NEWSLETTER
FEBRUARY 2018 
February 2018 Newsletter Headlines
Employee Highlight of the Month



Carly Cheedie 
Accountant/Analyst
Administration/Financial Services

February Employee
Highlight of the 
Month

Carly has been employed with the Court for almost two years.  She was a former Assistant Manager at a credit union and currently works in Budget and Finance at the Court's Penobscot location.  She currently works as a cashier at the payment window.  She handles many customer service interactions and has had to learn the court systems such as MICSES to ensure payments are properly processed.  Her rewarding moments is when she is able to complete the research and properly disburse the monies on hold.  She imagines the recipients are very excited to receive those payments.  Carly plans to continue her career with the Court and earn her CPA designation.
 
Personal Fact: Carly just bought her first home in downtown Wyandotte. She is looking forward to the warmer weather, so she can really enjoy the area.
   

Supporting t he 
Hometown Teams











Third Circuit Court Judges, staff, and their families and friends had an opportunity to fellowship after work and support the hometown sports teams at Little Caesars Arena. Over 100 turned out for the Red Wings' game against the Boston Bruins, and over 300 turned out for the Pistons' win against the Miami Heat. There was fun had by all and Judge Kathleen M. McCarthy and Judge Virgil Smith got their names in light on halftime scoreboards.
 
Third Circuit Court cannot wait till it is Tiger Season to enjoy a hotdog and baseball!



                  

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Greetings, 

This February has been a month of surprises. We experienced rough weather and had to close the Court for a day. We launched the statewide eFiling Solution on February 5th. We held two after work social events. However, what stands out most this February is the unexpected passing of Judge Richard Skutt. We keep his family and all staff who have experienced a loss of a loved one in our thoughts and prayers. Life is precious. We don't know what tomorrow holds and are grateful for today and for the opportunity to share it with you.
The William Booth Legal Aid Clinic



The William Booth Legal Aid Clinic (WBLAC) has recently joined forces with the University of Detroit Mercy School of Law (UDM) to create a family law clinic at the law school.  The 2nd and 3rd year law students enrolled in the UDM family law clinic will join the William Booth Legal Aid Clinic's family law outreach program at the Wayne County Circuit Court.  The Clinic outreach program has been servicing Wayne County's low income, unrepresented parties in various family law matters since 2012. Utilizing staff attorneys and interns, the Clinic will combine classroom instruction, client interaction, and courtroom experience to provide students with a multifaceted understanding of family law in real world applications.

The outreach at the Coleman A. Young Building, hosted by the William Booth Legal Aid Clinic, is every Thursday from noon to 2:00 p.m., with the first Thursday of every month focusing solely on assisting litigants with default judgments.  Any questions or for further information, call the office at 313-361-6340.

This new program is a win-win on many levels, as it allows the WBLAC to assist an underprivileged population, while helping to increase docket efficiency for the Court and exposing law students to firsthand experience with the court system.
William Booth Legal Aid Clinic's video may viewed by using the QR code or click on the link https://vimeo.com/232472975/b85368d81c .



Training Workshop On Our Brain



Court staff spent an engaging and entertaining morning working with Kimberly Papillon, J.D., studying the Neuroscience of Decision-Making and how the brain absorbs internal and external influences which impact how we think about and process data.





MiFILE, Statewide eFiling Solution, Goes Live

As of February 5, 2018, all Third Circuit Court eFilings must be submitted using MiFILE.
 
MiFILE is Michigan's statewide eFiling program sponsored by the State Court Administrative Office (SCAO).  MiFILE utilizes TrueFiling, a 24x7 web-based eFile and eService solution for courts, law firms, attorneys, and self-represented filers.
 
MiFILE videos and guides are available as a supplement to training on the MiFILE Resources page at http://www.mifile.info/resources .
 
For technical questions or support, please call 855-959-8868 or e-mail Support@TrueFiling.com .
 
Visit SCAO's website and social media channels for general information and FAQs about MiFILE.  Further information or have questions, contact SCAO at efiling@courts.mi.gov .


African American History Note
There will be many observances of African American History during the month of February. The National Black Anthem will be opening for many.
The Wikipedia states, "Lift Every Voice and Sing" was publicly performed first as a poem as part of a celebration of Abraham Lincoln's birthday on February 12, 1900, by 500 school children at the segregated Stanton School in Jacksonville, Florida. Its principal, James Weldon Johnson, wrote the words to introduce its honored guest Booker T. Washington. Johnson's brother John set the poem to the music in 1905. In 1919, the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) dubbed it "The Negro National Anthem" for its power in voicing the cry for liberation and affirmation for African American people.
 
In 1939, Augusta Savage received a commission from the New York World's Fair and created a 16-foot (5 m) plaster sculpture called Lift Every Voice and Song, which was destroyed by bulldozers at the close of the fair.
 
Third Circuit Court salutes Hon. Lucille Watts, who was the first African American elected to this bench; Hon. Virgil Smith, who was the first African American to serve as Chief Judge for the Court; Hon. Craig Strong, who is the longest serving African American judge currently on the bench; and the many African American judges, administrators, and staff who ensure the Court delivers quality judicial service to the public.
Enjoy this rendition of the National Black Anthem. https://m.youtube.com/watch?sns=em&v=ngFDy52eCZY

Juvenile Mental Health Court



The Third Circuit Court celebrated their second Juvenile Mental Health Court program graduation on February 7, 2018, at the Michigan State University Detroit Center.  Pictured from left to right are Third Circuit Court Chief Judge Robert J. Colombo, Jr., Keynote Speaker William W. Tandy, Program Coordinator Deborah Nelson, and Program Supervising Third Circuit Court Judge Edward J. Joseph.


Civil Justice Reform
Earlier this year, Tammi Palmer had the pleasure of representing the Court at the Civil Justice Initiative Workshop in Phoenix, Arizona. The workshop was sponsored by the National Center for State Courts (NCSC). Judges and Court leaders from courts from all over the United States, including Hawaii, met and discussed how best to provide Americans with a civil legal process that fairly and promptly resolves disputes for everyone regardless of income, value of the dispute, and whether you are an individual or a business.
Meeting these leaders from other courts, Tammi realized that most courts deal with the same challenges while attempting to provide civil justice - budgetary restraints, employee retention and how best to assist self-represented litigants to name just a few. She also realized that our Court already uses cutting edge practices in our pursuit of a fair legal process. Our use of scheduling orders, a case processing department, and trial notices fall within what the NCSC refers to as model processes.
This conference renewed Tammi's desire to help this court provide a civil legal process to all litigants. Her focus has always been on meeting SCAO deadlines. At this conference, she received some tools that would allow the Court to meet those guidelines while still providing a civil legal process - a process that realizes the promise of justice for all.