Melissa Neckers Honored with Grand Rapids Bar Association’s Champion of Justice Award
GRAND RAPIDS, MI – May 4, 2026 – Miller Johnson is delighted to announce that Melissa Neckers has been honored with the Grand Rapids Bar Association’s Champion of Justice Award. This prestigious recognition is presented to an attorney who exemplifies the GRBA’s mission: “To promote justice, professional excellence, and respect for the law, foster the dignity and integrity of the profession, and/or provide law‑related services to the community.”
Ms. Neckers is a leading practitioner in assisted reproduction law, advising clients on surrogacy, embryo donation, sperm donation, and egg donation. She guides families through Michigan’s legal requirements and fertility‑center protocols and helps intended parents establish parental rights once a pregnancy is underway.
“I am honored to receive this award,” said Ms. Neckers. “My work in reproductive and surrogacy law have been driven by a dedication to meaningful progress, and I appreciate this recognition.”
Since 2016, Ms. Neckers has played a pivotal role in modernizing Michigan’s surrogacy laws. She represents the intended parents in a widely publicized case in which biological parents were required to adopt their own children born via surrogate—an event that drew national attention to Michigan’s outdated legal framework. She also worked closely with Michigan legislators to advance reform and was the only Michigan attorney to testify in support of the Michigan Family Protection Act before the Michigan Senate Judiciary Committee.
On April 1, 2024, Governor Whitmer signed the Michigan Family Protection Act into law. These reforms provide long‑needed protections for surrogates, intended parents, and most importantly children born through assisted reproduction and surrogacy.
Ms. Neckers will receive the award at the Grand Rapids Bar Association Annual Meeting on May 12, 2026, surrounded by colleagues, peers, and community members who have witnessed her impact firsthand.
Incorporated in 1902, the Grand Rapids Bar Association (GRBA) has always been known for its high level of professionalism and civility. It is an association in which those qualities are the norm and lawyers who lack them are the exception. It also enjoys a climate in which lawyers and judges work together to improve the delivery of legal services. Since its inception, the Association has maintained membership loyalty far exceeding that of other voluntary bar associations. An early inspiration of local bar leaders was a private law library, incorporated even before the formal association in 1896.
Miller Johnson is a full-service firm providing legal counsel to businesses and individuals in corporate matters, employment and labor law, litigation, employee benefits, and private client representation including estate planning and family law. Since 1959, Miller Johnson has been Michigan-based and has served clients worldwide.
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