K I F F I. Y. F O R D '92

The following feature story appeared in the campus publication MOSAIC in September, 1999.

A SUCCESSFUL LITIGATOR EYES A SEAT ON THE BENCH

Last year, when Kiffi Y. Ford ’92 argued her first case before the Michigan Supreme Court, the experience had the makings of an "Ally McBeal" moment. Like the young lawyer in the popular television series who often finds herself in unusual situations, the then-27-year-old Ford stood before the state’s highest court with a potentially embarrassing wheeze and cough, the initial symptoms of a case of pneumonia.

"I composed myself, went up, and just did it," Ford says, recounting the memorable event. "It helped that I was too sick to be nervous." At the time, Ford was an associate in the Detroit-based law firm of Dykema Gossett, PLLC, and had been in practice for less than three years. She successfully argued that her client shouldn’t be required to provide a new assignment to an employee who had been injured in a non-work-related automobile accident. The case clarified the intent of the Michigan Persons with Disabilities Act and earned Ford a place in the Michigan Lawyers Weekly’s annual survey of the top 10 "Lawyers of the Year."

An economic focus

At Trinity, Ford majored in economics, believing that the discipline was ideal preparation for a legal career. "I’m from Detroit, where there are huge disparities in income between people who dwell in the cities and suburbanites," she explains. "I wanted to study economic trends and business cycles and understand why one third of the citizens and children in our country are impoverished so that I could ultimately help people in the future."

An important step toward gaining that understanding came during Professor of Economics Diane Zannoni’s "Poverty in America" class. "Professor Zannoni was very insightful and had a lot of clarity on issues of poverty," Ford recalls. She went on to study econometrics with Zannoni and did a project that focused on the factors that influence mastery test results in Hartford public elementary and middle schools. "Professor Zannoni put me in touch with a lawyer involved in the Sheff vs. O’Neill Connecticut school equity case. I got all kinds of raw data from the case that I was able to use in my econometrics project."

Ford’s economic perspective assumed a broader focus during her junior year when she enrolled in a semester-long program on economics at American University in Washington, DC, in which she examined how national, state, and local economic policy affect the organizational agendas of private business. "I remember visiting the International Monetary Fund headquarters and listening to debates on the floor of Congress," she notes. "It was an excellent experience."

Zannoni recalls the excellent work Ford did in her econometrics class and remembers that one of the plaintiffs in the school equity case even requested a copy of Ford’s study. "Kiffi looked at the world outside of Trinity and connected it with what she was learning in the classroom," Zannoni recalls. "She was bright and quiet, but someone who didn’t hesitate to state her opinion." The professor believes the law is a career for which her former student is well suited. "Kiffi had a very solid idea of what justice was and what people had a right to expect in this world," Zannoni says.

After graduating from Trinity, Ford returned to Detroit and earned a law degree from Wayne State University Law School in 1995. She then joined Dykema Gossett, the state’s second-largest law firm, as an associate. She worked there for almost three years, honing her litigation skills. She joined Varnum, Riddering, Schmidt & Howlett, LLP, in Kalamazoo as an associate in August 1998 after her husband, Mendel, who is a physician, accepted a position at a hospital in western Michigan. Last month, Ford transferred to her firm’s Lansing office when her husband joined another practice.

Ford has found her economics background instrumental in her practice of labor and employment law. Her clients include hospitals, national banking institutions, and a major U.S. automaker. "Labor and employment law relates back to my overarching interest in employment and the economy and the way people earn their livelihoods," she explains. "I advise employers how to maintain healthy work environments for their employees and how to comply with the law to protect themselves and their employees."

Ford is willing to share her knowledge and expertise with friends. "I feel I have specialized information that can help people, in some way, live better lives," Ford explains. "I get calls all the time from folks whom I know through friends or family. As a lawyer, you have a little knowledge base that helps you navigate through the courts and deal with many different situations."

Ford doesn’t hesitate to recommend the law as a profession. "Practicing law can lead to a very eclectic and rewarding career," she observes. "There are so many different areas of practice – from the most scientifically technical areas of patent law to entertainment law to public interest law. You can focus or develop a niche in an area in which you have always had an interest or where you have naturally excelled."

Ford is pleased with her legal achievements to date. But she looks forward to the future, the birth of her first child and the opportunity to spend more time in court -- as a judge. "I think I could have some impact, albeit small, on the administration of justice and the interpretation of laws," she says modestly.

-Suzanne Zack