Distinguished Service Award

The Distinguished Service Award is conferred upon an individual who has met the qualifications described below for a period of twenty years or more. The award honors a lawyer who has demonstrated, through long performance related to the practice of labor and employment law, that he or she meets the following criteria:

  • Has made major contributions to the practice of labor and employment law
  • Reflects the highest ethical principles, including principles of civility and professionalism
  • Has advanced the development of labor and employment law
  • Has a long-established commitment to excellence
  • Is recognized and respected by constituents in the labor and employment community

Past Recipients

2015—Kathy Bogas and John Runyan
2014—Richard Mittenthal
2013—Janet Cooper (Detroit)
2012—Joseph Golden (Clinton Township)
2011—George Wirth (Saline)
2010—Thomas Barnes (Grand Rapids)
2009—Sheldon Stark (Ann Arbor)
2008—Leonard R. Page (Southfield)
2007—H. Rhett Pinsky (Grand Rapids)
2006—Robert J. Battista (Washington, DC)
2005—Carl E. Ver Beek (Grand Rapids)
2004—Gordon A. Gregory (Detroit)
2003—Joseph C. Marshall III (Detroit)
2003—John F. Brady (Detroit)
2002—James E. Tobin (Detroit)
2001—Erwin B. Ellman (Southfield)
2000—Theodore J. St. Antoine (Ann Arbor)
1999—George T. Roumell Jr. (Detroit)
1998—William M. Saxton (Detroit)
1997—Theodore Sachs (Detroit)