RICHARD C. KAUFMAN Zausmer, Kaufman, August & Caldwell, P.C. 31700 Middlebelt Road, Suite 150 Farmington Hills, MI 48334 (248) 851-4111 (Telephone) (248) 851-0100 (Facsimile) EDUCATION College: University of Michigan, Ann Arbor September 1969 to May 1973 Bachelor of Arts (Philosophy) * graduated cum laude * National Honor Society member Law School: Wayne State University Law School Juris Doctor - May 1977 * top 10% of class * recipient of Bronze Key scholarship award * recipient of excellence in scholarship pins two years in a row * award for best student in Family Law * Law clerk to the Wayne County Organized Crime Task Force (May 1975 to October 1977) LEGAL AND PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE * Partner in the law firm of Zausmer, Kaufman, August & Caldwell, P.C. from October, 1998 to present: specializing in facilitations, special masterships, receiverships and complex litigation. * General Manager/General Counsel of SMART Transportation from January 29, 1996 to September 30, 1998 * Wayne County Circuit Court Judge from January 1, 1981 to January 26, 1996 * Presiding Judge of the Wayne County Citizen's Grand Jury from June 1983 to May 1984
* Presiding Judge of the Criminal Division of Wayne County Circuit Court from July 1984 to December 1984 * Visiting Judge in Recorder's Court for the City of Detroit for three months in 1985 * Chief Judge of Wayne County Circuit Court from March 1986 to December 31, 1993 (see next section of resume) * State Judicial Council from May 1986 to September 1991 * Executive Chief Judge of Recorder's Court for the City of Detroit and Wayne County Circuit Court from January 1, 1988 to December 31,1989 and from January 1, 1992 to December 31, 1993 * Visiting Judge on the Michigan Court of Appeals in 1986 and 1992 * Advisory Board of the Institute for Court Management of the National Center for State Courts * Associate lawyer with the law firm of Colista, Green, Green and Adams from October 1977 to December 1980 CHIEF JUDGE OF WAYNE COUNTY CIRCUIT COURT As Chief Judge of Wayne County Circuit Court from 1986 to 1994, I had the duties and responsibilities for that Court as outlined in MCR 8.119. In effect I was CEO for a public entity with the following characteristics: * 35 judges * 500 employees * 50,000 cases filed per year * $40 million gross budget (state & county combined) * employees represented by three public unions During my tenure as Chief Judge, Wayne County Circuit Court: * was nationally recognized for changing from one of the least efficient urban trial courts in the United States to one of the most efficient (e.g. while case filings have increased each year, cases pending on the docket for more than two years declined from 17,183 to 284) * increased child support collections from $122.3 million to $223.6 million 2
* increased reimbursement to the Department of Social Services for ADC payments from $27.7 million to $57.4 million * consolidated its criminal docket with the Recorder's Court for the City of Detroit PUBLICATIONS * "What Every Lawyer Should Know About Antitrust Law, But Didn't Know He Was Supposed to Ask," Detroit Lawyer, Vol. 47, No. 2, April, 1979 (co-authored with Paul Green) * "GCR 522: To Enter or Not to Enter," Detroit Lawyer, Vol. 49, No. 3, September - October, 1981 * "Money Damages for Personal Injuries: What's It All About?" For the Defense: The Magazine for Defense, Insurance and Corporate Counsel, October 1983 * "Inadequate Jail Space: Fix It or Forget It," Detroit News, Op-Ed column, January 10, 1988 * "Assignment of Counsel in Wayne County," Michigan Bar Journal, Vol. 72, No. 1, January 1993 * "Civil Justice in Wayne County: The Good News," Detroit News, Op-Ed column, January 22, 1993 * Toward Excellence in Caseflow Management, The Experience of the Circuit Court in Wayne County, Michigan, National Center for State Courts publication, 1991 * "Wayne County Juries: Equal Opportunity or Equal Result" Detroit Free Press, Op-Ed column, July, 1994 * "The Civil Justice System: Private Sector to the Rescue" Detroit Legal News, March 18, 1995 * "Facilitations" Michigan Lawyers Weekly, January, 1998 * "Facilitation: Half a Loaf is Better than None at All" Michigan Lawyers Weekly, October 12, 1998 3
SELECTED PROFESSIONAL ACTIVITIES * Chair, Criminal Consolidation Committee of Wayne Circuit and Recorder's Court (This committee recommended a plan for consolidation of these two courts' criminal dockets that was ultimately adopted and implemented on January 1, 1987). * Chair, Mediation Tribunal Association * Chair, Wayne County Circuit Court/Recorder's Court Joint Executive Committee * Presiding Judge in Wayne County Jail Inmates v Wayne County, et al (see "Wayne County Jail Inmates v Wayne County Sheriff: The Anatomy of a Lawsuit," by Marvin Zalman, The Prison Journal, Volume LXXI [sp - su, 1991] for a discussion of how I administratively supervised this complex case) * Chair, Wayne County Circuit Court Executive Committee * Michigan Supreme Court Committee on Video Courtrooms * Michigan Supreme Court Committee on Medical Malpractice Mediation * Wayne County Circuit Court/Detroit Bar Association Committee on Proposed Michigan Court Rules * Established and Ex-Officio member of Wayne County Circuit Court Bench/Bar Liaison Committee * Retained by the Supreme Court of Missouri to develop and present a seminar on how to effectively manage an urban trial court * Retained by the St. Louis County Circuit Court to help structure and implement management changes in that court (September '93) * Participant and speaker in numerous seminars, lectures and other events VARIOUS AWARDS AND HONORS * Wayne State University Law School, Distinguished Graduate Award * State Judicial Council, Distinguished Service Award * "Award of Appreciation," Family Law Council of the State Bar of Michigan 4
* "Exemplary Service Recognition," Wolverine Bar Association and Detroit Bar Association * "Eleanor Roosevelt Humanitarian Award," Israel Bond Foundation * "Most Respected Judge Recognition," Michigan Lawyer's Weekly * Ranked as one of the best judges in Michigan, Monthly Detroit Magazine * Detroit Free Press Editorial in 1989 wrote, "Judge Richard C. Kaufman, the chief Judge of Wayne County Circuit Court, deserves great credit for bringing the court to this point and for keeping his colleagues on track. It is an honest-to-goodness success story..." 5