By Kent County
Kent County Circuit Court Family Division Judge Kathleen A. Feeney was recently named one of the Michigan Lawyers Weekly’s 2018 Leaders in the Law Class. This honor comes shortly after Judge Feeney was named Chief Judge Pro Tem of Kent County Circuit Court and the State Bar of Michigan Family Law Section named her as the recipient of its Justice Marilyn Kelly Outstanding Judicial Service Award.
This is the tenth year that MLW’s Leaders in the Law has recognized outstanding leaders and mentors within Michigan’s legal community. Thirty winners in all were selected from across the state for their efforts, including:
Significant accomplishments or achievements in law practice;
Outstanding contributions to the practice of law in Michigan;
Leadership in improving the justice system in Michigan;
Seeking improvements to the legal community and their communities at large;
Setting an example for other lawyers.
Judge Feeney is co-chair of the Family Law Committee for the Michigan Judges Association and has helped draft several significant amendments to the Michigan Court Rules. She serves on the Michigan Supreme Court Committee on Model Civil Jury Instructions and is active in her church and community having spent 15 years on the Board of Directors for the Wolverine World Wide Family YMCA.
Judge Feeney took the bench in March 2000. She practiced family, employment, and insurance law and worked at the Court of Appeals in the first part of her legal career. She also is extremely accomplished in what was once a very male-dominated field.
“The biggest challenge I face in my legal career is being a woman,” Judge Feeney said. “I’ve competed with men in everything from swimming to basketball to softball to lawyering to judging. I’m the first woman judge on the Kent County Circuit Court and the first Chief Judge Pro Tem from the Family Division. I’m a woman who is a judge. I have been surprised and continue to be surprised, that litigants, lawyers, and sometimes judges still throw up barriers because of my gender. I do revel in overcoming these barriers.”
Judge Feeney’s approach is fair and honest, often providing counsel to those before her or pointing people in directions that may not be to their liking.
“I am trying to help them do what is best for them or their families but they do not always see it that way,” Judge Feeney told MLW. “Sometimes they take it to heart and reunify with their children and stay sober. Sometimes kids find their inner strength and succeed. We all celebrate! Every once in a while someone comes back and thanks me. In those circumstances, I know I have had a positive impact.”
While the last 18 years have brought much change and expansion to the Kent County Circuit Court, Judge Feeney believes that those within the courts should find opportunities to make the system better.
“That’s what drives me now; I am committed to improving the court system and continuing to find better ways to serve the families and children we see every day,” she said.
