Law: Jobs Landed

I took a sort of roundabout path to my current position, with an undergraduate degree in industrial engineering, followed by some time spent in Chicago, working in finance. However, after graduating from law school, I was ready to move back to my home state to begin work as an attorney. My main focus in my practice is on transactional work as a member of Varnum's regulatory law group. Much of the work that I do involves corporate transactional work and also working with lending institutions in commercial financing transactions; i.e., loan origination transactions.

I typically deal with people who are looking to secure loans and find that their credit scores are too low to qualify. A loan officer, real estate agent or insurer will tell a potential client that, while they would like to do business with them, it's not possible at this time and that if they were interested, there is someone who can help: me. The process of improving a credit score isn't hugely complicated, but it is daunting for the average person and can take some time. I make sure that the biggest score increase is achieved in the shortest time possible so that the client can then be eligible for the loan they wanted. When I do my job, everyone ends up winning.

After working at small law firms and with the Public Defender's Office, I was ready to go out on my own. I really wanted to start this firm so I could focus on the types of cases that I am most passionate about. I also wanted to have more control over my caseload so I could really focus on my clients and give them the attention they deserve. My practice focuses on criminal defense, but I do handle family law matters as well. I really enjoy working with people and being able to help them during tough times.

I am a founding member of a general practice law firm serving serving the Washtenaw region. My practice focuses on business transactions and estate planning.

I work in Patent Prosecution, Trademarks and Licensing.

In 2008 I joined Ferguson & Widmayer, P.C., which is a law firm in Ann Arbor.  Our primary emphasis is on estate planning, compensation planning and business succession planning for closely-held businesses.  My primary focus is on estate planning, estate and gift taxation, business succession planning and probate.  I work with individuals and families to plan their estates in a way that will help accomplish their wishes and also prevent problems from developing in the future.  This includes anything from drafting wills and trusts, to naming guardians of minor children, to more complicated estate tax planning designed to pass assets in a tax efficient way.  We also frequently establish charitable trusts and foundations for clients with philanthropic goals who also want to obtain significant tax benefits.  

After spending my entire career as an attorney at two of the largest law firms in Chicago and Michigan, I started my own law practice in Ann Arbor to provide sophisticated yet affordable legal services to businesses, entrepreneurs, artists, musicians, writers, fine instrument dealers, and more.  My practice areas include litigation, dispute resolution, corporate, contracts, copyrights, and trademarks.  My goal is to combine the quality and sophistication of a large law firm with the personalized service and affordability of smaller law firm.

My practice centers on commercial real estate, finance and corporate law.  I assist developers of multifamily housing projects, assisted living facilities, condominiums, office and retail shopping centers in acquisitions, development and financing.  My goal is to make the development process as smooth as possible for all parties involved in the transaction.  I also represent landlords, tenants and public and private corporations in all aspects of commercial real estate matters as well as lenders in commercial loans.  Finally, I do a significant amount of work with small to mid-size companies in merger and acquisition deals and general corporate transactions.

My specialty is helping families where a spouse or parent has been admitted to a nursing home qualify for state and federal governmental benefits to pay for the care.  With nursing care costing an average of $6,000 per month, I am litteraly able to protect these seniors' life's savings.  In many cases, I also help families find the right assisted living or nursing facilities for their loved one and avoid some of the pitfalls of the housing selection process.  I also help families by providing traditional estate planning and estate administration services.   Finally, I advocate on behalf of vulnerable adults in cases of abuse and neglect.

As the Director of Community Engagement my job is to build relationships & trust with our citizens, engaging them as partners, retraining and equipping our deputies with the skills required, and having the resources necessary to fully implement a community policing philosophy aimed at enhancing the quality of life for our citizens. As with many law enforcement agencies, our goal is not only to keep our neighborhoods safe, but to build strong communities. I believe however, that the best way to do so is through non-traditional, proactive, strategic partnerships with the community instead of more formalized mechanisms that are based on traditional, reactive, enforcement-based policing. Deputies that fully understand the communities they work in, are willing to have an open and transparent dialogue with neighbors, are committed to adapting strategies where appropriate because of community concerns and priorities, are focused on establishing trust with residents, and are willing to maximize opportunities to deliver police services in partnership with the community are essential for our success.