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"A JUDGE SHOULD NOT BE INEXPERIENCED; HE SHOULD HAVE LEARNED TO KNOW EVIL, NOT FROM HIS OWN SOUL, BUT FROM LATE AND LONG OBSERVATION OF THE NATURE OF EVIL IN OTHERS; KNOWLEDGE SHOULD BE HIS GUIDE, NOT PERSONAL EXPERIENCE." PLATO ------------------------------------ In the 1991 photo at right, Former Recorder's Court Judge Richard Cunningham receives the oath of office from his mentor, Hon. Geraldine Ford, while his daughter Melissa, wife Linda, and Chief Judge Dalton Roberson look on. |
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NOTE: RICHARD CUNNINGHAM IS NOT AN INCUMBENT JUDGE. WHILE HE PREVIOUSLY SERVED AS A JUDGE OF THE RECORDER'S COURT FOR THE CITY OF DETROIT, HE IS NOW AN ATTORNEY IN PRIVATE PRACTICE.
Richard Cunningham was admitted to the State Bar of Michigan, and licensed to practice in all Michigan courts, in May 1979. He has also been admitted to the bars of the United States Supreme Court (1996), the United States Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit (1997), the United States Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit (1995), the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Michigan (1979) and the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Michigan (1997). His legal career includes:
February 2000 through Present: Richard L. Cunningham, Attorney at Law. Sole practitioner in private practice. Emphasis on criminal defense. Honored by Michigan Lawyers' Weekly as an "Attorney of the Year" in 2000.
January 1993 through January 2000: Staff Counsel, Michigan Attorney Grievance Commission. Investigated and prosecuted allegations of attorney misconduct. Represented the agency at hearing panel proceedings on disciplinary charges, and appeals of disciplinary orders to the Attorney Discipline Board and the Michigan Supreme Court. Represented the Commission, its members and staff, in federal and state civil actions arising from their duties.
September 1991 through December 1992: Judge of the Recorder’s Court. Served as a judge in a court with jurisdiction over felonies committed in Wayne County. Conducted pre-trial hearings, presided over bench and jury trials, and sentenced convicted offenders. Recognized in a Detroit Free Press article as one of the 10 Michigan judges least likely to be reversed on a criminal case.
March 1984 through August 1991: Assistant Wayne County Prosecutor. Represented the People at preliminary examinations, pre-trial hearings and bench and jury trials held in the various Wayne County District Courts, the Recorder’s Court for the City of Detroit, and the Wayne County Circuit Court. Specialized in homicide and public corruption cases. Served as the trial prosecutor in over 150 jury trials, hundreds of bench trials and hundreds of preliminary examinations.
June 1982 through March 1984: Richard L. Cunningham, Attorney at Law. Sole practitioner in private practice. Emphasis on criminal defense, probate and divorce.
October 1979 through June 1982: Staff Counsel, U.S. Veterans Administration. Represented the agency in the defense of claims brought against the government and its employees under the Federal Torts Claim Act. Represented the agency in actions to recover overpayments of federal benefits, in land contract forfeitures to recover real property after default, and on subrogation claims for medical treatment furnished by the agency.
Authorized and paid for by RICHARD CUNNINGHAM FOR CIRCUIT JUDGE