PUBLICATIONS
PUBLICATIONS
Whether you are an individual, small business, or large publicly held corporation, our attorneys are dedicated to delivering skilled legal counsel and exceptional service to our clients.
An Overview of the Comprehensive Amendments to Detroit’s Property Rental Ordinance
On October 31, 2017, the City of Detroit (the “City”) passed amendments to Chapter 9 of the 1984 Detroit City Code, which governs the maintenance of rental properties in the City (the “Rental Ordinance”). By these amendments (the “Amendments”), the City hopes to...
A La Carte Legal Services – Limited Scope Representation
Many low and medium income individuals and small business owners involved in a legal dispute are left with the choice of suffering without access to justice or attempting to represent themselves. As the number of self-represented litigants in Michigan continues to...
Tax Reform Is Here!
In somewhat of a surprising development, Congress passed and President Trump has signed the first significant overhaul of the tax code since 1986. Prior to that, there was a lot of tinkering around the edges, including some fairly substantial tax cuts under the most...
Court Decision Blocks New Fair Labor Standards Act Salary Basis Rule
By Randolph T. Barker, Esq. The Fair Labor Standards Act (“FLSA”) establishes minimum wage, overtime pay and recordkeeping standards for covered employees who are not otherwise exempt from its requirements. Under the FLSA, an employee is exempt from entitlement to...
Unpaid Interns – Free Labor?
By Sandro DiMercurio, Esq. A long-standing practice among “for profit” private employers has been the use of unpaid student interns as a means of providing real-life experience as they advance their education. Such internships, which commonly bring the students into...
$20 Million Wrongful Conviction Settlement Is Marital Property In Divorce
By John J. Schrot, Jr.
Be careful with what you ask for. An Illinois man who was awarded a $20 million wrongful-conviction settlement has to divide same with the woman he met and married while in prison but is now divorcing. He cannot exclude this fortune from the marital estate, on a claim that it is his separate property, and therefore not subject to division in the divorce.
FASTLANE TO TAX EXEMPT STATUS? The IRS 1023-EZ Application
By Timothy E. Harden, Esq. Are you looking for an easier and quicker way to obtain tax exempt status for your charity? If so, read on to see if filing IRS Form 1023-EZ is right for you. A Streamlined Application Process Similar in some respects to filing an Form...
MiABLE Accounts Are Up And Running
By Patrice M. Ticknor, Esq. The Achieving a Better Life Experience Act (“ABLE Act”) now allows certain disabled individuals to save and invest money without jeopardizing their eligibility for needs based public benefit programs such as Medicaid and Supplemental...
A Custodial Black Hole: Parenting Rights In A Post-Marriage Equality Act World
By John J. Schrot, Jr.
Technology continues to outpace the law, and logically will always do so. Family Law is not immune from the adverse consequences of playing catch-up. The repercussions are especially difficult when it affects the best interest of children.
Governor Snyder Signs Into Law the “Fiduciary Access to Digital Assets Act”
By Timothy E. Harden, Esq. The “Fiduciary Access to Digital Assets Act” will take effect on June 27, 2016. What is it, and why was it thought to be necessary? Read on to find out. What is the Act? This Act allows a fiduciary who falls into one of four categories to...
What is Gun Trust and Do I Need One?
With greater nationwide discussion regarding the use and ownership of firearms, a commonly-overlooked issue relates to the transfer of those firearms to beneficiaries upon death. It is estimated that nearly 40% of households in the United States own one or more...
Does Your Commercial Insurance Policy Contain A Protective Safeguard Endorsement? Should It?
By Mark E. Straetmans, Esq. A common endorsement often found in commercial property insurance policies is the Protective Safeguards Endorsement (“PSE”). This endorsement is often added to a policy because the insured property is equipped with some mechanism that...
Michigan Law Now Authorizes Designation of a Funeral Representative
NO NEED TO FIGHT OVER MY DEAD BODY! Michigan Law Now Authorizes Designation of a Funeral Representative Michigan law was recently amended to update and simplify the process for making and carrying out funeral arrangements after a person’s death. 2016 PA 57 revises...
Employees Taking Their Company Paid Education To Their Next Job – Not So Fast!
By Andrea M. Pike, Esq. Some employers offer paid tuition, training, or education reimbursement to its employees. This is a great incentive for the employee who wants to further their education or training and is beneficial to the employer. But unless done properly,...
Sixty Day IRA Rollovers – The One Per Year Rule Has Changed
By Patrice M. Ticknor, Esq. Generally, any amount distributed from a traditional IRA is includable in the account owner’s gross income. Section 408(d)(3)(A) of the Internal Revenue Code (“IRC”) allows the account owner to exclude from gross income any amount...
Conservation Easements
By Timothy E. Harden, Esq. I. Introduction: What is a Conservation Easement? What if you could preserve your property as farmland or wildlife habitat for future generations, and get a significant tax break while doing it? That is the allure of conservation easements....
Social Security Changes and Divorce
by John J. Schrot, Jr.
The 2017 Tax Cuts and Jobs Act (the “Act”) was signed into law in December, 2017, and it changes the treatment of spousal support (alimony). Currently spousal support is tax deductible for the paying spouse and taxable as income to the receiving spouse, unless the parties otherwise provide in a judgment of divorce or separate maintenance. The spousal support deduction was enacted in 1948 with the idea that if a former family’s income is divided between the parties that tax treatment should correspond.
Financing the Start Up Business
Financing the Start Up Business By: Randolph Wright, Esq. A newly formed or expanding business faces many obstacles, but raising enough financial capital remains one of the highest hurdles a startup will face. Traditional sources of funding have included qualifying...
