March 2025 President's Letter

Greetings Friends:

I hope this message finds you well and warming up after months of snow and cold.

If you haven’t yet, please consider joining us in Ann Arbor from March 20-22 for NAWJ’s midyear conference.  The agenda is spectacular and keeps with the theme that ‘Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere’.  The conference will be held at the University of Michigan Law School, an extraordinary venue.  Attendees can schedule a headshot session with Emma Burcusel, who specializes in legal photography.  Her work is renowned, and a 10-minute headshot session will only cost $100. We have a vibrant planting the seed event planned with students from a variety of Michigan and Canadian law schools.  Soon you will receive an invitation to participate in that event.

We will be joined by several notable dignitaries, including ABA President Bill Bay, Michigan Supreme Court Chief Justice Elizabeth Clement, Michigan Supreme Court Justices Brian Zahara (who will talk about his leadership of the Justice for All Commission), Elizabeth Clement, and Megan Cavanagh.  During the conference, for which you can receive CLEs, attendees will learn about compassionate judging, the restorative nature of specialty courts, how AI can be used to effectively assist self-represented litigants, how incarceration can adversely impact families, and practices, tips, and ethics to transition from the bench to ADR.

Now more than ever, it is important to remain true to NAWJ’s mission.  This conference is sure to inspire attendees and provide hope.  NAWJ was founded in 1979 by founding mothers Justice Joan Dempsey Klein and Justice Vaino Spencer.  In their honor we renew our commitment to ensure equal access and justice for all through cutting edge judicial education, developing judicial leaders reflective of the communities they represent, increasing the number of women in the judiciary, and improving the administration of justice to provide gender-fair decisions for ALL litigants.   

Join me for an invigorating conference!

Best,

The Honorable Michelle Rick
President, National Association of Women Judges