Commission Organization
and Staff

The Commission has 7 staff positions, including 4 attorneys and 3 support staff.  The legal staff is comprised of Paul J. Fischer, Executive Director; Thomas L. Prowse, Senior Staff Attorney; Anna Marie Noeske, Staff Attorney; and Casimir J. Swastek, Staff Attorney. 

The support staff is comprised of Camella Thompson, Senior Administrative Assistant; Wilmar Bennett, Administrative Assistant; and Celeste Robinson, Secretary.  All Commission staff are state employees.

The Executive Director and General Counsel is hired by, and reports directly to, the Commission.  The Executive Director oversees the intake and investigation of complaints and is the examiner handling the formal proceedings.  The Executive Director is also the primary liaison between the Commission and the judiciary, the public, and the media. 

The Commission’s three staff attorneys are responsible for the evaluation and investigation of grievances.  The staff attorneys serve as associate-examiners during formal proceedings.  The examiner, with the assistance of the staff attorneys, is responsible for preparing cases for hearing and presenting the evidence that supports the charges before the master.  They also prepare legal briefs addressing master’s reports, and present cases orally and in writing in hearings before the Commission and the Michigan Supreme Court.

 

 

Paul J. Fischer has been Executive Director and General Counsel since January 2001. Prior to joining the Commission in that capacity, he was an assistant Oakland County Prosecutor before serving as a Commission staff attorney. In addition, Mr. Fischer practiced commercial litigation and family law in private practice. Mr. Fischer has been a member of the Michigan State Bar since 1983.

Senior Staff Attorney Thomas L. Prowse joined the Commission in 1974. Prior to that date, he clerked in the Michigan Court of Appeals. Mr. Prowse has been a member of the Michigan State Bar since 1970.

Staff Attorney Anna Marie Noeske has been employed by the Commission since January 1989.  Before then, she worked for UAW Legal Services, primarily in the areas of real estate, probate, and consumer litigation.  Ms. Noeske has been a member of the Michigan State Bar since 1982.

Staff Attorney Cas Swastek joined the Commission in August 1997.  Before that date, he worked in private practice focusing on commercial litigation and the defense of legal and accounting malpractice claims.  Mr. Swastek has been a member of the Michigan State Bar since 1989.