Thank You, Dennis Archer, for Your Contributions to Dickinson Wright!
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With over 50 years of experience in law, Dennis Archer's impact on Dickinson Wright and the industry cannot be quantified. Dickinson Wright would like to thank him for his years of service and his dedication to advocating for a more inclusive and representative legal community.
Dennis Archer rejoined Dickinson Wright as Chairman in 2002 after a successful eight-year term as Mayor of Detroit. He earned national and international respect for his success in changing Detroit's image and direction. Before this, Mr. Archer served as an Associate Justice on the Michigan Supreme Court.
In the same year that he joined Dickinson Wright, Mr. Archer was named President-Elect nominee of the American Bar Association (ABA) and, in 2003, became the first African-American president of the ABA.
"I can't help but think of the contributions that past greats of the legal profession – William Hastie, Thurgood Marshall, Damon Keith and others – could have made if there had not been racial barriers that precluded their involvement in our association when they were in their prime," Archer told the ABA Journal in 2002. "Now we start a new path, a new future and a new beginning that will allow us to get ahead of the curve in achieving diversity."
Since 2010, Dennis Archer has served as Chairman Emeritus. He served as partner and counsel in his role, providing valuable insight to lawyers throughout the firm, from associates to our senior partners, as they navigate their careers. He has been active in the firm's Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Committee, participating in the firm's Martin Luther King Jr. activities, including presenting an oral history of diversity efforts within the industry and at Dickinson Wright.
Before joining Dickinson Wright, Mr. Archer held various leadership positions in bar associations, including serving as President of the State Bar of Michigan, the National Bar Association, and the Wolverine Bar Association. He is a Life Member of the Fellows of The American Bar Foundation and the National Bar Association, a Fellow of the International Society of Barristers, a Fellow of the College of Law Office Management, and a Life Member of the Sixth Circuit Judicial Conference.
Throughout his illustrious career in law and public service, Mr. Archer has been honored by organizations for his achievements. In 2013, Mr. Archer was awarded The Order of the Rising Sun, Gold Rays with Neck Ribbon by the Emperor of Japan, and the Lifetime Achievement Award by the Michigan Corporate Counsel of America for his advocacy for diversity and inclusion. That same year, Mr. Archer announced that his Dennis W. Archer Foundation had surpassed $1 million in scholarships for students attending Wayne State University and Western Michigan University.
Other accolades include the ABA Medal, the highest award of the American Bar Association; the Lifetime Achievement Award from Burton Awards; named "Public Official of the Year" by Governing Magazine; named "25 Most Dynamic Mayors in America" by Newsweek; named "Most Respected Judge in Michigan" by Michigan Lawyers Weekly; and named one of the "100 Most Powerful Attorneys in the United States" by the National Law Journal.
Dennis Archer's achievements and impacts could go on and on. Dickinson Wright would like to thank him again for his contributions to our firm, and we are honored that we can count him as a part of the Dickinson Wright family. When Mr. Archer announced that he would be rejoining Dickinson Wright in 2001 after his term as Mayor ended, he said in a news release:
“I am sure that many have heard a reference to Shakespeare, who wrote in part, ‘the first thing you do is to kill all the lawyers,’” said Mayor Archer. “What is not acknowledged is the context in which those words were written. If you want tyranny to succeed, if you want to destroy a democracy, then the first thing you do is to kill all the lawyers. Why? Because as a profession we lawyers take a sworn oath to represent and defend clients including the oppressed and defenseless. We support the justice system and the preservation of liberty and justice for all. I am proud to be a lawyer,” he added.
Dennis Archer rejoined Dickinson Wright as Chairman in 2002 after a successful eight-year term as Mayor of Detroit. He earned national and international respect for his success in changing Detroit's image and direction. Before this, Mr. Archer served as an Associate Justice on the Michigan Supreme Court.
In the same year that he joined Dickinson Wright, Mr. Archer was named President-Elect nominee of the American Bar Association (ABA) and, in 2003, became the first African-American president of the ABA.
"I can't help but think of the contributions that past greats of the legal profession – William Hastie, Thurgood Marshall, Damon Keith and others – could have made if there had not been racial barriers that precluded their involvement in our association when they were in their prime," Archer told the ABA Journal in 2002. "Now we start a new path, a new future and a new beginning that will allow us to get ahead of the curve in achieving diversity."
Since 2010, Dennis Archer has served as Chairman Emeritus. He served as partner and counsel in his role, providing valuable insight to lawyers throughout the firm, from associates to our senior partners, as they navigate their careers. He has been active in the firm's Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Committee, participating in the firm's Martin Luther King Jr. activities, including presenting an oral history of diversity efforts within the industry and at Dickinson Wright.
Before joining Dickinson Wright, Mr. Archer held various leadership positions in bar associations, including serving as President of the State Bar of Michigan, the National Bar Association, and the Wolverine Bar Association. He is a Life Member of the Fellows of The American Bar Foundation and the National Bar Association, a Fellow of the International Society of Barristers, a Fellow of the College of Law Office Management, and a Life Member of the Sixth Circuit Judicial Conference.
Throughout his illustrious career in law and public service, Mr. Archer has been honored by organizations for his achievements. In 2013, Mr. Archer was awarded The Order of the Rising Sun, Gold Rays with Neck Ribbon by the Emperor of Japan, and the Lifetime Achievement Award by the Michigan Corporate Counsel of America for his advocacy for diversity and inclusion. That same year, Mr. Archer announced that his Dennis W. Archer Foundation had surpassed $1 million in scholarships for students attending Wayne State University and Western Michigan University.
Other accolades include the ABA Medal, the highest award of the American Bar Association; the Lifetime Achievement Award from Burton Awards; named "Public Official of the Year" by Governing Magazine; named "25 Most Dynamic Mayors in America" by Newsweek; named "Most Respected Judge in Michigan" by Michigan Lawyers Weekly; and named one of the "100 Most Powerful Attorneys in the United States" by the National Law Journal.
Dennis Archer's achievements and impacts could go on and on. Dickinson Wright would like to thank him again for his contributions to our firm, and we are honored that we can count him as a part of the Dickinson Wright family. When Mr. Archer announced that he would be rejoining Dickinson Wright in 2001 after his term as Mayor ended, he said in a news release:
“I am sure that many have heard a reference to Shakespeare, who wrote in part, ‘the first thing you do is to kill all the lawyers,’” said Mayor Archer. “What is not acknowledged is the context in which those words were written. If you want tyranny to succeed, if you want to destroy a democracy, then the first thing you do is to kill all the lawyers. Why? Because as a profession we lawyers take a sworn oath to represent and defend clients including the oppressed and defenseless. We support the justice system and the preservation of liberty and justice for all. I am proud to be a lawyer,” he added.
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