By Whitney Gronski-Buffa
Pioneer Staff Writer
BIG RAPIDS - Attorney James R. Samuels is hoping to bring his small-town
perspective to the Criminal Defense Attorneys of Michigan, an organization
that traditionally has been run by the big city guys from Detroit.
Samuels, of Big Rapids, is the first person from a small town to serve as
the president of CDAM, a networking organization that helps Michigan
lawyers connect on a professional level and educates young lawyers about
the skills they need in the courtroom and in their own private
practices.
In the past, CDAM's presidents have all come from the Detroit
and Lansing metropolitan areas. Samuels hopes his unique career in
Mecosta County will help him enlighten others in the group.
"I think we have a different perspective on how courts operate than they
do in Detroit," Samuels said. "I think being a small-town, country lawyer,
like myself, gives me the chance to get to know the judges personally and
we have a closer working relationship with prosecutors. Make no mistake -
there are times when we have to poke them in the eye or kick them in the
shin and they have to do the same with me. But, especially here, it's
never personal. It's just about trying to do the right thing."
That kind of personal relationship also extends to the people Samuels
defends.
"As a small-town attorney, you get to know lots and lots of
families over the years," Samuels said. "Some of the folks I've prosecuted
in the past, I've defended now and I think you lose that flavor when you
get into the larger cities. It's not as familiar."
Samuels has been practicing law for 29 years and served as the elected
prosecutor for Mecosta County for 12 years. In 1997, he went back into
private practice and has been working as a criminal defense attorney ever
since.
Peter Jaklevic, prosecuting attorney for Mecosta County, began as
the assistant prosecuting attorney under Samuels in 1994. They worked
together for about two years before Samuels returned to private practice.
Now, they regularly see each other on opposite sides of Mecosta County's
courtrooms, where Jaklevic said Samuels is a tough opponent.
"Jim's always been a guy who you better have your ducks in a row if you're
going to beat him," Jaklevic said. "He's a good attorney and a smart
guy."
Jaklevic said Samuels works hard to ensure those he defends are
represented to the fullest.
"Just as you need a prosecutor who knows what he's doing... you need a
defense attorney to make sure the defendant's rights are being protected,"
Jaklevic said. "Jim's always held up his end of bargain."
Samuels is the only attorney in Michigan to have served on the board of
directors of the Prosecuting Attorneys Association of Michigan and later
on the board of directors for the Criminal Defense Attorneys of Michigan.
His experience as both a prosecutor and a criminal defense attorney is
something Margaret Raben, a criminal defense attorney in Detroit and
former president of CDAM, said has served Samuels well throughout his
career and will only help him as president of CDAM.
"I think Jim comes to his law practice from the standpoint of having been
an elected county prosecutor in Mecosta County so he truly does know what
it looks like on both sides," Raben said. "He is fond of describing
himself as coming from small-town America and there is a difference when
you come from that because everyone knows everyone. I think there is, to
the extent the law allows it, a more human approach to resolving cases."
Samuels said he will use those experiences along with his small-town
mentality to educate the next generation of Michigan criminal defense
attorneys.
"In this line of work, the majority of people I defend are
good people who made poor judgments," he said. "I think when you're
working as a small town lawyer, you have a better opportunity to humanize
these folks."
