Service to the Community

The firm's commitment to diversity also includes our longstanding commitment to community service.  Several of our community service activities directly benefit minorities and people from underrepresented communities.

One of our attorneys is the founder and member of the Board of Trustees for the Generation of Promise Program.  The goal of the program is to build a community of young leaders who celebrate diversity and are dedicated to reducing racial polarization in Metropolitan Detroit. The program seeks to build relationships among different cultures. In 2006, this attorney received the State Bar of Michigan's Champion of Justice Award for creating the Generation of Promise Program.  The Champion of Justice Award is one of the State Bar of Michigan’s most distinguished honors, given for integrity and adherence to the highest principles and traditions of the legal profession and professional accomplishments that benefit national, state or local communities.  In addition to his services, one of our attorneys is a Past President of the program and currently serves as an Honorary Board of Trustee member.

One of our attorneys served several years as Chair of the Detroit Metropolitan Bar Association Barristers Board of Directors' School Partnership Program.  The goal of this program is to provide mentorship to high school students, improve high school students' understanding of the law and encourage high school students to pursue careers in the law.  Students participating in the program are from two inner-city Detroit high schools.  The same attorney was named 2007 Barrister of the Year by the Detroit Metropolitan Bar Association Barristers Board of Directors for his demonstrated leadership in managing the School Partnership Program.

One of our attorneys was a co-recipient of the Oakland County Bar Association's Frances R. Avadenka Memorial Award.  The award is presented annually to an Oakland County Bar Association member who has made significant contributions to the community outside the legal profession.  This attorney was responsible for developing the Gettysburg Mentoring Program, which has trained hundreds of lawyers and law students to serve as adult mentors to more than 400 middle and high school students in the Pontiac, Michigan school system.

Our commitment to community service was recognized when we were awarded "The Commitment to Mission Award" by HAVEN, Oakland County's leading non-profit committed to eliminating domestic violence and sexual abuse.  We also received the "Merry-Go-Round Award" for exemplary corporate citizenship and a longstanding commitment to the welfare of children from the Child Abuse and Neglect Council of Oakland County.

Our attorneys serve on the Board of several inner city schools including Loyola High School, Friends School in Detroit and Detroit Merit Academy.  One of our attorneys is on the Board of the Pontiac Alumni Foundation's Mentoring Program and several firm attorneys mentor youth in Pontiac.  One of our attorneys serves on the Board of Directors of the Junior Achievement of Southeastern Michigan, Inc. Junior Achievement sends professionals from all occupations to inner city schools, like Detroit, Pontiac and Flint, to teach courses in economic education to provide students with a vision of economic opportunity for the future.  One of our attorneys is a member of the Michigan Council for Women in Technology and gives an annual speech to high school girls on careers involving technology.  One of our attorneys is a member of the Board of Directors of the International Institute of Detroit which assists with immigration and adjustment issues for persons moving to the U.S.  Our attorneys also serve on the Board of Directors of the Boys Hope Girls Hope of Detroit, The Children’s Center, the YMCA of Ann Arbor and the YMCA of Metropolitan Detroit.

One of our attorneys is a former President and Trustee of the Rosa Parks Scholarship Foundation Board, and another currently serves as Assistant Treasurer.  The Rosa Parks Scholarship Foundation was established to provide equal opportunity scholarships to Michigan high school seniors.  The Foundation is committed to helping students achieve their goals and overcome adversity through the support of higher education.  The firm attended the Foundation’s annual 25th Anniversary Celebration and Tribute to Rosa Parks.  We also contribute to the Cornerstone Schools Scholarship Fund that supports Cornerstone's seven schools in Detroit.

We attended the Wolverine Bar Foundation's Damon J. Keith Community Spirit Award Luncheon.  The proceeds from the luncheon benefit the Damon J. Keith Scholarship Fund, which awards a scholarship to a law school student who demonstrates exemplary commitment to community service and uses the law to combat injustice, social inequity and improve society.

In 2006, the women of the Labor Department launched a new initiative known as "W5" (Women Working With Women for Women).  The goal of W5 is to make a difference in our communities by partnering with other business women to raise awareness of non-profit organizations that support women.

In 2009, another group formed by the women of Butzel Long gathered together with many of our female clients to renovate a home with the Habitat for Humanity organization.

In 2010, Butzel Long hosted a day of training for the White House Project.  The White House Project, a national, nonpartisan, not-for-profit organization, 501(c)(3), aims to advance women’s leadership in all communities and sectors, up to the U.S. presidency.  It helps to fill the political leadership pipeline with a critical mass of women in an effort to make American institutions, businesses and government truly representative of our population. 

Several of our attorneys are members of the Anti-Defamation League.  One of our attorneys is the Young Adult Liaison to Anti-Defamation League and is currently attending the Anti-Defamation League’s Glass Leadership Program.  Another attorney received the Anti-Defamation League's Woman of Achievement Award.

One of our attorneys is a member of the Board of Directors and Executive Committee for the Coalition on Temporary Shelter. She is also Chair and Secretary of its Human Resource Committee.

One of our attorneys serves as Co-Chair of Martin Luther King Jr. All People's Breakfast, which is co-sponsored by the Detroit Urban League and the American Jewish Committee.  Our attorneys are also members of the Detroit Urban League and the American Jewish Committee.

Our attorneys serve on the Advisory Boards of the Salvation Army – Eastern Division, the Salvation Army Edwin Denby Center for Children and Family Services and the Salvation Army Booth Legal Aid Clinic.  Our attorneys volunteer at Habitat for Humanity, Capuchins Soup Kitchen and the Fort Street Presbyterian Church's Open Door Mission.