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Affiliate Spotlight: MAMA
Michigan Association of Municipal Attorneys

The Michigan Association of Municipal Attorneys (MAMA) is a specialized organization that provides a variety of services for municipal attorneys practicing in Michigan. Since its inception, MAMA has provided educational programs and information sharing designed for attorneys in public and private practice who counsel Michigan’s local communities. In 2010, the Academy of Municipal Attorneys was established for those who want to attain and be recognized for the highest level of accomplishment in municipal law.

Member services include the MAMA Listserv, which is a great networking and research tool, the Municipal Legal Briefs, and regularly scheduled educational seminars.

Academy of Municipal Attorneys (AMA)
Participation in the AMA involves both an educational component and a practice component to achieve the purposes of the program. The educational component seeks to train and educate the applicant in not only the basic elements of municipal law, but also to encourage academic and scholarly excellence in municipal law. The practice component seeks to recognize the implementation of the academic component by applying the academic program to effective and competent legal practice. In addition, membership in the AMA seeks to encourage opportunities for dialogue, friendship, and fellowship with social opportunities to promote the academy.

MAMA President Randall Brown, Portage City Attorney

Listserv
The listserv is an email-based discussion forum that facilitates communication among Michigan municipal attorneys. The e-group is designed to improve communication among members, offer a forum for exchanging ideas, and allow municipal attorneys to benefit from the experience, knowledge, and wisdom of their peers. To maximize its value to Michigan’s municipal attorneys, participation is restricted to members of MAMA.

Legal Briefs
The Municipal Legal Briefs is a newsletter published by the League in partnership with the MAMA. It is published quarterly as a benefit to MAMA members. The Briefs contain articles of interest to municipal attorneys as well as summaries of cases affecting Michigan municipal law and local units of government. The core summaries are provided by Kester So, a partner in the Lansing office of Dickinson Wright. Non-members may purchase subscriptions to the Legal Briefs.

The League’s Legal Defense Fund
The MML Legal Defense Fund (LDF) is an advocacy program for Michigan's local governments in the courtrooms. MAMA assists the Defense Fund, as the MAMA board of directors serves as members of the LDF board, along with the League president and executive director/CEO. It provides support and assistance to municipalities, and their attorneys, in court cases where the issues have a broad impact on both the municipality involved in the case, and on other municipalities in the state. League General Counsel William Mathewson is the LDF administrator.

For more information, go to mama-online.org/, or contact William Mathewson, MAMA secretary/treasurer at 734-662-3246.