Collections : [University of Michigan Bentley Historical Library]

The Legal Division series is the largest of the twelve series in the collection and contains material on a wide range of issues. The mission of the Governor's Legal Division was primarily to provide sound legal advice and act as a liaison with the Attorney General. The files contain research materials, printed email correspondence, and legal documents. The series is comprised of eleven subseries organized by staff member and a General Office Records subseries organized by topic. The staff member subseries are: Kelly Keenan: Legal Counsel, 2003-2008; Steven C. Liedel: Deputy Legal Counsel (2003-2008) and Legal Counsel (2008-2010); Don Allen: Attorney General's Office and Deputy Legal Counsel; Suzanne Sonneborn: Deputy Legal Counsel; Victoria Manning: Paralegal; Danielle M. Brown: Staff; Corina Peña Andorfer: Deputy Legal Counsel; Michelle Rick: Deputy Legal Counsel; Brandon Hofmeister: Deputy Legal Counsel; Teresa Bingman: Deputy Legal Counsel; and John Wernet: Deputy Legal Counsel.

Kelly Keenan served as the governor's legal counsel from 2003 to 2008. The Kelly Keenan: Legal Counsel, 2003-2008 subseries documents the full range of the Legal Division's activity. Keenan's files also document the Granholm administration's preparation of an amicus curiae brief in support of the University of Michigan in the Graetz and Grutter lawsuits and contain a significant collection of materials related to the Kwame Kilpatrick removal hearing. Steven C. Liedel, served as a Deputy Legal Counsel from 2003 to 2008 and was named Legal Counsel in 2008 upon the retirement of Kelly Keenan. His records primarily document transition and legislative issues. There is also some material related to the Kwame Kilpatrick removal hearing in the Liedel subseries. Additionally, the Liedel subseries contains files for each of Governor Granholm's executive orders, directives, and proclamations. Combined, the Keenan and Liedel subseries document the full range of the department's activity, although more detailed information on a particular topic can often be found in the files of a staffer who specialized in that area.

The other nine staffers worked in more circumscribed areas including renewable energy, economic development, corrections, tribal issues, civil rights, and education. Of particular note are Deputy Legal Counsel Michelle Rick's files documenting the administration's response to Proposal 2 and John Wernet's extensive files on Tribal Issues. The final subseries, General Office Records, documents the same topics as the paper files, but is significantly more robust in documenting legislative activity.