Milton J. (Jack) Miller (1912 – March 6, 2007) was a business

lawyer A lawyer is a person who practices law. The role of a lawyer varies greatly across different legal jurisdictions. A lawyer can be classified as an advocate, attorney, barrister, canon lawyer, civil law notary, counsel, counselor, solic ...

from

Detroit Detroit ( , ; , ) is the largest city in the U.S. state of Michigan. It is also the largest U.S. city on the United States–Canada border, and the seat of government of Wayne County. The City of Detroit had a population of 639,111 at th ...

Michigan Michigan () is a state in the Great Lakes region of the upper Midwestern United States. With a population of nearly 10.12 million and an area of nearly , Michigan is the 10th-largest state by population, the 11th-largest by area, and the ...

and co-founder of the

law firm A law firm is a business entity formed by one or more lawyers to engage in the practice of law. The primary service rendered by a law firm is to advise clients (individuals or corporations) about their legal rights and responsibilities, and to r ...

Honigman Miller Schwartz and Cohn Honigman LLP (commonly referred to as Honigman) is a law firm founded in Detroit with over 350 attorneys in eight offices. The firm ranked 135th on The American Lawyer's 2019 AmLaw 200 rankings of U.S. law firms. History In 1948, Detroit-based ...

Early life

Miller was born in

Baltimore Baltimore ( , locally: or ) is the List of municipalities in Maryland, most populous city in the U.S. state of Maryland, fourth most populous city in the Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic, and List of United States cities by popula ...

Maryland Maryland ( ) is a state in the Mid-Atlantic region of the United States. It shares borders with Virginia, West Virginia, and the District of Columbia to its south and west; Pennsylvania to its north; and Delaware and the Atlantic Ocean to ...

in 1912 to immigrant parents. He grew up in Detroit and graduated from

Detroit Central High School Central High School, previously Central Collegiate Academy and originally named Central High School, is the oldest public secondary school in Detroit, Michigan; it is part of the Detroit Public Schools Community District. The school's student bod ...

, the first public

high school A secondary school describes an institution that provides secondary education and also usually includes the building where this takes place. Some secondary schools provide both '' lower secondary education'' (ages 11 to 14) and ''upper seconda ...

established in Detroit and in Michigan. During his time at Detroit Central, he met his future wife, Jeanette Rabinowitz. He graduated from the

University of Michigan , mottoeng = "Arts, Knowledge, Truth" , former_names = Catholepistemiad, or University of Michigania (1817–1821) , budget = $10.3 billion (2021) , endowment = $17 billion (2021)As o ...

with an

undergraduate degree An undergraduate degree (also called first degree or simply degree) is a colloquial term for an academic degree earned by a person who has completed undergraduate courses. In the United States, it is usually offered at an institution of higher e ...

in 1933. Two years later, in 1935, he graduated, with honors, from the University of Michigan Law School with a

Juris Doctor The Juris Doctor (J.D. or JD), also known as Doctor of Jurisprudence (J.D., JD, D.Jur., or DJur), is a graduate-entry professional degree in law and one of several Doctor of Law degrees. The J.D. is the standard degree obtained to practice law ...

Law career

In 1948, with Jason L. Honigman, he formed a law firm what is known today as

. The firm has been headquartered in the First National Building since its founding, which is located in the heart of downtown Detroit directly facing Campus Martius Park. In practice, he was primarily a business lawyer. In addition to his business practice, he also headed the firm’s matrimonial / family law group. As a family law practitioner, he represented many of Detroit’s social elite, including

Henry Ford II Henry Ford II (September 4, 1917 – September 29, 1987), sometimes known as "Hank the Deuce", was an American businessman in the automotive industry. He was the oldest son of Edsel Ford I and oldest grandson of Henry Ford I. He was president ...

in his divorce from Cristina Ford in 1980. He was a lifelong member of the

State Bar of Michigan The State Bar of Michigan is the governing body for lawyers in the State of Michigan. Membership is mandatory for attorneys who practice law in Michigan. The organization's mission is to aid in promoting improvements in the administration of jus ...

as well as the International Society of Barristers.Joe Rossiter.
Milton Miller: Father to, soul of Detroit law firm
" (PDF), ''

Detroit Free Press The ''Detroit Free Press'' is the largest daily newspaper in Detroit, Michigan, US. The Sunday edition is titled the ''Sunday Free Press''. It is sometimes referred to as the Freep (reflected in the paper's web address, www.freep.com). It primari ...

'' at

, March 8, 2007.

Retirement and interests

Although never formally retiring, he was actively involved in the day-to-day operations of the firm. In his spare time, he was dedicated to his family and was an active

tennis Tennis is a racket sport that is played either individually against a single opponent ( singles) or between two teams of two players each ( doubles). Each player uses a tennis racket that is strung with cord to strike a hollow rubber ball ...

player even up to the time of his death. He was deeply involved in many

Jewish Jews ( he, יְהוּדִים, , ) or Jewish people are an ethnoreligious group and nation originating from the Israelites Israelite origins and kingdom: "The first act in the long drama of Jewish history is the age of the Israelites""The ...

causes including the

Jewish Federation of Metropolitan Detroit Jews ( he, יְהוּדִים, , ) or Jewish people are an ethnoreligious group and nation originating from the Israelites Israelite origins and kingdom: "The first act in the long drama of Jewish history is the age of the Israelites""Th ...

. He was also active with the

Detroit Symphony Orchestra The Detroit Symphony Orchestra (DSO) is an American orchestra based in Detroit, Michigan. Its primary performance venue is Orchestra Hall at the Max M. Fisher Music Center in Detroit's Midtown neighborhood. Jader Bignamini is the current music d ...

Death

Miller died at his home in

Franklin, Michigan Franklin is a village in Southfield Township, Oakland County in the U.S. state of Michigan. The population was 3,150 at the 2010 census. The community is known for large, estate-style homes. The downtown was designated as an historic district, t ...

pancreatic cancer Pancreatic cancer arises when cell (biology), cells in the pancreas, a glandular organ behind the stomach, begin to multiply out of control and form a Neoplasm, mass. These cancerous cells have the malignant, ability to invade other parts of t ...

. He was 94 years old at the time of death. In November 2007, Honigman Miller Schwartz and Cohn announced the Jack Miller Memorial

Scholarship A scholarship is a form of financial aid awarded to students for further education. Generally, scholarships are awarded based on a set of criteria such as academic merit, diversity and inclusion, athletic skill, and financial need. Scholarsh ...

Fund at the University of Michigan Law School.Firm establishes scholarship with U of M Law School
, ''Detroit Legal News'', December 10, 2007 The fund provides a scholarship to a financially challenged first-year law student from the city of Detroit as well as an opportunity to work as a summer associate at Honigman Miller Schwartz and Cohn. In establishing the fund, the firm’s chief officer, Alan S. Schwartz, was quoted as saying:

We are so proud to be able to celebrate Jack Miller’s amazing life and accomplishments with this gift. This will ensure Jack’s legacy of caring, kindness, and generosity will live on forever.

References

External links

In Memory of My Grandfather: A Giant Lost
by Zack Miller {{DEFAULTSORT:Miller, Milton, J. 1912 births 2007 deaths Lawyers from Baltimore Lawyers from Detroit University of Michigan Law School alumni People from Franklin, Michigan 20th-century American lawyers