Beth Rivers Named 2026 Recipient of the State Bar of Michigan Labor and Employment Law Section’s Distinguished Service Award

Pitt McGehee Palmer Bonanni & Rivers is proud to announce that Partner Beth Rivers has been named the 2026 recipient of the State Bar of Michigan Labor & Employment Law Section’s Distinguished Service Award.

This prestigious honor recognizes Beth as a lawyer who has made meaningful contributions to labor and employment law while exemplifying the highest ethical principles and a sustained commitment to excellence, but such a description fails to capture the full breadth of Beth’s accomplishments since she joined the firm over two decades ago.

Throughout her career, Beth’s work has significantly advanced workers’ rights and civil justice in state and federal courts across the country by shaping key areas of the law. Further, her advocacy has also clarified the scope of the Older Workers Benefit Protection Act, as well as won significant damages for clients whose employers violated their labor and employment rights. Beth was a critical part of the legal team that fought to advance LGBTQIA+ rights when they challenged Michigan’s ban on same-sex marriage in DeBoer v. Snyder, a case that ultimately contributed to the Supreme Court’s landmark Obergefell ruling legalizing same-sex marriage nationwide. Beth continues to lead major civil rights and institutional accountability cases today.

Beth will be formally recognized at the Labor and Employment Law Section’s Mid-Winter Meeting on January 29, 2026, at the Detroit Athletic Club, which you can register for here.

We are proud to celebrate Beth, and we congratulate her on this well-deserved recognition.

Learn more about her recognition here.