The Honorable Michael D. Mason Retires from the Stephen S. Weinstein Advocacy Program
AUWCL Advocacy Program Celebrates Judge Mason and Advocacy Faculty at First In-Person Gathering Since Pandemic
On September 30, the AUWCL Stephen S. Weinstein Advocacy Program gathered to honor Judge Michael D. Mason, celebrating his illustrious 26-year teaching career and, in equal measure, to express profound gratitude to the Program's faculty for their unwavering commitment to shaping AUWCL students into masters of advocacy.
Judge Mason, Associate Judge (Chief Judge, 2009-2018), Montgomery County Circuit Court, 6th Judicial Circuit is widely regarded as one of the most accomplished and thorough judges in the State of Maryland during his 24-year career on the bench. Mason was one of the original jurists assigned to the business and technology track for complex litigation and became a leader in the management of such cases, providing invaluable guidance to many other judges and lawyers. In 2013, the Montgomery County Bar Association honored him as its’ Jurist of the Year.
Cynthia Goode Works, director of the nationally ranked Stephen S. Weinstein Advocacy Program, praised Judge Mason and presented him with a trophy in recognition of his years of dedicated service. She also offered thanks to all the Advocacy Program faculty for generously sharing their time, talent, and experience with AUWCL students, thus playing a pivotal role in nurturing the future generation of legal professionals.
Judge Mason reflected upon his long career, saying “From my time in the state’s attorney’s office and on the circuit court, the overwhelming majority of my legal career has been devoted to public service, I have tried every day to render fair and just decisions in a timely fashion and to treat everyone who comes before me with respect, thereby enhancing the public’s trust in our justice system.”
Judge Mason also said that the Advocacy Program gives students the best possible preparation for being in a courtroom.
“You actually learn how to put some of these things you learn into practice," he said. "In other classes, you’re trying to learn substantive law. But, as you go into practice, you’ll have to re-educate yourself every time you go into a case, learn what’s new. But these skills, you carry these with you from case to case because they’re all transferrable.”