State Bar of Michigan Annual Meeting: Improving Diversity Within the Legal Profession

Diversity in the legal profession is not just a conversation happening among law firms and lawyers, but a concern for the judiciary as a whole. In this report from On The Road, hosts JoAnn Hathaway and Tish Vincent talk with State Bar of Michigan President Lawrence Nolan about the Diversity and Inclusion Committee, implicit bias among jurors, and consistently sustaining efforts to improve diversity within the judiciary.

Lawrence P. Nolan, an Eaton Rapids attorney, has been named “Lawyer of the Year” for 2016 in the Lansing area in the field of Plaintiff’s Personal Injury by “Best Lawyers in America.” This is the second time in three years that Nolan has been awarded this distinction. Nolan practices statewide and is president of the Eaton Rapids law firm of Nolan, Thomsen & Villas, P.C. Nolan currently serves as President of the State Bar of Michigan (SBM). He is an elected Member of the SBM Board of Commissioners, and the SBM Representative Assembly. He also serves as a member of the WMU Cooley School of Law Board of Directors and sits as Chairman of the Board of Directors since 2011.