Willis Law

The success of your business depends on how you deal with disputes, both as they play out and before they arise. Comprehensive corporate and business counsel from an attorney can help prevent disputes and prepare your business for when they do occur.

At Willis Law, our business lawyers in Kalamazoo know how to help your business flourish and grow. As business owners ourselves, we understand the importance of having a strong plan in place from the very beginning and continuing to adapt as your business needs change.

What We Can Do for Your Business

Our legal team is committed to getting results for our clients, and our team can fight on your behalf to pursue the best possible result.

Our firm can assist your business with:

• Mergers and acquisitions
• Asset and stock purchases and sales
• Strategic alliances
• Joint ventures
• Leveraged mergers/buyouts
• ESOPs
• Bankruptcy acquisitions
• Recapitalizations and reorganizations
• Private equity and venture capital investments
• Public offerings/securities
• Private offerings
• Executive compensation
• Tax planning
• Commercial transactions, contracts, and sale of goods
• Licensing and management of technologies
• Business analysis and risk management concerns
• Issues related to government contracts
• Employee compensation and employee benefits
• Distribution counseling issues
• Leases of equipment and property

Planning for the future is a vital part of anyone’s life, no matter how old you are. Aside from shielding your assets and property from the probate process, an estate plan is essential because it protects your personal choices in a medical emergency and ensures that your end-of-life choices are safeguarded. It’s never too early to develop a solid estate plan that protects your best interests, your assets, and your beneficiaries.

However, it’s not unusual for a loved one to pass away without an estate plan in place. In this circumstance, it’s imperative that you contact a legal team that is experienced in estate administration. At Willis Law, our estate planning attorneys in Kalamazoo, Grand Rapids, and Paw Paw can help you effectively navigate the probate process.

Our probate, estate, and trust administration services include the following:

• Estate Administration: We can guide you through this complex process and protect your rightful inheritance from the state.
• Deal with Creditor Claims: The personal representative of an estate is responsible for notifying creditors when a testator passes away. We can help you publish a public notice so that all known and unknown creditors can make their claims for repayment.
• Foreign PR – Ancillary Estate Administration: Rely on our legal team to help you file for ancillary estate administrations in jurisdictions where out-of-state property exists.
• Formal Probate vs. Informal Probate: Our estate planning lawyers can help you determine whether formal or informal probate proceedings will best serve your loved one’s estate.
• Notice Requirements Under Trust Administration: A trustee is obligated to make certain notifications upon the grantor’s death. We can review your loved one’s estate plan and determine which parties have an interest in the trust.
• Small Estate Under Michigan Law: If your loved one’s estate is valued under $22,000, you may be able to avoid the probate process and save money on legal fees.
• Supervised Probate: Our estate planning team can help you decide if supervised or unsupervised probate administration is right for you.
• Taxes in Administration: When your loved one passes away, their estate requires a separate Employer Identification Number that can be used to file the decedent’s final tax return.
• Trust Administration: Establish revocable or irrevocable trusts with our estate planning attorneys. We can also help you divide trusts when a grantor dies.

In addition, Willis Law’s probate, estate, and trust litigation services include:

• Probate Litigation: Legal disputes over assets often arise when a family member passes away. Our experienced legal representatives can protect your rights.
• Trust Litigation: Our experienced lawyers can represent your interests both in and out of court to help you resolve any estate litigation matters.
• Will Contests & Lawsuits: If you’re interested in contesting a will, we can review your case and determine if you can bring your claim to court.

General litigation is simply aspects of the law that may not naturally have the inclination to cause a dispute. This includes wills/estate planning, incorporating businesses, contracts, real-estate transactions, employment, alternative dispute resolutions, and more. However, a litigation may happen when a controversy arises from these matters.

Discuss your matters with our Kalamazoo general litigation attorney to begin the process!

Types of Litigation

Our skilled and dedicated lawyers are prepared to help you obtain positive results through litigation or alternative dispute resolution methods, including:

• Business litigation: Any type of litigation may have an impact on your business. We handle all types of state and federal commercial litigation issues such as shareholder disputes, partnership disputes, nonsolicitation issues, noncompete agreements, intellectual property issues, life science/biotechnology issues and many others.
• Construction litigation: Whether you are dealing with commercial construction litigation, or residential or commercial real estate litigation matters, our firm can stand up for your rights and help you understand your options for seeking a resolution to the case. We handle all types of construction litigation and liens such as contract disputes, financing issues, and state and federal regulatory matters
• Mortgage litigation: Our attorneys have years of experience representing real estate owners and lenders in mortgage disputes and foreclosure litigation. We manage all phases of dispute resolution, working to resolve your matter effectively while protecting your rights and financial interests. You have options, and we will help you secure the best one for your unique situation.
• Employment litigation: Our firm handles litigation for employers who are dealing with a wide range of employee issues and lawsuits, including those alleging discrimination (age, race, gender, sex, national origin, pregnancy and others), sexual harassment, wrongful termination and many more disputes as they arise.
• Environmental litigation: We represent clients in all types of environmental litigation, including water law and lake litigation, lawsuits over alleged violations of federal regulations, and anything that might arise for homeowners or business owners regarding environmental law.
• Estate, trust and probate litigation: Any issues involving estates and trusts should be handled as efficiently and effectively as possible in order to fully protect the rights of the estate holder and any estate or trust beneficiaries. We handle all aspects of estate and trust litigation and probate litigation for clients throughout Michigan and out-of-state clients with issues and interests in Michigan, including will contests and trustee removal, as well as contested guardianships and conservatorships.
• Lottery disputes: Our attorneys believe that everyone should have a chance to pursue lottery winnings to which they might be entitled. We will work quickly to ascertain to whom lottery winnings belong, including pursuing litigation or defending against unfounded claims of ownership.
• Alternative dispute resolution: Though we are skilled and aggressive litigators and trial lawyers, our firm also understands that litigating a case in court is not always the best way in which to resolve issues. Our firm can advise clients on alternative methods of resolving litigation out of court such as arbitration and mediation.
  • Arbitration involves a private, third-party arbitrator (or panel of arbitrators) who makes a binding decision in the matter after hearing each side present its case.
  • Mediation also involves a private third party, but this neutral party works closely with each side to come to an agreement on a decision in the matter. Each side is expected to give and take in order to minimize animosity and reach a conclusion to the case
• Civil case appeals: The justice system is not always entirely just. Errors occur in both state and federal courts that may lead to a less than favorable result in your initial case. We offer full-service representation to help you pursue justice in all types of civil disputes, and we often take cases on referral from other attorneys.

If you have been charged with a criminal offense, your rights, freedom, livelihood, and reputation are all at stake. You need an experienced criminal defense lawyer in Kalamazoo and Grand Rapids, MI who is capable of guiding you through the legal process and minimizing the damage from your felony or misdemeanor charges.

At Willis Law, our Kalamazoo and Grand Rapids criminal defense attorneys are here to help. Our firm has been named among the "Best Law Firms" by U.S. News & World Report. Contact our office in Kalamazoo or Grand Rapids today to schedule a free consultation. We are ready to protect your rights whether you are a Michigan resident or a visitor to our state in cases ranging from misdemeanors to serious felonies or federal crimes.

We also represent individuals facing:

• Drug-related charges
• Larceny, including burglary, home invasion and shoplifting
• Gun-related charges
• Charges against juveniles
• Traffic violations, including speeding tickets, reckless driving charges and driving with a suspended license
• Crimes against children such as child abuse and Child Protective Services investigations
• Federal crimes, including fraud, embezzlement, health care fraud, tax fraud and Internet crimes
• Expungement