Appeals

Business Transactions & Commercial Litigation

Criminal Law

Divorce & Family Law

Elder Law

Estate Planning & Probate Matters

Municipal Law

Real Estate

Appeals

As a full-service law firm, we can serve your litigation needs before, during, and even after a trial or administrative hearing. We have specialized knowledge of civil and criminal procedures that ensure that your interests are protected even after a trial court or administrative hearing officer has decided your case. If you have suffered a loss at trial, or if a decision in your favor is being challenged on appeal, our firm specializes in protecting your interests. We have an appellate specialist with extensive experience in appeals, developed through early-career employment at the Michigan Court of Appeals, dozens of subsequent appearances in that court, appearances in the Michigan Supreme Court, and the United States Circuit Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit.

Our firm’s reasonable legal fees and flexible payment options for appellate representation can be tailored to fit your litigation resources. Contact us for additional information.

Business Transactions & Commercial Litigation

Our firm has vast experience in the formation of closely held corporations, limited liability companies, and partnerships. We have experience in the formation and reorganization of limited, general and professional partnerships. We are able to evaluate these business organizations in the event of a sale or transfer of ownership. If needed, we can assist in mediating, arbitrating and litigating disputes involving such entities.

Ours is a full service law firm for all the legal needs of the small and medium sized businesses. When needed, our law firm can oversee a business workout and can assist in the resolution of shareholder or partnership disputes. We also have experience in mediating, arbitrating and litigating disputes in family-owned businesses.

We recognize that proper business planning is paramount to avoiding litigation and quickly resolving disputes. Some of our partners are business-owners. This experience and knowledge is crucial in dispensing timely proper and effective legal advice for the business owner.

Our firm’s reasonable legal fees and flexible payment options will minimize the cost of your transaction. We will work to contain your commercial litigation costs and provide you with the peace of mind that comes with a resolution that protects your commercial interests. Contact us for additional information.

Criminal Law

Nothing is more threatening in life than interference with our basic freedoms through contact with the criminal justice system and law enforcement. At the same time, this system is necessary to ensure an orderly and free society.

Every person in this country is entitled to a constitutional presumption of innocence until proven guilty in a court of law by evidence beyond a reasonable doubt. Persons charged with a crime who maintain their innocence deserve the best possible defense constructed by attorneys that know the law. Even persons who desire to plead guilty because they broke the law deserve assurances that their constitutional rights are protected throughout the criminal process. Representation by a competent attorney provides those assurances.

Our firm is experienced in providing you the best criminal defense in the following areas of criminal law:

• domestic violence
• assaultive crimes
• appeals from convictions
• stalking and aggravated stalking
• sex crimes
• felonies, misdemeanors, and local ordinance violations
• personal protection orders
• child abuse, neglect or child endangerment
• juvenile offenses
• alcohol-related driving offenses
• drug possession and distribution
• shoplifting
• commercial fraud
• driving on suspended license
• traffic misdemeanors
• violation of probation hearings
• bond violations

In the event you, a family member, or someone you care about, is charged with a crime, contact an attorney as soon as possible prior to discussing the matter with the authorities. If you already have been arraigned, you may need to consult with an attorney prior to your first pretrial or prior to the preliminary examination. Our firm’s reasonable legal fees and flexible payment options will provide you with the peace of mind that comes with the assurance that your rights will be protected and your defense will be asserted during these proceedings from the strength that comes with knowledgeable and prepared counsel. Contact us for additional information.

Click here for answers to some common questions pertaining to criminal law. If you already have been convicted of a crime and now seek appellate counsel, then click on the Appeals practice area.

Divorce & Family Law

Our firm specializes in all matters related to Family Law. We have experience handling cases in the following areas:

• divorce
• separation (separate maintenance)
• annulment
• ante-nuptial or postnuptial agreements
• paternity (including genetic paternity testing)
• cohabitation agreements
• custody disputes, post-divorce custody problems, parenting time
• child support
• spousal support (alimony)
• support enforcement and modification
• change of domicile
• adoption & surrogacy
• step-parent adoption
• bankruptcy before, during or after your divorce
• domestic violence, restraining orders and personal protection orders
• juvenile law
• child abuse, neglect and child endangerment
• guardianships and/or conservatorships
• business and property evaluation
• evaluation of a professional practice
• division of retirement assets
• taxation and estate planning in the divorce context

Divorce can be one of the most stressful periods in a person’s life. Unlike other areas of civil litigation, neither party “wins” in a divorce. The family members all lose something when a complaint for divorce is filed. Attorneys facilitate the break-up of the family and division of the marital estate pursuant to equitable terms so that all family members may move-on with their lives. Often, the public courtroom, although sometimes necessary, is not the preferred venue for the sensitive issues involved in a divorce.

All divorces begin with the filing of a complaint for divorce at the county courthouse. Our lawyers ensure that your case is prepared prior to filing, during the discovery process, through the negotiations inevitable in divorce proceedings, and after the judgment of divorce is entered with the court. Our firm will protect your interests by maintaining a position of strength through preparedness in all phases of the divorce process.

When appropriate, our firm uses a team approach to reach an equitable resolution to your divorce. We work with specialists in the areas of financial planning, taxation, accounting, business valuation, and counseling to thoroughly prepare you for a smooth transition to your post-divorce life. This is important because your life will go on after the stress of divorce recedes.

If you are contemplating a divorce that involves any of the above issues, or even if you and your spouse have agreed on the terms of your split, you need an affordable attorney that is experienced, knowledgeable, motivated, and capable of guiding you through this critical time.

For those without experience with the legal system or lawyers, the process is intimidating. Hiring the right lawyer early will provide you with some peace of mind in this time of personal upheaval. Our firm’s reasonable legal fees and flexible payment options will provide you with the comfort of knowing your divorce will be affordable. Contact us for additional information.

Click here for answers to some common questions.

Elder Law

As the population ages and the so-called “baby-boom” generation reaches retirement age in waves, our firm is positioned with the necessary experience to assist you or your elderly loved ones in all legal matters. We have experience in securing benefits through the Social Security Administration, Medicare, and Medicaid. We offer a free, no-obligation meeting in your home to discuss the benefit of proper estate planning. We significantly discount our legal fees for members of the American Association of Retired Persons (AARP).

We can assist you or your loved one with long-term care planning which will maximize independent living options. Our firm has extensive knowledge of the various levels of assisted care and we can avoid some of the problems inherent in placing a loved one in a care facility. Also, our firm can assist with the Medicare enrollment process, ensure that you or your loved one properly and promptly enrolls for the correct benefits.

Estate Planning & Probate Matters

Families and individuals that have acquired wealth, or are in the process of acquiring property through their peak investment and earning years, should give serious thought to protecting their property through proper estate planning. If you or your family have an estate, no matter the size, it is important to preserve what you have worked a life-time to accumulate for the benefit of your family. Life-altering events such as divorce, incarceration and death bring this planning, or lack of it, into sharp focus. Our firm is experienced in assessing a family’s or an individual’s estate planning needs and providing reasonably affordable instruments customized to meet those needs for our clients.

Whether you are seeking long-term life planning, or are forced to protect family assets in reaction to a life-altering event, our firm is prepared to serve your legal needs. Our firm has experience in properly planning for a transfer of wealth within a family from one generation of loved ones to the next generation. We are skilled in designing trust instruments to preserve assets and avoid the probate process. Clients often come to us, however, when a loved one has died and probating the estate cannot be avoided. Some of our clients are forced to litigate in probate court. Either way, your legal needs are served in an efficient and affordable manner.

Our firm can prepare the following trust and estate planning documents:

• simple wills for each spouse
• revocable living trust customized to your needs
• post-divorce or “second-marriage” trust instruments
• life insurance trust
• trusts for loved ones with special needs
• power of attorney for financial affairs
• medical power of attorney
• living wills
• guardianships for incapacitated minors or adults
• conservatorships for incapacitated minors or adults
• probating an estate for persons who have died with or without a will
• ante-nuptial or postnuptial agreements

Our firm’s reasonable legal fees and flexible payment options will minimize the cost of your estate planning and provide you with the peace of mind that comes with a sound and properly executed estate plan.

Click here for answers to some common questions.

Municipal Law

The Firm’s partners currently serve and have served various communities in Oakland County as both general and special counsel. Activities include consultation on daily matters of operation, general labor issues and officer duties. In addition, we provide counsel on zoning matters, general ordinances, special assessments and developments. We offer over 20-years experience in civil litigation and ordinance prosecutions. Any community seeking legal counsel or a formal request for proposal is encouraged to contact us for further information.

Real Estate

Our firm assists clients in commercial closings and development, residential real estate sales and development, office development, and foreclosures in both the commercial and residential real estate markets. We have the knowledge and experience to conduct a thorough review of the chain of title on a parcel of real property. The firm represents clients in both the purchase and sale of improved and vacant property.

If needed, our firm has skilled litigators knowledgeable in real estate that can prosecute boundary disputes and quiet title actions to settle a cloud on the title to a parcel of your real estate.

The firm’s partners currently serve and have served as counsel for a variety of municipalities in Oakland County, Michigan. This experience provides us with the ability to address zoning and land use disputes on behalf of our private clients.

We are also skilled at drafting and negotiating construction contracts, development agreements, master deeds, and easements in both the residential and commercial real estate markets.

Our firm also is experienced in representing landowners in landlord-tenant disputes.

Whatever your real estate needs may be, when you need legal counsel, our firm’s reasonable legal fees and flexible payment options will minimize the overall costs of your real estate transaction. We will work to provide you with the peace of mind that comes with a comprehensive resolution that protects your real property interests.