GRAND RAPIDS — Varnum attorney Carl E. Ver Beek is the recipient of the State Bar of Michigan’s Roberts P. Hudson Award, considered the highest award conferred by the State Bar. The award will be presented on Sept. 17 in conjunction with the State Bar of Michigan Annual Meeting in Grand Rapids.
The Hudson award is presented periodically to commend one or more lawyers “for their unselfish rendering of outstanding and unique service to and on behalf of the State Bar of Michigan and the legal profession, which has been given generously, ungrudgingly, and in a spirit of self-sacrifice. It is awarded to that member of the State Bar of Michigan who best exemplifies that which brings honor, esteem, and respect to the legal profession.”
Ver Beek graduated from Indiana University School of Law, and has practiced labor and employment law for more than 50 years, serving his entire career in his native west Michigan at the Varnum law firm.
His career includes collective bargaining for manufacturing, health care, education, and religious employers in both the private and public sector.
Ver Beek’s dedication to the advancement of the legal profession includes contributions to the American Bar Association, the State Bar of Michigan, and the Grand Rapids Bar Association, with a particular focus in the area of ethics and discipline matters.