News & Resources

Business owners are faced with putting out fires each and every day. Since their time and resources are limited, they have to prioritize which ones are worth dealing with right then and there and which ones they should develop a plan or structure to put them out in the future. Legal “fires” for business owners… continue reading

I was having coffee with a friend a few days ago and he said he bought real property at an auction after a tax foreclosure. They were puzzled because he was told that the County Treasurer acquired clear title to the property in a tax foreclosure. He received a deed from the treasurer. But a… continue reading

Most folks are aware that the Michigan Legislature has provided for personal orders in cases of domestic violence or stalking. After years of effort, women’s groups finally succeeded in gaining strong and automatically enforceable relief to protect them. Although certain organizations have worked to undermine these protections, they continue and continue to be expanded. Our… continue reading

This area is blessed to have so many generous business owners and individuals who support local charities and faith organizations. I’m most commonly advising clients on how to leave a certain amount of money or a percentage of their estate to these organizations upon their passing (as opposed to during their life). However, with the… continue reading

It seems like whenever we are several months into an economic recovery, constructions disputes become more common. Change orders are one of the most litigated issues in contract or construction disputes. Did they agree upon a change or not? Is this item an extra cost or is the change covered by the original price? Or… continue reading

A property owner thought it was protected from an overcharge in the price of material in a construction project because the price of material was specified in the contractor’s contract with the supplier. The Michigan Court of Appeals ruled otherwise. The court rejected the property owner’s reliance upon the contract because the property owner did… continue reading

Do you know what the future will be for the people you will leave your estate to? I don’t intend that to be a rhetorical question, but we can all agree we don’t know the future for our loved ones. They could continue to live fulfilling lives. Or, they could experience (through no fault of… continue reading

The phrase “restrictive covenants” is often used by attorneys to categorize the different ways (exclusive of intellectual property protections like copyrights, trademarks, service marks, patents, etc.) that proprietary business information and assets are safeguarded. Generally speaking, there are three basic categories of restrictive covenants that often get lumped in as “noncompete agreements” (although, as mentioned… continue reading

It is painful to witness the effects of dementia on a spouse, parent, or anyone you care about. I often meet with a spouse or child who is further stressed by not having a power of attorney for this person. Planning for disability or death is low priority or even non-existent on our daily list… continue reading

Estate planning is important for a number of different reasons. Making your intentions clear, avoiding a costly administration process, and keeping the process as simple and least burdensome to your loved ones are the most common I hear from my clients. What clients and advisers sometimes forget in this process are the impact of taxes… continue reading