business & rofessional >> memos
The NASBA Center for the
Public Trust (NASBA
CPT) recently honored
Stephen H. Epstein of
West Bloomfield with its
Being a Difference Award,
which honors individuals
and organizations for
their unique contribu-
tions to ethical leadership. Epstein is a
retired administrative and marketing
partner of the 1,000-person Detroit office
of Pricewaterhouse Coopers, where he
worked with retail clients and vehicle
dealerships.
Howard & Howard
Attorneys PLLC is
proud to announce that
Henry P. Lee of the
Royal Oak office was
named to The Best
Lawyers in America
2012. His selection was
Lee
based on a peer-review
survey of more than 3.9
million confidential evaluations by the
top attorneys in the country. Lee was also
recognized among the DBusiness Top
Lawyers 2012 through a process that
included a peer-review survey that polled
more than 15,000 private attorneys in
Southeastern Michigan.
Ronald P. Strote of May, Simpson &
Strote PC in Bloomfield Hills is listed
in Best Lawyers 2011
as Detroit Area
Construction Lawyer
of the Year. He has been
acknowledged as one of
the top 100 lawyers in
Michigan by Michigan
Super Lawyers for the
Strote
fourth consecutive year.
Strote has also been named a Top Lawyer
in DBusiness magazine for 2012. He is
involved in alternative dispute resolution
as an arbitrator and mediator.
H. Nathan Resnick of
Resnick & Moss PC was
named a 2012 Top
Lawyer by DBusiness.
Resnick is the founding
member of Resnick &
Moss and continues to
act as the firm's manag-
Resnick
ing partner. He concen-
trates his legal practice
on complex commercial litigation, real
estate, corporate law, bankruptcy and
creditors' rights. Resnick & Moss PC is
located on Woodward in Bloomfield Hills.
www.resnicIdaw.net .
ge
The Michigan Association of Certified
Public Accountants (MACPA) recently
presented Judith R. Trepeck of West
Bloomfield with the annual Thomas M.
Hoatlin Award, given to an individual who
is dedicated to encouraging a productive
relationship between the
Michigan Department of
Treasury and the MACPA,
the state's largest organi-
zation of tax profession-
als. Trepeck works as a
consultant. Previously, she
served
as a judge at the
Trepeck
Michigan Tax Tribunal,
holding the only CPA member seat.
family law. She has also
been recognized as a
2011 Super Lawyer by
Michigan Super Lawyers
Magazine in the area of
family law, in addition
to being named one
of the top 50 women
lawyers in Michigan.
Weiner
Lieberman
Frank
Cohen
Lieberman, Gies & Cohen PLLC is
pleased to announce that Michael D.
Lieberman and Steven J. Cohen, once
again have been named as Super Lawyers
in the area of bankruptcy and creditor/
debtor rights for the state of Michigan for
2011. The firm represents individuals
and businesses in all areas of debtor and
creditor rights law, including bankruptcy,
insolvency and out-of-court workouts.
Harriet B. Rotter of Bingham Farms
has been selected by her peers for
inclusion in the 2012 edition of The Best
Lawyers in America in the specialty of
Frank Haron Weiner
PLC announced that
each of its senior
members — Sidney
L. Frank, David L.
Haron and Jerry
Laevin Weiner — has
Haron
been named as a Super
Lawyer for the State
of Michigan for 2011. An honor limited
to fewer than 5 percent of the members
of the State Bar of Michigan, it is an
acknowledgment and recognition by
their peers throughout the state of their
individual dedication to and excellence
in the practice of law.
Sunday/Monday And Have A Little Faith
A
nother Sunday night — time
to try and salvage some relax-
ation, maybe watch a movie
and gear up for Monday morning. So
clicking my way to an espionage movie,
I ran across Have a Little Faith
Mitch
Albom's TV premiere that aired on the
Sunday following Thanksgiving.
I'm not typically a Hallmark Hall of
Fame guy, but when I saw it was on I
said, hey, Tuesday's With Morrie struck
many a chord with me, so I should give
it a try. In fact, until Tuesday's With
Morrie, I did not think of Mitch differ-
ently than any other columnist or sports
person that I don't know but do listen to
or read on occasion.
Have a Little Faith affected me in the
same manner as Morrie. It was Mitch's
revelation of his own personal conflict
of questioning his plight in life that
intrigued me. I believe it is a lingering
anxiety so many of us feel — that our
day-to-day lives take on a significance
—
20
December 8 2011
that in the end is not that significant.
And when we find ourselves in a
"moment" where "no one is around" we
know and we feel that void — and the
guilt — that we do not do
enough to make this a better
world and to help those who
need.
Have a Little Faith was fun.
Hogans, Temple Israel — it
was like we were there. But
way beyond that, there is a
powerful message. Rabbi
Lewis, in his last sermon,
dedicates his "moment" to one
of atonement for not doing
enough to help his congre-
gants after having spent 60
selfless years of doing pre-
cisely that. I was overcome with emotion
at that moment. I knew then, I know
now — it's simply because we become
so absorbed in the day-to-day affairs of
managing our lives that we are not in
touch with a greater calling.
So how does Little Faith tie to the cur-
rent economic issues we face? The tie is
not financial — rather it is based on the
difference between right and
wrong, and good vs. evil.
Our elected officials have
a constituency far greater
than that of Rabbi Lewis and
Pastor Henry in Have a Little
Faith. The American public
and the United States of
America are their congrega-
tion. Our elected officials are
the stewards of our repub-
lic and are charged with a
greater calling — of look-
ing out for the greater good
rather than individual gain.
If that means arriving at a compromise
to balance the budget, attaining a work-
able health care policy that will meet
our nation's needs or adopting a tax
structure that is realistic and fair, then
they need to Have a Little Faith and do
what they have been charged with the
privilege and responsibility to do. Rabbi
Lewis and Pastor Henry should be their
guides.
In the end, there is something power-
ful and exhilarating when we (in this
case me) are reminded of our own
humility. For me, this comes when I
watch a movie, by myself, with no one
there, no pretentions, and the emotions
reach to my inner soul. Have a Little
Faith reached me that way — so I salute
and thank Mitch Albom for having
the talent and heart to remind me that
there exists much more to our lives than
showing up on Monday morning. Mitch
— thank you. f l
Ken Gross is an attorney with Thav Gross
and host of The Financial Crisis Talk Center, a
radio program that airs weekly at 10:00 a.m.
on Saturday mornings on Talk Radio 1270
WXYT AM.