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events 2 3 1 acho’s their man CABA honors longtime attorney By Joyce Wiswell Photos by James Wallace Though he’s nearing the 40-year mark on his law career, Ron Acho has no plans to retire. “I get a card or letter once a week from a client thanking me, and that is a nice feeling. How can you get that if you retire?” he said. “Plus, I enjoy what I do.” Acho, 66, was honored with the 2012 Community Service and Dedication Award by the Chaldean American Bar Association (CABA) at a dinner on May 30. “This year’s board voted unanimously to award Ron for his many years of service to the Chaldean community and to the legal community,” said Derek Dickow, CABA’s executive director. Asked to sum up Acho in a few words, Dickow said, “Classy, intelligent, witty and an overall great guy.” Acho, a partner in Cummings, McClorey, Davis & Acho, handles all areas of law but concentrates mainly on business and employment issues. Acho has spent his entire career at the Livonia-based firm, which he joined in 1974 after graduating from the Detroit College of Law. “To be at the same place your whole career is really unheard of. Most lawyers switch after three years and many have worked at three, four or five law firms,” Acho said. “I like being with the same people for all this time – my paralegal has been with me for almost 30 years and my secretary for almost 20. We have a family atmosphere and people really do care for one another.” Caring is what sets Acho apart from many other attorneys. Clients appreciate the fact that he is passionate about their cases. “I try to make a difference in people’s lives, and try to help them with their problems as if they were family members,” Acho said. “My one fault, truthfully, is that I get emotionally involved. I can’t stay stoic.” He also gets emotional about his setbacks, however rare; Acho has lost just seven cases in the 200-plus he has tried. “I remember each one and it stays with me,” he confessed. Acho, who came to America as a child in 1949, worked in his father’s Detroit grocery store and then spent eight years at Ford Motor Company while moonlighting as a legal student. “I went to law school at night and then when I came home, I would study,” he said. “Rita [his wife of nearly 43 years] never complained and was always supportive.” The contacts he made at Ford helped bring in so many new clients that Acho was made partner just a year after joining the firm. He got another big boost in 1980 when he scored the Melody Farms account from then-chairman Michael George. Eventually, Acho ended up handling all of George’s business and personal legal matters. “People would see that I was Mike George’s attorney and because they had the highest respect for him, they said I must be good,” Acho recalled. “He was instrumental in my career.” Acho sits on the board of the Bank of Michigan and is an advisor to the Chaldean American Chamber of Commerce and to New Creations Community Outreach, a Detroit-based organization that helps convicts rebuild their lives. “Two out of every three prisoners go back to jail but with New Creations only 18 percent go back after 10 years,” he said of what he refers to as his ministry. “It really is a deep-seated problem. I don’t have all the answers but this is one aspect that can help.” Young Chaldeans, Acho said, should remember to look at the big picture and recall the early days of immigration, when everything was done on a handshake. “The most important thing is your reputation; you must always act with honesty and dignity,” he said. “I also believe that faith is critical. I like the expression, ‘work as if everything depends on you — and pray as if everything depends on God.” 6 9 14 7 44 CHALDEAN NEWS JULY 2012
5 8 4 1. Rita and Ron Acho 2. Proud mother Hayat Acho 3. Alexander Ayar and U.S. Senator Carl Levin, who spoke at the dinner 4. The Acho family 5. Jimmy Jundy 6. Noor Toma 7. Dave Tartoni 8. Tim and Theresa Dabish 9. Mike Kassab and Jamal Shallal 10. Shari Acho and Stephanie Tartoni 11. Kevin Begin and Heather Bartell 12. Gilbert Frimet and Norman Richards 13. Roy Acho and Kim Palmer 14. Charlene Shaya 10 11 12 13 Frangie LaW FirM, PLLC CharLes Frangie aTTOrneY CharLes Frangie Commerical and Business Law • Commercial and Business Litigation • Business and Real Estate Transactions • State and Federal Licensing • Liquor Control Commission matters • Corporations and Legal Entities Telephone 248.433.1200
