarding the Annual 1L Denise Langford Morris Scholarship. She is the 2017 UDM Law School Alumna of the year.
Hon. Jennifer M. Faunce – 2017
Judge Jennifer M. Faunce was elected to office and began serving her first term January 1, 2003 at the court for Warren and Centerline.
Prior to her terms on the bench, Judge Faunce served as State Representative for Warren and Sterling Heights for four years. During her time at the state house she chaired the Committee on Criminal Justice. One of the most important laws she passed was bill that cleared the way for GM to invest $1 billion into the Tech Center. Before her election to the state house, Judge Faunce served as an assistant Macomb County Prosecutor for seven years.
Judge Faunce has continuously given her time to charity throughout her community. In 2001 she was recognized for her work as the recipient of the March of Dimes Macomb Alexander Citizen of the Year. She served as chairman of the board for the Hemophilia Foundation of Michigan and is active with Families Exploring Down Syndrome (FEDS).
Judge Faunce was born and raised in Warren. She received her bachelor’s degree from Michigan State University and her law degree from the University of Detroit School of Law. Judge Faunce and her family are members of St. Martin de Porres Church in Warren. She and her husband live in Warren with their two children.
Hon. Denise Page Hood – 2016
The Honorable Denise Page Hood was confirmed as a District Judge of the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Michigan in 1994 and became Chief Judge of the Court on January 1, 2016. Judge Hood presides over criminal and civil matters, including the Dow Corning bankruptcy/breast implant case involving the $3.1 billion Settlement Facility-Dow Corning Trust, where in excess of 145,000 claims have been filed.
She is an active member of several professional organizations: Immediate Past Co-Chair of the Michigan State Planning Body for legal services; the State Bar Pro Bono Initiatives Committee; and the Detroit Metropolitan Bar Association Foundation Board. She is past president of the Detroit Bar Association and the Association of Black Judges of Michigan.
Honors recently received include: the 2016 Damon J. Keith Soul and Spirit Humanitarian Award; the D. Augustus Straker Bar Association’s 2014 Trailblazer Award; the Olivet College 2009 Leadership in Individual & Social Responsibility Award; the 2008 “Powerful Woman of Purpose” Award presented by the Rhonda Walker Foundation; the Michigan Women’s Foundation’s 2008 Women of Achievement and Courage Award; and the 2008 Thurgood Marshall College Fund’s Award of Excellence; the 2005 Michigan Anti-Defamation League’s Women of Achievement Award; and the Damon J. Keith Community Spirit Award in 2000.
Judge Hood is a graduate of Yale University and the Columbia University School of Law.
Hon. Marianne O. Battani – 2015
The Honorable Marianne O. Battani was nominated to the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Michigan by President William Clinton in June, 1999 and confirmed by the Senate in May, 2000. Prior to her appointment to the federal bench, she served as a state circuit court judge in Wayne County, Michigan, since 1982. Judge Battani has participated in numerous legal, educational, and charitable organizations. She is a former Commissioner of the State Bar of Michigan, Past President of the Women’s Lawyer’s Association of Michigan, past Chair of Michigan’s Judicial Tenure Commission, and Trustee Emeritus of the Michigan State University College of Law. Judge Battani graduated in 1972 cum laude from the Detroit College of Law.
Hon. Kirsten Frank Kelly – 2014
Court of Appeals Judge Kirsten Frank Kelly graduated from Michigan State University with a Bachelor of Arts degree in 1978, and from the University of Detroit School of Law with a Juris Doctor degree in 1981. She joined the Detroit law firm of Durant and Durant, where she practiced civil litigation, and became a partner in the firm in 1987. In 1987, she was elected to the Grosse Pointe Park Municipal Court, and she was twice reelected to that position. After taking time off in 1991 following the birth of her third child, Judge Kelly formed another law firm and practiced both civil and criminal law. In 1994, she was appointed to the Wayne Circuit Court by Governor John Engler.
In 1997, Chief Justice Conrad Mallett appointed her presiding judge of the Family Division of the Wayne Circuit Court. In 1999, she was appointed as the presiding judge of the juvenile division of the Wayne Circuit Court. Judge Kelly was elected to the Court of Appeals in 2000. She is the chairman of the Court of Appeals Quality Review committee and serves on the Rules committee as well. She is a frequent speaker for the ICLE Family Law Seminars.
Judge Kelly has served two terms as President of the Michigan Association of Municipal Judges, served on the board of directors of the Michigan District Judges Association, and has been a hearing panel Vice Chairman for the Attorney Grievance Commission. She has been a volunteer with the Legal Alternatives for Women Program, supervising and instructing attorneys and lay volunteers in the proper application and implementation of domestic violence law. Judge Kelly serves on the Board of the Women Lawyers Association of Michigan. Judge Kelly’s civic activities include being an advisory board member for KIDS-Talk, a member of Leadership Detroit XVII, a charter member of the Grosse Pointe Sunrise Rotary, a board member of the National Kidney Foundation of Michigan and a current board member of the Detroit Executive Leadership Committee for the Kidney Foundation.
Justice Marilyn Kelly – 2013
Justice Marilyn Kelly recently retired from the Supreme Court after 24 years as a judge. She was Chief Justice from 2009-2011. In 2010, she and James L. Ryan, senior judge of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 6th Circuit, established the Michigan Judicial Selection Task Force. Their bipartisan reforms to Michigan’s method of selecting judges were praised by the Detroit Free Press as an “indispensable first step toward reform of a broken status quo that is undermining public confidence in the courts.”
Justice Kelly credits her advancement in the legal profession to her experience in the Women Lawyers Association of Michigan. “I was elected to the bench immediately after serving as President of the Women’s Bar Association and WLAM. There’s no question in my mind that what I learned working in those organizations was essential to my later success.”
A Michigan native, Justice Kelly grew up in Detroit. She earned her undergraduate degree from Eastern Michigan University, followed by graduate study at LaSorbonne at the University of Paris and at Middlebury College in Vermont, where she earned her master’s degree. She is an honors graduate of Wayne State University Law School.
Michigan Lawyers Weekly named her “Women Lawyer of the Year” in 2012. She received in that same year lifetime achievement awards from the Michigan Chapter of the American Civil Liberties Union, the Appellate Practice Section of the State Bar of Michigan, the Michigan Chapter of the American Constitution Society, the Michigan Defense Trial Counsel, and the Detroit and Michigan Chapter of the National Lawyers Guild.
A well-known advocate for access to justice, Justice Kelly co-chaired the State Bar’s Open Justice Commission and is on the board of the National Consortium for Racial and Ethnic Fairness in the Courts. Justice Kelly is currently a Distinguished Jurist in Residence at Wayne State University Law School where she has established a scholarship for students interested in public service law.
Hon. Susan M. Moiseev – 2012
Chief Judge of the 46th District Court, the Honorable Susan M. Moiseev first took the bench in 1986 and has been re-elected by the voters of the 46th district four times. A longtime Southfield resident, over the years Judge Moiseev has been involved in a wide range of community activities. Among the organizations and causes she has supported are Relay for Life, the American Heart Association Walk, Battle of the Books, Southfield Community Foundation Women’s Fund, Special Olympics and the Law Enforcement Torch Relay for Special Olympics, DARE (Drug Abuse Resistance Education), and Friends of the Southfield Library and others. Currently, she serves on the boards of the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation and the Aging Services Committee of Jewish Senior Life.
In addition to her activities in the community Judge Moiseev has also been actively involved in legal organizations on the local, state and national level. In 2009 she served as President of the Michigan District Judges Association. She represents the State Bar of Michigan in the American Bar Association House of Delegates.
Geraldine Bledsoe Ford Award
First Black Women Elected to a U.S. Judgeship as a Non-incumbent
This annual WLAM award is intended to recognize individuals and organizations, including those outside of the legal profession, who support the advancement of women and minorities and have shown a commitment to promoting diversity and inclusion for all people.
2026 Recipient – Zenna Elhasan
Read Bio
Zenna Elhasan serves as General Counsel and Board Secretary at The Kresge Foundation, where she oversees the foundation’s legal affairs, supports the development and enforcement of institutional policies, advises the board on governance matters, and manages relationships with outside counsel. She joined Kresge in 2018, bringing a deep commitment to public service and equity in the legal profession.
Prior to joining Kresge, Zenna served as Corporation Counsel for Wayne County, Michigan, where she led legal strategy across commercial litigation, federal civil rights compliance, labor and employment law, and real estate and tax matters. She played a key role in major restructuring efforts, including the Wayne County criminal justice project, the county’s consent agreement with the State of Michigan, and the transfer of its major sewer systems.
Earlier in her career, Zenna served as a judicial magistrate and director of probation for the 20th District Court in Dearborn Heights, Michigan. She was also a partner at Allen Brothers, where she acted as assistant city attorney for both Hamtramck and Dearborn Heights from 2005 to 2011.
Zenna holds a bachelor’s degree in biology from the University of Michigan-Dearborn and a Juris Doctor from the University of Detroit Mercy School of Law. She is also an alumna of the Young American Leaders Program at Harvard Business School.
Her professional achievements have been widely recognized. She was named one of Crain’s Detroit Business Notable Women Lawyers in 2017 and Notables in Corporate Counsel in 2022 and honored by DBusiness magazine as Top Corporate Counsel in 2018 and 2019. In 2024, she was recognized as a MichBusiness Women in Leadership honoree, and in 2025, she received the Detroit Bar Association’s Frank Murphy Award for her outstanding contributions to the legal profession and the community.
Zenna is an active member of the State Bar of Michigan, the Detroit Bar Association Foundation, and the Michigan Muslim Bar Association. She was appointed by the Governor of Michigan to the Michigan Civil Rights Commission in 2020 and reappointed in 2024.
Recipients
Shirley A. Kaigler – 2025
Shirley is a partner in Taft’s Private Client practice group. She concentrates her practice in the areas of probate and trust administration, probate litigation, estate, trust, charitable gift, tax, retirement and business succession planning. She also has experience in elder law, guardianship and conservatorship matters, and health care proxy and special needs issues. Her clients are business owners, professionals in solo and group practices, corporate executives, educators, retirees, and individuals with special needs. Shirley has fostered positive working relationships with major financial institutions in order to coordinate and implement her clients’ tax, estate, and financial plans and is dedicated to ensuring that her clients’ wishes and wealth are safely preserved.
Hon. Cynthia Stephens (Ret.) – 2024
Hon. Cynthia Stephens (Ret.) is a mediator and arbitrator with decades of appellate, commercial litigation, and civil rights experience. She was appointed to the Michigan Court of Appeals in 2008 and served on the bench until 2022. Before her appointment to the Court of Appeals she served as a Judge for the Third Circuit Court and the 36th District Court. Judge Stephens has been admitted to practice in Georgia, Texas, and Michigan.
Prior to her election to the district court, she served as Vice-Chair of the Wayne County Charter Commission, Associate General Counsel to the Michigan Senate, Regional Director for the National Conference of Black Lawyers-Atlanta office, and consultant to the National League of Cities Veterans Discharge Upgrade Project.
As an active member of several local professional associations and organizations, Judge Stephens served as Commissioner of the State Bar of Michigan for 16 years. During her tenure as Commissioner, she chaired its Justice Initiatives Committee, Communications Committee, and Children’s Task Force. Additionally, she is a former chair of the Association of Black Judges of Michigan and a former member of the Executive Board of the National Bar Association and its Judicial Council. She is the current co-chair of the Diversity Equity and Inclusion Commission.
Judge Stephens’ broad understanding of the judicial process has gained her notable recognition in the form of numerous awards and honors, including the State Bar of Michigan’s highest honor, the Roberts P. Hudson Award for her selfless, outstanding, and unique service to and on behalf of the State Bar, the legal profession, and the public.
In addition to her work as a judge, mediator, and arbitrator, Judge Stephens served as an adjunct professor at the University of Detroit Mercy Law School and as a faculty member at Wayne State University Law School and the Detroit College of Law. She teaches trial advocacy at Loyola Law School and Emory Law School.
Judge Stephens has served on numerous civic boards and commissions, including the Inner-City Business Improvement Forum, the Greater Detroit Area Health Care Council, and the Girl Scout Council of Metropolitan Detroit.
Betty Rankin Widgeon – 2023
Betty Rankin Widgeon is a past Chair of the State Bar of Michigan Alternative Dispute Resolution Section. In 2017, she was appointed to the Michigan Supreme Court Panel of Special Masters to preside over alleged judicial misconduct hearings. She is a former Chief Judge of the 14A District Court, Washtenaw County, MI. She is a member of the National Academy of Arbitrators and the National Academy of Distinguished Neutrals.
She holds her B.A. and MAEd Degree in Education from Wake Forest University and her J.D. from the University of Michigan. She arbitrates labor, employment, commercial, and consumer disputes and mediates for private firms and corporations. She is trained in videoconferencing and conducts hearings, mediations, fact-findings, and facilitations via virtual platforms. One of her focuses is assisting newer professionals in building their ADR practices.
Dean Jelani Jefferson Exum – 2022
Dean Jefferson Exum is the first African American Dean and the second female Dean of the University of Detroit Mercy Law and is a nationally recognized expert in sentencing law and procedure.
Dean Jefferson Exum joined the Detroit Mercy Law faculty as the Philip J. McElroy Professor of Law in 2019 and as Dean for the School of Law in 2021. Prior to joining the Detroit Mercy Law faculty, she was a Professor of Law and Associate Dean for Diversity and Inclusion at the University of Toledo College of Law, an associate professor at the University of Kansas School of Law, and a visiting associate professor at the University of Michigan Law School.
Dean Jefferson Exum is also a member of the Editorial Board of the Federal Sentencing Reporter, and her work has been featured on prominent sentencing blogs, such as Sentencing Law and Policy. She is dedicated to advancing anti-racism and equity in her role. She has stated in the past, “I’m committed to diversity, equity, and inclusion, but that means more than just maintaining our already-diverse student and employee body—it also means ensuring we’re supporting our students so we have an environment in which they can all thrive.”
From Judge Jefferson Exum, “In 2021 there will be 28 Black women law deans in the country. It’s a privilege for me to be a part of that number and to model for others what law leadership can look like, as so many of those women have done for me.”
Michelle Crockett – 2021
Michelle leads Miller Canfield’s hiring of all attorneys, recruitment, diversity & inclusion initiatives, mentoring programs, professional development and continuing education (CLE) initiatives.
She also specializes in defending Fortune 500 companies and public-sector clients, against a variety of employment-related claims. In her role as a traditional labor attorney she serves as chief negotiator and/or as a member of negotiating teams in the collective bargaining arena and gives advice and counsel on all matters related to the application of the anti-affirmative action amendment adopted by Michigan voters in 2007.
Attorney General Dana Nessel – 2020
A former criminal prosecutor and civil rights attorney, Dana Nessel was sworn in as Michigan’s 54th Attorney General on January 1, 2019. Her core initiatives have been fashioned in the image of her promise to Michigan’s residents — to give the Department of Attorney General back to the people that it serves. Attorney General Nessel’s consumer protection divisions have taken a lead role in fighting against companies that try to take advantage of Michigan consumers, whether it be through unfair utility rate increases or unscrupulous business practices. She launched the Department’s Auto Insurance Fraud Unit to investigate and prosecute individuals and businesses that exploit Michigan residents and the system designed to protect the safety of Michigan’s drivers. And, she established the office’s first Payroll Fraud Enforcement Unit to crackdown on individuals and businesses who try to cheat Michigan’s workers out of their pay and retirement benefits.
Since taking office, Attorney General Nessel has been a champion of the state’s most important resource – its Great Lakes. Her environmental protection division is actively fighting to ensure clean air, water and energy for Michigan’s residents so that our most valuable assets are preserved for generations to come. She has also joined the battle to combat the largest public health crisis in the nation – prescription drug addiction — and to stem the tide of Michigan’s biggest environmental crisis in decades – PFAS contamination.
Zenell Brown – 2019
As a Court Administrator, Zenell is a team builder, leader, and organizational strategist committed to excellence in public service. She currently serves as the Executive Court Administrator for the Third Circuit Court, the largest Michigan trial court and among the big 10 in the nation. The Third Circuit Court proudly points to its many successful strategic projects and high public satisfaction rating as evidence that its Court leadership is moving in the right direction.
Zenell has garnered respect for her ethical leadership and innovation. She has built her approach on three pillars: communication, leadership responsibility and accountability, and diversity and inclusion. She has shared her “Justice for All” leadership and organizational wisdom at local, state, and national level conferences for court managers and teams. She is a versatile presenter and brings an eclectic mix of tools to share, blending best practices and lessons learned conversations, and lectures with vision boarding exercises and coaching.
A self-professed lifelong learner, Zenell continues to add to her current credentials of Juris Doctor (Wayne State University Law School), Public Service Administration Graduate Certificate (Central Michigan University), Court Administration Certificate (Michigan State University), and Certified Diversity Professional (National Diversity Council-DiversityFirst).
She currently serves on Michigan State Bar’s Alternative Dispute Resolution Committee and the Diversity and Inclusion Advisory Committee, the Michigan Diversity and Inclusion Council Board, as an Associate Member on the National Association of Women Judges’ Face of Justice Committee, and many other professional and civic memberships.
Her pastimes include blogging, mentoring, and sharing positive affirmations and quotes. She is a mom, wife, and great daughter.
Hon. Theresa Doss – 2018
Theresa Doss, retired Judge of the 36th District Court for the City of Detroit, is an honor graduate of Ohio University. She graduated from The Ohio State University College of Law in 1964. Her class at The Ohio State University College of Law consisted of only three women, with her being the only black graduate. She was admitted to practice in the courts of Ohio in 1964 and since 1966, has been admitted to practice in Michigan. In 1975, Judge Doss was admitted to practice before the United States Supreme Court. She received a Masters of Arts in history from Wayne State University in 2000.
On January 19, 1976, Governor William G. Milliken appointed her to the Common Pleas Court for the City of Detroit making her the first African- American woman appointed to a judgeship and the second African- American woman to sit on a trial bench in Michigan. She became a 36th District Court Judge upon its creation on September 1, 1981.
She served as Chief Judge of her court and served on the State Judicial Council. In 1990, the Chief Justice of the Michigan Supreme Court selected Judge Doss to serve on the Commission on the Courts in the Twenty First Century. She was elected three times by her peers in statewide elections to the Michigan Judicial Tenure Commission. During her last year, she served as its vice-chairperson.
Judge Doss is active in community affairs. She is a life member of the NAACP and the National Council of Negro Women and former member of the boards of directors of the Michigan Metro Girl Scouts Council and the Neighborhood Service Organization. She is active in her sorority, Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc., and is an active member of Tabernacle Missionary Baptist Church. In addition, Judge Doss and her family established the Doss Wahls Foundation, a private foundation that awards scholarships to diverse college seniors.
Regional Leadership Awards
These awards are presented in recognition and celebration of professionalism, excellence and dedication to furthering the objectives of WLAM.
2026 Recipients
Laura Helderop (Western)
Lindsey LaForest (Wayne)
Natasha Rao (Oakland)
Becca Zarras (Wayne)
Past Recipients
2025 Honorees
Jacqueline August (Oakland Region)
Noraline Issak (Macomb Region)
Nina M. Paolini-Lotarski (Macomb Region)
Maya Younis (Wayne Region)
2024 Honorees
Jacquelyn Dupler (Mid-Michigan Region)
Kristin Fernandez (Oakland Region)
Lauren Kissel (Mid-Michigan Region)
Melanie Smith (Mid-Michigan Region)
2023 Honorees
Kelley Donnelly (Oakland Region)
Paulina Kennedy (Wayne Region)
Nina Prashad-Kidd (Wayne Region)
2022 Honorees
WLAM Wayne Region
Katherine Pacynski (Oakland Region)
Melissa Wangler (Tip of the Mitt Region)
2021 Honorees
Kristina Bilowus (Oakland Region)
Kailen Piper (Great Lakes Bay Region)
Katie Tucker (Mid-Michigan Region)
2020 Honorees
Erin Flynn (Oakland Region)
Alison Love (Washtenaw Region)
Amanda Skeel (Tip of the Mitt Region)
2019 Honorees
Stephanie M. Brochert (Oakland Region)
Kirsten J. Silwanowicz (Wayne Region)
WLAM Washtenaw Region
2018 Honorees
Alexandria L. Casperson (Wayne Region)
Alena M. Clark (Great Lakes Bay Region)
2017 Honorees
Erin Klug (Oakland Region)
Jennifer Stallings Dewey (Wayne Region)
Elizabeth Welch (Western Region)
2016 Honorees
Tanya Lundberg (Oakland Region)
Torree J. Breen (Mid-Michigan Region)
2015 Honorees
Ellen E. Hoeppner (Wayne Region)
Kristin L. Murphy (Oakland Region)
2014 Honorees
WLAM Oakland Region
Kelly Brushaber (Western Region)
L. Nichole Smithson (Wayne Region)
2013 Honorees
Kristin A. Stone (Macomb)
Alena Clark (Wayne)
WLAM Mid-Michigan Region
WLAM Western Region
WLAM Members to Watch
In 2025 WLAM launched a new award to highlight WLAM members early in their practice journey who are making an impact.
2026 Recipients
Antonia Giles
Destiny Hughes
Lindsey Mead
Past Honorees
Christina Carroll
Christina Carroll is the founder of Alloy Legal PLC, a tax law firm specializing in advising individuals with unique atypical income sources and or cross-border tax issues. She has represented a wide range of clients including multiple Grammy Award winners, entertainers from around the world and volunteer organizations. Christina’s practice also focuses on tax exempt status for nonprofit public charities and private foundations, and tax controversy and collection defense work against the IRS and state tax authorities.
Prior to founding Alloy Legal, Christina spent four years working in a Big Four accounting firm handling employment and tax issues for multinational companies.
Christina lives in her native Traverse City with her husband and two daughters. She’s an avid birder and delights in getting caught up in a good book. She is proud to be an active member of the small-but-mighty Tip of the Mitt WLAM region, and values the support of her colleagues in WLAM.
Fatima Dakroub
Fatima developed an interest in appellate law as a junior moot court member at Wayne State University Law School, and while a judicial intern for Judge Elizabeth L. Gleicher in the Michigan Court of Appeals. After graduating from Wayne Law in 2023, Fatima returned to the court as a research attorney in the prehearing division. There, she explored the breadth and depth of Michigan law by drafting research reports and proposed opinions for cases before the court.
In March 2024, Fatima began clerking for the Honorable Adrienne N. Young of the Court of Appeals. In this role, Fatima has continued her in-depth work on no-fault cases, and has drafted concurrences and dissents in civil, criminal, and family law cases.
Before law school, Fatima earned a bachelors degree in public policy from Wayne State University, and served as a legislative aide in the Michigan House of Representatives for Michigan’s 15th House District. Fatima also studied Arabic at Wayne State.
Long term, Fatima hopes to pursue a career as an appellate attorney.
Nancy Samir-Haddad Derleth
Nancy Samir-Haddad Derleth is a litigation attorney at Warner Norcross + Juddadept at delivering compelling oral arguments, alternative dispute resolution through mediation, proficiently crafting complaints and motions, and efficiently managing diverse litigation projects. Her focus lies in general commercial litigation, labor and employment disputes and property tax appeals.
Specific to labor and employment, Nancy represents employers entangled in a range of disputes, including those concerning employment contracts, discrimination, wrongful termination, harassment, wage and hour violations, whistleblower actions and other matters. She passionately advocates for her clients, offering legal counsel to ensure compliance with labor laws, regulations and employment agreements, thereby minimizing the likelihood of future disputes. Moreover, Nancy meticulously reviews and refines employment practices and policies, strategically developing proactive measures to mitigate potential risks.
In addition to her primary focus, Nancy also dedicates a portion of her practice to contesting assessors’ property value determinations on behalf of individuals or companies before the Michigan Tax Tribunal. Aware of the stringent statutory filing deadlines, complex appeal procedures and jurisdictional nuances, Nancy navigates clients through the intricacies to secure fair assessments and lasting tax benefits well into the future.
Nancy’s innate ability to advocate for clients is remarkable. With exceptional listening skills and genuine empathy, she navigates each situation by focusing on the bigger picture, ensuring optimal resolutions for her clients. Nancy effortlessly excels as both a leader and a team player, contributing significantly to collaborative efforts while prioritizing the success of her clients above all else.
Nancy earned her Bachelor of Arts in communication with a double minor in legal philosophy and political science summa cum laude from Saginaw Valley State University. She earned her Juris Doctor magna cum laude from Michigan State University College of Law where she was recognized on the Dean’s List for all six semesters and won several Jurisprudence Achievement Awards.
Veronica Femminineo
Veronica Femminineo is an in-house attorney at Rocket, where she specializes in employment law. A proud graduate of WMU Cooley Law School, Veronica’s legal career has been rooted in advocacy and community engagement since the start. While in law school, she worked with the Innocence Project and joined the Women Lawyers Association of Michigan—a commitment she’s maintained throughout her career. Veronica currently serves on the Board of Directors for WLAM Wayne Region, where she helps promote leadership, mentorship, and opportunities for women in the legal field. Veronica has shown steadfast dedication to equity in the workplace and a commitment to furthering the initiatives of WLAM regionally and statewide.
Laura Helderop
Laura Helderop is a Legal Research and Writing Attorney at the Kent County Office of the Public Defender, where she drafts motions, appeals, and appears for oral argument. Laura has been practicing law for 8 years, and 7 of those years has been in criminal defense. Prior to joining the Kent County Office of the Public Defender, Laura worked at SBBL Law in Grand Rapids, Michigan where she defended clients at the state and federal levels. She has written numerous appellate briefs for the Court of Appeals, the Michigan Supreme Court, and the Sixth Circuit Court of Appeals. Laura has also argued in front of the Sixth Circuit Court of Appeals.
Laura earned her law degree from Case Western Reserve University School of Law in 2017. She has been on the board for the Western Region of WLAM since 2021 and has been on the statewide board for WLAM since 2024. In 2020, Laura was nominated and admitted to the National Trial Lawyers — Top 40 Under 40 division, which recognized her as one of the top 40 attorneys under the age of 40 in the State of Michigan. In 2022, Laura received the 3-in-10 Award from the Grand Rapids Bar Association, which is awarded to three attorneys with under 10 years of practice who have demonstrated outstanding professional achievements, commitment to public service, and significant contributions to the legal profession. In 2024, Lawyer was nominated and recognized as a Rising Star by SuperLawyers.
Outside of work, her hobbies include spending time with her family, doing pilates, playing and watching tennis, and enjoying the outdoors.
Julianne Pastula
In October 2023, Julianne Pastula was appointed Director of the City of Detroit’s Department of Appeals and Hearings (DAH), which is responsible for adjudicating blight violations and administrative appeals. Under her leadership, DAH has streamlined its operations, including launching online filing systems for motions to set aside default judgments as well as blight clearance applications.
Driven by a passion for public service, Ms. Pastula brings a broad and seasoned background in municipal law and policy matters. Her prior roles with the City of Detroit include serving as a Public Policy Analyst with the City Council’s Research and Analysis Division and as a Senior Assistant Corporation Counsel in the Law Department’s Municipal Section. In these capacities, she played a pivotal role in advancing intergovernmental initiatives on issues such as election law, municipal identification, and housing matters, while also drafting essential legislative measures and a complete revision of the Mayor’s Executive Organization Plan.
She later served as Chief Legal Counsel in the Law Department overseeing both Legal Operations and the FOIA Division, where she led a citywide initiative to streamline FOIA processes and implement an online option for submitting requests. In addition, she served as General Counsel to the Board of Ethics and as the Law Department’s Liaison to Detroit City Council.
Ms. Pastula also served as General Counsel to the inaugural Michigan Independent Citizens Redistricting Commission (MICRC), where she provided legal counsel on constitutional, statutory, and regulatory matters relating to redistricting and helped to support a transparent and independent redistricting process.
A graduate of the University of Detroit Mercy School of Law, Ms. Pastula earned her J.D. with honors and has been recognized for both her professional achievements and her commitment to pro bono service.
Dedicated to empowering the next generation of women in law, she actively mentors students and young attorneys. Ms. Pastula is a proud member of the Women Lawyers Association of Michigan (WLAM), where she serves on the Membership Committee, and was honored to be recognized as the 2023-2024 WLAM Wayne Member of the Year. She currently holds the position of Deputy Secretary/Treasurer for the State Bar of Michigan’s Government Law Section and is deeply committed to inspiring future attorneys to explore careers in government law.
Natasha Rao
Natasha is an Associate Attorney at The Allen Law Group, P.C. Natasha holds a Bachelor of Business Administration from the University of Michigan—Dearborn and a Juris Doctor from George Washington University Law School. She is licensed to practice law in both Michigan and the District of Columbia. In her work with the Allen Law Group, Natasha assists with representing various clients, including municipalities, municipal entities, and national and local corporations, in matters before state and federal courts. Natasha’s practice encompasses real estate law, business law and corporate transactions, municipal law, and employment and labor law. Her work includes assisting with litigation, drafting advisory and legal opinions, and conducting independent investigations.
Natasha is an active member of the Women Lawyers Association of Michigan’s Membership and Diversity and Inclusion Committees. She was recently sworn in as the Recording Secretary of the Women’s Bar Association, Oakland Region, for the upcoming year. Through her work with WLAM, Natasha has assisted in coordinating a panel on “Navigating Disability in the Legal Profession” this past year. She is excited to become more involved in planning and advertising more engaging, educational, and impactful programming and events in the upcoming year.
In her free time, Natasha enjoys attending book club, baking, and spending time with friends and family.
