Ronald J. Vander Veen

Most people only think about their property taxes the bills come in July and December. But our property tax system in Michigan requires that you pay attention in February. By February, you receive your assessment notice. If the assessor raises your taxable value (the value that taxes are based on), the assessor must give you […]

We have all heard the radio advertisements: Set up a corporation or LLC for your business and you will protect your personal assets form company creditors. So after setting up the corporation or LLC, why am I sued personally? I have heard this question many times where the client set up a corporation or limited

Many years ago the state adopted what some call the Sunshine Law: the Michigan Freedom of Information Act. The Act is intended to make information about government more accessible to the public, with certain exceptions. Much of the litigation over the Act involves these exceptions. Michigan’s Court of Appeals, in a case involving Delta College,

I don’t usually comment on estate planning matters but a recent Court of Appeals decision on involving an estate planning trust caught my interest. The bank obtained a judgment against an individual based on a personal guaranty. The bank garnished an account that the individual held as trustee under a trust agreement. First, it appears

Are you selling a residence or mobile home with a land contract or other secured seller financing? In addition to dealing with normal land contract terms, you may need to comply with the new federal regulations under the Dodd-Frank Act. Dodd-Frank was in response to lending practices in the residential mortgage market. It has been