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Business owners know that even the best plans can’t cover every possible situation and risk. However, there are some contingencies that owners should prepare themselves for. One of them is the possible death of another owner. This can be devastating in particular if the owner is a “key employee” in the business. Nothing can bring […]

Reviewing a commercial lease can be a daunting task for anyone who has not done it before. From the numerous pages of dense text to the typical overuse of legalese, these documents tend to be some of the least user-friendly that I come across as a business attorney. Yet, reviewing them is something that most

I’ve see an increased interest among my clients in creating a “business advisory board.” The purpose I hear most often in developing this type of board is to provide the owners with insight or expertise that they don’t have in house. A close second is that the board helps owners develop strategic perspective on the

Haans Mulder, an attorney and partner with Cunningham Dalman, P.C., recently authored an article in the Michigan Business Law Journal. The article is entitled “Synthetic Equity in S Corporations: Avoiding Tax Traps When Planning for Key Employees.” Haans has been named a Rising Star by Michigan Super Lawyers Magazine, has a Masters in Tax, is

The Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) has interpreted the federal law barring workplace gender bias to include a ban on discrimination against gay workers. The EEOC said that “discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation is premised on sex-based preferences, assumptions, expectations, stereotypes, or norms. ‘Sexual orientation’ as a concept cannot be defined or understood

A revocable trust is a key document for many estate plans. It usually is drafted to give the person setting it up (called the settlor) full control by naming them trustee and beneficiary during their lifetime. It also addresses how the assets will be distributed at the settlor’s death. But many clients ask how this

Estate planning is not exactly the best “get-together” conversation topic when you are with friends or family. For me and my wife, many of our friends and acquaintances have just started a family within the last few years or are getting close, and when my job comes up, the conversation shifts to “oh, you do

PART II In Part I of this blog post, I covered the general considerations for all estate planning clients in deciding what to tell their children in advance. In the second installment of this blog post, I wanted to cover the additional considerations when your estate plan includes more complex planning items such as high-value

This past weekend I decided to fix the leaking transmission in my old Jeep. It was so simple, I did not need to take it to a mechanic. I bought the parts, crawled under the Jeep and dove right in. A few minutes later I literally felt like I dove in: there was transmission fluid

The home phone rings at your elderly grandmother’s home. She hasn’t upgraded her phone so she can see who is calling. She answers hoping to hear a familiar voice but instead hears a stranger from a collection agency. Your granny is smart and wants these collection calls to stop so she politely tells them to