20 | MAY 9 • 2024
J
N
O
akland County
Circuit Court Judge
Lorie Savin’s lifelong
quest has been advocating for
the needs of children caught up
in domestic disputes.
“My parents got divorced
when I was very young,
” she
said. “When we were in court, I
was thinking that my dad had a
lawyer who talked to the judge,
and so did my mom. I wished
I had a lawyer, too, to tell my
side.
“It was then when I decided I
wanted to be a lawyer for kids,
”
Savin said. “My goal was to
give kids a voice in the process.
Over time, this expanded
to also include not just kids,
but those who are under-
represented, like minorities, the
disadvantaged and those who
need legal aid.
”
Judge Savin now serves
with Oakland Circuit Court’s
Family Division, which handles
domestic abuse and neglect,
and delinquency cases. “I love
my job — it’s one of the best
things I could ever do.
”
Savin, along with longtime
U.S. District Judge Mark
Goldsmith, will be honored
by the Jewish Bar Association
of Michigan. JBAM’s Annual
Awards Dinner will take
place at 6 p.m. May 23 at the
Somerset Inn in Troy.
Savin will receive JBAM’s
“Ruth Bader Ginsburg
Champion of Justice Award.
”
Goldsmith will be honored
with the “
Avern Cohn Lifetime
Achievement Award.
”
Savin, 54, a graduate of
the University of Michigan
and Wayne State University
Law School, is married to
Adam Larky, her high school
sweetheart whom she met
through BBYO. The couple first
settled in Kansas City, Missouri,
where Adam had landed an
engineering job.
In Kansas City, Savin began
her career as an advocate for
domestic violence survivors
and children. She first worked
as a legal aid attorney, focusing
on family law and children’s
issues. She was later a staff
attorney in the CASA (Court
Appointed Special Advocates)
program, serving as a Guardian
ad Litem for children in abuse
and neglect cases.
When the couple moved
back to this area, Savin worked
in the law firm of John G.
Mooney before beginning
a career as a referee for the
Oakland County Friend of the
Court. There, she continued
her family law efforts, assisting
the Circuit Court in cases
involving custody, parenting
time and child or spousal
support. After 18 years as a
referee, she was elected to the
Circuit Court bench in 2020.
“My biggest strength, and
weakness, is that I’m extremely
The Best
of the
Best
Two esteemed judges to be honored by
the Jewish Bar Association of Michigan.
DAVID SACHS CONTRIBUTING EDITOR
OUR COMMUNITY