Lawyer appointed to Attorney Discipline Board

Lawyer appointed to Attorney Discipline Board

Peter Smit Courtesy Varnum LLP

A local lawyer was chosen to oversee attorneys’ performances.

Varnum partner Peter Smit was appointed to the Attorney Discipline Board, which is an adjudicative arm of the Michigan Supreme Court to supervise and discipline Michigan attorneys.

The board has nine members — six lawyers and three nonlawyers — who are appointed by the Michigan Supreme Court.

The ADB appoints hearing panels that are made up of three volunteer attorneys to conduct trial-level proceedings in certain matters, including cases in which the Attorney Grievance Commission has filed a complaint of professional misconduct against a member of the bar.

The ADB functions as an appellate tribunal after a matter has been adjudicated by the hearing panel.

In addition to being a partner at Varnum, Smit also is a litigator at the firm’s Grand Rapids office and is a member of the Personal Injury Practice Team. He focuses on business litigation defense. He has legal experience in personal injury, wrongful death, and auto and trucking litigation.

Smit is a member of the Sixth Circuit Judicial Conference, and he is on the board of directors of Business Counsel Inc.

Smit received his Juris Doctor from Wayne State University School of Law and his Bachelor of Art from Calvin University.