One aspect of my practice that I really enjoy is helping nonprofit organizations achieve exemption from federal income tax. The exemption process involves the filing of an application with the IRS and a review process that can take months. A question…
Read More
I have a talented client who, after retiring from a prestigious career and honing his skills as a photographer, has produced an impressive body of visual art. His collection includes images of models who pose for photographs for their professional po…
Read More
The Michigan Department of Licensing and Regulatory Affairs has been hard at work updating its processes. There is more to come, but its latest announcement is that corporations, limited liability companies and limited partnerships can now renew assu…
Read More
We have the best support staff in town, so it’s always a little traumatic when someone leaves us! This past week, we reluctantly said goodbye to one of our legal assistants, Lauren Woirol, who has moved with her family to Chicago where her husband…
Read More
A few months ago, Julie Cotant wrote an excellent piece announcing Michigan’s abolition of dower, an ancient principle that gives a widow the right to use her late husband’s lands for the remainder of her life. The new law, which brings Michigan…
Read More
My husband, Tim, and I regularly head up north to visit my family. We usually bivouac at one of my brother’s homes, but that’s not possible when the whole clan is in town. On those grand occasions, several of us will rent a house together, which…
Read More
Michigan is newly positioned to become a major player in the asset protection arena. With the adoption of the Qualified Dispositions in Trusts Act (the “Act”) last month, Michigan joined 16 other states that permit the creation of domestic asset…
Read More
A generation ago, planning for the retention and management of the family cottage (or cabin or camp) through multiple generations took the form of a trust that would continue to own the property and that laid out rules for its ongoing use and mainten…
Read More
Effective June 27, 2016, individuals in Michigan may designate “funeral representatives” to make funeral, burial, and related decisions for them after death, or to carry out decisions made by them prior to death. This is welcome news for those wh…
Read More
Read More
Michigan law generally allows a homeowner to claim an exemption from property taxes levied for local school operating expenses. The exemption applies only to a homeowner’s principal residence and is claimed through the filing of an affidavit with t…
Read More
Read More
