At Williams, Williams, Rattner & Plunkett, we take pride in our ability to provide the highest level of service to each of our clients. This is possible because we do business a little differently. We have exceptional attorneys who deliver effective results in a wide range of fields, while working closely with our clients to understand and aggressively promote their individual needs. In short, we’re big enough to handle your case, and small enough to adapt to the specific challenges it poses.
The combination of our legal skills and business knowledge with our consistent leadership in the community greatly enhances our ability to serve our clients. Our attorneys serve as directors of major financial institutions, international corporations and a variety of charitable, cultural and educational institutions. We also have a long-time member of the Board of the State Bar, two past Presidents of the Oakland County Bar, two members of the prestigious Academy of Matrimonial Lawyers and others who have served in significant leadership positions with the legal profession.
BETTER BECAUSE WE’RE EXCEPTIONAL
We take pride in our ability to provide the highest level of service to each of our clients. We have exceptional attorneys who deliver effective results in a wide range of fields, while working closely with you to understand and aggressively promote your individual needs. In short, we’re big enough to handle your case, and small enough to adapt to the specific challenges it poses.
BETTER BECAUSE WE WORK TOGETHER
Our select group of legal experts is committed to working together to provide the very best solutions to your needs. This collaborative atmosphere means that clients benefit from the shared experience of the entire firm, instead of suffering from intra-firm competition. We like each other, we like what we do, and we like working as a team to bring our clients service that gets results.
BETTER BECAUSE WE’RE LOCAL
WWRP is more than just a law firm in the community, we’re a law firm for the community. We’ve been serving the people of Southeast Michigan for over 40 years, gaining invaluable experience and a wealth of first-hand knowledge of the area’s complexities. We know the challenges facing local residents because we live here too, and we’re committed to helping local businesses because we are a local business. When you succeed, so do we.
Practice areas
Bankruptcy & Debt
Salvaging your financial futures
The expert attorneys of WWRP have built a solid reputation for providing world-class legal services to both creditors and debtors involved in bankruptcy and insolvency actions. Leveraging a vast amount of courtroom experience, we have successfully represented debtors in a wide range of individual and business bankruptcy cases, and have also proven adept at representing creditors in the recovery of property. Outside the courtroom, our expertise is sought by knowledgeable professionals in a variety of fields, and we offer effective counsel and legal advice to individuals, companies and even other attorneys.
Practicing throughout Michigan, WWRP provides exceptional legal solutions and personalized service to help clients overcome financial difficulties.
- Chapter 7 and Chapter 11 bankruptcy cases
- Recovery of property
- Dischargeability and denial of discharge actions
- Avoidance actions including preference and fraudulent conveyance actions
- Advising secured and unsecured lenders, creditors and landlords
- Consultation and co-counsel for attorneys
- Bankruptcy consultation for businesses and individuals
- Negotiation and implementation of restructuring and debt reconciliation agreements
Business
Legal services customized for your business needs
From local entrepreneurs to national corporations, our Business and Commercial Practice Group has provided the highest-caliber legal services to a broad spectrum of successful enterprises. Whether you need expert advice on taxation, structuring, or planning, assistance with legal documentation, or even need to take advantage of our exceptional litigation skills, our attorneys have the experience to deliver the results your business needs to succeed.
When you work with Williams, Williams, Rattner & Plunkett you get a team of attorneys dedicated to seeing your company excel. We focus on building relationships by providing businesses with the most effective solutions to the unique challenges each faces. We’ll help you strengthen your business, protect your assets, and confidently adapt to the constantly changing legal and commercial environment.
Banking and Financial Institutions
- Commercial loan documentation
- Conventional and governmentally subsidized transactions
- Business reorganizations and liquidations
Closely Held Business Entities
- StructuringContract drafting and negotiation
- Shareholder and employment matters
- Succession and estate planning
Commercial Lending
- Legal counsel for both borrowers and lenders
Corporate Formation and Governance
- Entity structuring and selection
- Mergers and Acquisitions
- Expert corporate and tax advice
- Asset acquisitions
- Stock acquisitions
- Consolidations
- Restructuring
- Roll ups
- Venture capital infusions
- Take-overs
- Leveraged buyouts
- Spin-offs
Non-Profit Organizations
- Qualification and maintenance of tax-exempt status
- Corporate planning
- Business transactions
- Charitable giving
Partnerships, Joint Ventures, and Franchises
- Formation and operation of partnerships and joint ventures
Securities - Issuance and qualification of securities
- Private placement of debt and equity securities
- Venture capital financing
- Compliance filings
- Representation in arbitration proceedings
Taxation
- Counseling and representation
- Real estate
- Corporate tax
- Individual and estate planning
- Partnership transactions
Employment & Labor
EMPLOYMENT AND LABOR LAW
WWRP's employment and labor attorneys have significant experience in handling all aspects of employment and labor law. WWRP's attorneys have successfully represented employers and employees in claims involving labor and employment law matters in all federal and state courts and administrative agencies, including the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission ("EEOC") and federal and state Department of Labor ("DOL"). WWRP's attorneys also regularly provide expert legal advice regarding all workplace management matters.
WORKPLACE MANAGEMENT
- Americans with Disabilities Act
- Employment Contracts
- Employment Manuals and Policies
- Family and Medical Leave Act
- Hiring and termination
- Independent Contractor Issues
- Non-competition Agreements
- Non-Solicitation Agreements
- Workplace Discrimination
- Workplace Investigations
EMPLOYMENT LITIGATION
- Administrative Proceedings
- Arbitration and Mediation
- Confidentiality and Non-Disclosure
- Discrimination
- Employment Contracts
- Non-Competition and Non-Solicitation
- Trade Secrets
- Wrongful Discharge
Elder Law
Protecting your legacy
For decades Williams, Williams, Rattner & Plunkett, P.C. has represented families and individuals in the preservation, management and transfer of wealth. Our clients are successful entrepreneurs, private investors, professionals, highly compensated business executives, and families whose wealth has been accumulated over several generations. WWRP also is actively involved in representing fiduciaries and beneficiaries in trust and estate administration and litigation.
Our Tax Probate & Estate Planning Group offers legal expertise and services designed to provide clients with the most advantageous means for holding assets throughout their lifetime and distributing them after death.
- Income, Estate, and Gift Tax Counseling
- Sophisticated Estate Planning
- Business Succession Planning
- Asset Protection Planning
- Designing Trusts of all Types
- Trust and Estate Administration and Litigation
- Retirement Distribution Planning
- Elder Law
- Medicaid Planning
- Guardianships
- Conservatorships
- Durable Powers of Attorney
- Patient Advocate Documents
Family
A reputation built on respect
Williams, Williams, Rattner & Plunkett, P.C. is widely recognized as one of Michigan’s foremost legal firms in the field of family law, an elite reputation built on decades of delivering effective results for our clients. With over 50 years of combined experience in the region, our family law specialists provide exceptional legal services in a broad range of domestic matters. We have special expertise in handling complex and non-routine matters for high net worth and high profile individuals.
Whatever the family matter, we pride ourselves on the careful and personal attention we provide to each and every client. We’ll work closely with you to gain a thorough understanding of your specific needs, then develop a legal strategy to resolve the problem in the most efficient, cost-effective way possible, while always taking care to acknowledge the sensitive nature of family interactions.
- Adoption
- Custody
- Divorce
- Pre- and Post-Nuptial Agreements
- Property Disputes
- Litigation
Real Estate
Putting your plans on solid ground
The real estate law practice has consistently been a significant focus of Williams, Williams, Rattner & Plunkett. More than half of the firm’s professionals regularly practice real estate law, and we actively leverage this broad experience on behalf of our clients. We provide expert advice, professional legal services, and proven litigation skills to our clients on a local, regional and national basis. Our real estate expertise rivals that of our large firm competitors, with the efficiency and responsiveness only found in a smaller law firm. Our land use and zoning practice is unmatched in southeastern Michigan.
WWRP’s clientele includes local and national developers of shopping centers, single and multiple family developments (including condominium and mixed-use projects), manufactured housing communities, skilled nursing and assisted living facilities, student housing, REITs, national retail chains, builders, contractors, architects, civil engineers, title companies, realtors, municipalities, local retailers, businesses, owner-operators, entrepreneurs and individuals. Members of our firm practice throughout Michigan and surrounding states and have received numerous local and national awards of excellence for our work in these areas
- Acquisitions and Dispositions – commercial, office, industrial, and residential
- Condominium, Plat, and Land Division Act Law – residential and commercial, including other forms of community property development, enforcing co-owner, and association rights
- Construction – negotiation of design and construction contracts, financing, administration, construction lien law, and litigation
- Development – shopping centers and other retail uses, industrial, office, medical, mixed-use, single and multiple family housing, condominiums, senior living, and student housing
- Environmental Law – protecting purchasers and tenants, facilitating redevelopment with environmental conditions, and brownfield incentives
- Financing – including conventional mortgages, conduit lending, defeasance, sale-leasebacks, land contracts, and construction
- Government Incentives – including tax incentives, MEDC and MSHDA programs, public/private partnerships, and affordable and subsidized housing
- Leasing – including negotiations, administration, enforcement, and commercial landlord-tenant litigation
- Loan Restructuring - including modifications, workouts, forbearances, and foreclosures
- Property Tax Appeals – commercial and residential
- Real Estate Litigation – including zoning, construction, title and contract suits, commercial landlord-tenant claims, ADA and Fair Housing issues, condemnation and eminent domain matters, mediation, and alternative dispute resolution
- Title Insurance Law – including title insurance negotiation, title claims litigation, agency representation, and regulatory and audit consultation
- Zoning and Land Use – including municipal entitlements, rezoning, variances and other land use approvals, and urban planning