OUR COMMUNITY
22 | MAY 12 • 2022
T
he Jewish Bar Association of
Michigan (JBAM) is welcoming judg-
es, lawyers, legal professionals and
law students as it celebrates its first premiere
indoor event since the beginning of the pan-
demic.
On Monday, May 23, at 6 p.m., JBAM will
hold its annual awards banquet at the Westin
Southfield hotel, 1500 Town Center.
Last year on a Zoom event, Attorney
General Dana Nessel received JBAM’s Ruth
Bader Ginsburg Champion of Justice Award,
and Judge Avern Cohn was
honored with JBAM’s Lifetime
Achievement Award.
With the unfortunate pass-
ing of Judge Cohn on Feb. 4,
JBAM has named its lifetime
achievement award in memory
of Judge Cohn, the longtime
community leader and stalwart
of the U.S. District Court for the Eastern
District of Michigan.
LIFETIME ACHIEVEMENT
The recipient of the 2022 Avern Cohn
Lifetime Achievement Award will be Judge
Bernard Friedman, a senior judge of the U.S.
District Court for the Eastern District of
Michigan.
A native Detroiter, Judge Friedman grad-
uated Detroit College of Law and served
in the U.S. Army JAG Corps. He worked
in the Wayne County Prosecutor’s Office,
then entered private practice. He served
on the bench of the 48th District Court in
Bloomfield Township from 1982-1988.
In 1988, he was appointed by President
Ronald Reagan to the U.S. District Court. He
was the chief judge from 2004-2009 and has
been a senior judge since then.
In a landmark case in 2014, Judge
Friedman ruled that the Michigan’s banning
of same-sex marriage was unconstitutional.
The case was upheld by the U.S. Supreme
Court, establishing the constitutional right
nationwide.
CHAMPION OF JUSTICE
Accepting JBAM’s 2022 Ruth Bader
Ginsburg Champion of Justice Award will
be Judge Michelle Friedman Appel, a judge
since 2003 on the 45B District Court serv-
ing Oak Park, Huntington Woods, Pleasant
Ridge and Royal Oak Township.
Judge Appel succeeded her father, Judge
Benjamin Friedman, who served 34 years on
the court. Sadly, her father passed away on
Feb. 4, the same day as Judge Cohn.
Judge Appel graduated from University of
Michigan and University of Detroit School
of Law. For two decades prior to her judge-
ship, she was in private practice and was an
Oakland County commissioner 1999-2002.
She serves as chief judge of her court and
active in aiding the state court system and
educating attorneys. She also is president of
the Michigan District Judge’s Association.
She has helped establish Veterans Treatment
Courts in the county and a Mental Health
Treatment Court in her district.
DEDICATED VOLUNTEER
JBAM’s Volunteer of the Year is its first pres-
ident, Rachel Loebl Serman. Serman was a
founder of the organization in 2014.
Serman, a Huntington Woods-based attor-
ney, has worked tirelessly through the years
as an officer, board member and committee
member in all aspects of JBAM’s efforts to
provide social, educational and charitable
activities to the members and the commu-
nity.
STUDENT SCHOLARSHIP
Every year, the JBAM awards a $1,500 schol-
arship to a law student who exemplifies the
character and values of the late attorney
Charles J. Cohen. Cohen stressed the impor-
tance of legal education. JBAM chose to
honor the life and legacy of Cohen by nam-
ing its educational scholarship in his name.
This year’s scholarship recipient of
the Charles J. Cohen Esq. Scholarship is
Louis Magidson, a second-year student at
University of Detroit Mercy School of Law.
A graduate of Michigan State University, he
is the son of attorneys Rochelle Lento and
Mark Magidson of Detroit.
Louis Magidson focused on international
relations and economics at Michigan State
University. While an undergraduate, he stud-
ied in Brussels, Belgium, learning about the
function of the European Union. Since then,
he has explored many areas of law while
working at several law firms.
TICKETS
Tickets to JBAM’s banquet are $36 for
members and $45 for others. To register,,
visit jlive.app/events/2190. For informa-
tion about the Jewish Bar Association of
Michigan, visit jewishbar.org or email
Ellie Mosko at ellie@moskolawpc.com.
Welcome Back!
Jewish lawyers to honor a pair of judges at its
first major event since the pandemic.
Avern Cohn
DAVID SACHS ASSOCIATE EDITOR
Hon.
Bernard
Friedman
Hon. Michelle
Friedman Appel
Rachel
Loebl
Serman
Louis
Magidson
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