- Premarital Agreement
- Wrongful DeathRepresented owner of lakefront property in asset protection area when child’s friend dies in watercraft accident and owner is sued for multimillion dollar wrongful death claim
- FraudAdvise lawyer to large syndicator on alternatives when faced with $10 million plus claim for securities fraud (not covered by insurance) to protect assets
- Embezzlement
- Mergers and AcquisitionsWe have the utmost respect for our clients' knowledge of their particular businesses but recognize that our clients need legal assistance from time to time with various complex situations that fall outside of their business expertise. Our business attorneys have the proficiency to address a wide variety of transactional issues relative to our client's business and corporate planning needs including contracts, licensing, entity formation, executive and deferred compensation, employee and noncompetition agreements, mergers and acquisitions, sales of businesses, business succession, dissolution planning, loan transactions, and other issues. Your choice of business entity (C corporations, S corporations, LLC, partnership or sole proprietorship) will shape the course of your business, and we can advise you on the legal consequences of choosing a particular structure. Our attorneys can provide and file the necessary organizational documents as well as documents needed to keep your entity in good standing with the IRS and State of Michigan. We can also help clients address legal issues and disputes that may be faced by the business in the future using organizational, shareholder or operating agreements that provide for the use of alternative dispute resolution, specify the distribution of profits and losses, limit the liability of officers, directors, or managers in the company, and describe the terms of liquidation and sale of the business or sale of an owner's interest. Commercial and Business Litigation
- Business DisputesAt Weisman, Young & Ruemenapp, P.C., founded in 1980, our skillful and experienced attorneys are dedicated to providing effectiveness, efficiency, and excellence. We understand that our clients need personal attention, and we strive to provide legal representation that is cost-effective, responsive, and results-oriented. We take pride in our stellar reputation among our clients and fellow members of the legal community. Our attorneys look forward to establishing a long professional relationship with you and responding to all of your legal needs. Business Law
- Business TransactionsIn connection with the services provided by our business attorneys, the tax implications of any business transaction must be addressed to ensure that correct decisions are made with regard to complying with tax laws and minimizing taxes whenever possible. Tax concerns may be dictated by the business structure that was chosen when the business was formed. Our strong understanding of tax law allows us to provide knowledgeable representation and creative ideas for the many unique situations which can arise in business transactions as well as vigorously represent clients in a tax dispute. For those clients facing issues related to tax assessments or audits, our tax attorneys have extensive knowledge in dealing with federal and state tax issues. Our comprehensive tax practice includes representation before U.S. Tax Court, Michigan Tax Tribunal and other courts which address tax matters. We also have extensive experience in seeking resolution with the IRS Office of Appeals to settle tax disputes fairly and outside traditional litigation, as well as with Offer in Compromise Specialists (both IRS and State of Michigan) for those taxpayers who either dispute their tax liability but wish to avoid the costs of litigation or simply cannot afford the tax liabilities imposed. Consult a Business Lawyer in Michigan
- Limited Liability Companies
- Trade Secrets
- Intellectual Property
- Workers CompensationAdvised homeowners on asset protection issues where catastrophic injury to service provider in home was neither covered by homeowner’s insurance nor worker's compensation insurance
- Employment LitigationObtained favorable results for employers in employment disputes and in defense of discrimination claims including awards of summary judgment, trial verdicts and favorable post-trial motions;
- Real Estate LitigationHoward B. Young is a seasoned transactional attorney specializing in complex acquisitions and dispositions of companies. Having previously served as in-house tax counsel to Owens-Corning Fiberglas Corporation, he draws from a diverse background of business, tax and real estate transactions. He is a graduate of the University of Michigan Law School and is involved in all aspects of our transactional practice. His practice includes advising clients on estate and asset protection planning, pension and profit sharing plans, real estate matters and transfers of technology and other intellectual property. He also lectures and writes extensively on a variety of business and tax topics.
- Construction LitigationOur commercial and business litigation team has extensive experience in resolving business and contract disputes, business break-ups, shareholder disputes, debtor-creditor disputes, employment disputes, and business torts. We also handle foreclosures, finance and lender liability, trade secret litigation, restrictive covenants, franchise litigation, and real estate and construction disputes. The nature of the particular dispute will determine which law applies and what remedies may be sought. For example, if the directors’ actions in a corporation are fraudulent, willfully unfair, oppressive, or illegal, it may be possible to obtain a range of remedies through a shareholder oppression lawsuit. These remedies can include cancellation, dissolution, alteration, an injunction, or a buyout of the aggrieved shareholder. Alternative Dispute Resolution
- Real Estate TransactionsOur firm offers a full service real estate practice serving property owners, prospective property owners, landlord and tenants in the areas of acquisitions and sales, commercial and residential construction, landlord-tenant disputes, easements, financing, distressed loan workouts and foreclosures, leases and subleases, zoning, and title insurance and survey analysis and review. Our services include counseling regarding conveyance and closing documents, financing, formation and structuring of legal entities, negotiation, drafting and review of leases and purchase documents, review of title work, zoning matters and land use. Many different Michigan laws can affect real estate transactions, zoning, and lending. The Michigan Zoning Enabling Act empowers municipalities to enact zoning ordinances to regulate land use, and it requires that these ordinances create zoning Boards of Appeal for municipalities. While Zoning Boards of Appeal decisions are final at the municipal level, they can be challenged in Circuit Court. Sometimes it is possible to negotiate solutions to problems that arise in connection with real estate. For example, lenders may be willing to restructure troubled loans through modifications, forbearance agreements, or stipulations of settlement. Restructuring the debt can allow a borrower to retain assets or limit their losses.
- Easement
- Land Use and Zoning
- Landlord-Tenant Disputes
- Medical MalpracticeAt our firm, we define asset protection planning as a deliberate effort to put in place programs and strategies to shield one’s assets against the claims of existing and prospective creditors. For example, we can advise doctors on how to structure their asset holdings to minimize the consequences of a medical malpractice judgment. For another example, we can set up offshore asset protection trusts in other jurisdictions. Domestic asset protection trusts are trusts that include specific asset protection provisions allowed by certain specified jurisdictions, including Michigan, that govern the trust. Our Michigan business lawyers may be able to help you even if you have pending claims; we believe that each client’s situation is unique and can construct a plan accordingly. Estate and Gift Planning
- Estate PlanningThe attorneys at Weisman, Young & Ruemenapp, P.C. take pride in offering a personal approach toward your estate planning needs. Proper planning provides important benefits for you and your loved ones both during your lifetime and upon your death. We are sensitive to those matters that are most important to you, and take care to ensure that your concerns are addressed and your objectives are met.
- WillsLast Will and Testament. In the absence of a revocable trust, your Last Will and Testament provides for the distribution of your property upon your death. If you currently have or will establish a revocable trust, then your Last Will and Testament will act as a pour-over instrument in which all of the property in your estate passes upon your death to your Revocable Trust, where provisions are mode for its ultimate disposition. Regardless of whether a Revocable Trust will be utilized in your estate planning, your Last Will and Testament serves the very important function of designating guardians for your minor children, and conservators of their estates.
- TrustsFor those individuals who have substantial assets and may be subject to estate taxes upon their death, we offer additional planning techniques such as Irrevocable Life Insurance Trusts ("ILIT"), Qualified Personal Residence Trusts ("QPRT"), Grantor Retained Annuity Trusts ("GRAT") and sales of interests in closely-held entities to Intentionally Defective Irrevocable Trusts (IDIT).
- Power of AttorneyDurable Power of Attorney. This is the document in which you designate an individual or individuals to make financial decisions for you in the event you are unable to do so.
- Probate
- Bankruptcy
- Foreclosure
- Tax LawOur firm has extensive real estate investing experience developed through many client transactions and decades-long personal investing. Potential investors will want counsel to review not only the legal aspects of a potential investment, but also the risk/reward analysis and answer the question “Is this a good deal for me?” Tax Law