Two top Macomb County court attorneys leave posts – Macomb Daily
The top legal-services attorneys in Macomb County Circuit Court and Probate Court in Mount Clemens have left their posts, although one of them will remain part-time to help train his replacement and others.
Christopher Smith, legal services director for circuit court, left for a similar position in Oakland County Circuit Court in Pontiac after more than a dozen years in Macomb County. He was hired in 2011 as a research attorney after previously serving as an intern in Macomb, and became director in 2017.
Chief Judge James Biernat Jr. praised Smith in his “Court Chronicles” quarterly newsletter, saying he had a high aptitude for the law and always gave “sage advice” on legal matters.
“Chris was always an excellent research attorney, and I knew back in 2017 when I promoted him to director he would be up to the task. We were lucky to have him for as long as we did,” Biernat said.
Smith has been replaced by Jackie Brandt Schultz, who was promoted from a research attorney post after five years. Brandt Schultz worked in private practice for three years before joining Macomb County.
A job posting for a research attorney to replace her was recently placed on the county web site.
The nine research attorneys assist the circuit court’s 15 judges with legal advice, research of laws and issues “of interest,” writes proposed opinions and memos and “reviews legal materials submitted by attorneys and parties, according to the job posting.
Christopher Smith, former legal services director for Macomb County Circuit Court, at his desk in Mount Clemens before he recently left.(MACOMB COUNTY COURTS PHOTO)
Meanwhile, Robert Szalka, director of legal services for probate court, recently retired from that full-time post and has returned to work part-time through the end of the year to train employees and a new director, said probate Deputy Court Administrator John Brennan, who serves under Biernat.
Szalka started in 2010 as chief probate attorney and in 2013 became legal serves director.
Brennan called Szalka “an exceptional legal services director and a great friend.”
“His thorough knowledge of probate will not be easy to replace,” he said. “His temperament and way with people kept the office running smoothly. He will be sorely missed by our judges, staff and most importantly the people we serve.”
Szalka returned last month to work part-time, three days per week, to train one new deputy register and possibly a second one as well as the new legal services director, Brennan said. That job will be posted soon, he said.
“We have Bob working on a contract basis as a trainer,” he said. “We go through so much turnover” due to modest pay and job difficulty.
There are nine deputy registers in probate of 20 employees total; the office also includes three additional attorneys, two estate analysts, a deputy register supervisor, three secretaries and Brennan.
Szalka is earning the same salary he was receiving but on a prorated basis with no benefits, Brennan said.
When Szalka arrived in 2010, the judges were Kathryn George and Pamela Gilbert O’Sullivan. He also worked under judges Carl Marlinga, who served from 2013 to 2017, as well as current judges Sandra Harrison, who was appointed to replace Marlinga in 2017, and Sara A. Schimke, who was appointed in March 2022 to replace George.
Macomb Probate Court moved in May 2019 from a stand-alone building at Dunham and North Road roads to the fifth floor of the county courthouse at 40 N. Main in Mount Clemens.
Szalka is a lifelong Macomb County resident and served as part-time treasurer for Richmond Township for 12 years. He and his wife, Cheryl, plan to move to Tennessee where they will continue their passion for golf.
Szalka was active in the Macomb County Probate Bar Association and served two terms as president. He was an adjunct professor in the legal assistant program for over 20 years at Macomb Community College.
He was in private practice from 1994 to 2010.
He earned a bachelor’s degree at University of Michigan and law degree at University of Detroit Mercy.
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