A group of attorneys from Oxford and Orion have joined forces to lend their communities a helping hand and get to know each other a little better.
‘Our primary focus is serving our community in a way I think a lot of people don’t envision lawyers doing,? said Christine Stephens, president of the Orion/Oxford Local Bar Association. ‘We also provide a networking opportunity for the attorneys in the local area.?
Founded in May, the association currently consists of 14 attorneys from Oxford and Orion who wish to help this area in a variety of ways from doing charity work and awarding scholarships to offering free legal advice and taking pro bono cases.
Stephens is hoping the group’s membership will one day grow to include all 54 lawyers who practice in the two communities.
‘We all practice in close proximity to one another, but we don’t necessarily run across each other in our practice,? said Stephens, who’s lived in Oxford for seven years and practiced law in the Crawford House for five years. ‘This (association) provides us an opportunity to support one another in a way we couldn’t before.?
‘Our intention is to try and serve the public better than we can now being all disjointed,? she said.
To kick off its charitable efforts, the local bar association is currently working with Oxford/Orion FISH to make sure those in need are not forgotten at Thanksgiving and Christmas.
‘A lot of people don’t think attorneys are very caring or very involved in their community. They think of us as all about the bottom-line or profits,? Stephens said. ‘And that’s so not what a lot of the attorneys out here are about.?
‘Many are involved in the chamber (of commerce) or Rotary or Kiwanis. They all have their involvements, you just don’t hear about it.?
From now until Nov. 22, the Orion/Oxford Local Bar Association is conducting a Thanksgiving food drive for FISH at Lake Orion attorney James Porritt’s office (436 S. Broadway St.).
Canned goods and other non-perishable food items may be dropped off in the main lobby of the lighthouse building to feed local needy families and individuals.
The association also plans to adopt and help eight needy individuals at Christmas time through Angel FISH (a holiday giving program through Oxford/Orion FISH).
‘It could be two families of four or eight individuals, we don’t know yet. Whatever the need is,? said Stephens, adding the association decided to work through FISH because it’s a ‘good, well-run organization? that’s ‘easy to work with? and helps people in both Oxford and Orion.
Plans are also in the works for the bar association to sponsor two $500 scholarships ? one for Oxford High School, the other for Lake Orion High School ? for ‘students who either show an interest in the law or excel in law-related classes.?
Stephens said the bar association will also allow local lawyers to efficiently and effectively provide services such as free consultations and pro bono work for those who can’t afford legal representation.
‘Come to the association, tell us what your need is and we’ll find a way to address it if we can,? she said. ‘If somebody came to us with a need and it’s an area of law I don’t practice, somebody else in the association can probably help them.?
All of these selfless efforts are meant to ‘not only improve (lawyers?) public image, but to also help the community we all live and work in.?
‘A lot of us who practice in Orion and Oxford acutally live in Orion and Oxford, which is unusual,? Stephens said. ‘You have a lot of firms in Troy, Bloomfield and Farmington Hills where those people don’t live in their communities like we do.?
‘We’re trying to improve the lives of everyone around us.?
The Orion/Oxford Local Bar Association meets on the second Friday of the month at noon ? every month except July and December ? in locations that alternate between the two communities.
The next meeting is Oct. 14 at Lombardo’s Bar & Grill in Oxford.
For more information call any of the group’s officers ? President Christine Stephens (248) 969-7000; Vice President Carol Holmes (248) 814-9004; Secretary Nancy Miller (248) 628-0180; and Treasurer Richard Hoffman (248) 693-6245. All of these selfless efforts are meant to ‘not only improve (lawyers?) public image, but to also help the community we all live and work in.?
‘A lot of us who practice in Orion and Oxford acutally live in Orion and Oxford, which is unusual,? Stephens said. ‘You have a lot of firms in Troy, Bloomfield and Farmington Hills where those people don’t live in their communities like we do.?
‘We’re trying to improve the lives of everyone around us.?
The Orion/Oxford Local Bar Association meets on the second Friday of the month at noon ? every month except July and December ? in locations that alternate between the two communities.
The next meeting is Oct. 14 at Lombardo’s Bar & Grill in Oxford.
For more information call any of the group’s officers ? President Christine Stephens (248) 969-7000; Vice President Carol Holmes (248) 814-9004; Secretary Nancy Miller (248) 628-0180; and Treasurer Richard Hoffman (248) 693-6245.