Areas of Practice: Complex Domestic Litigation (Divorce, Custody, Paternity, Support, Parenting Time, Business Evaluation), Construction Disputes/Litigation, Construction Lien Claims, General Civil Litigation, Business Litigation, Contract Disputes, Business Representation, Criminal Law.
Education/Professional Background: Michigan State University (B.A., Business Administration/Finance, 2003); Michigan State University (B.S. Building Construction Management, 2003 - cum laude); University of Detroit Mercy Law School, 2006). Phi Alpha Delta Legal Fraternity, Professional Construction Manager/Estimator 2001-2005.
Admission: State Bar of Michigan, admitted to practice 2006; United States Federal Court, Eastern District, admitted 2010.
Memberships/Affiliations:
- State Bar of Michigan (Representative Assembly for the 16th Circuit, 2016 to 2022)
- Italian American Bar Association of Michigan (“IABAM”), 2007 - present (Secretary 2010, Treasurer 2011, Vice President 2012, President Elect 2013, President 2014)
- National Italian American Bar Association (“NIABA”)
- Macomb County Bar Association:
- Chairperson for Family Law Committee (2017-present)
- YLS Board of Directors, 2008-2010, Secretary 2011, Vice-President 2012, President 2013)
- Honorary Membership Committee, Long-Term Planning Committee, Co-Chair - Mentorship Program)
- Macomb County Bar Foundation (Board of Directors, 2016 to present)
- Macomb County Bar Foundation Trustee
- Oakland County Bar Association
- Construction Association of Michigan (CAM)
- Institute of Continuing legal Education (ICLE) - Regular Speaker and Moderator, Advisory Board
- Macomb Resolution Center - Sustaining Sponsor and "First Friend"
- 100-Hour State Mediation Certification
- MIOSHA 10-hour state certification
- Regular speaker at the Macomb County Circuit Court S.M.I.L.E Program (required program for parents going through divorce in Macomb County)
- Time Team Detroit, Volunteer (local charitable organization that seeks to provide hands on and realistic support to surrounding community members in need)
- The Goldfish Foundation, Board of Directors/Founding Member (charitable organization that seeks to provide swimming and water safety outreach to underprivileged children in Metro-Detroit and throughout Michigan)
Designations/Awards:
- Business Magazine () - “Top Lawyer in Metro Detroit” 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2017, 2018, 2019, 2021, 2022 (Areas: family law and construction litigation)
- “Super Lawyers Rising Stars” 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019, 2020, 2021, 2022 (designation given to less than 2% of attorneys under 40 upon election of peers - www.superlawyers.com)
- Martindale-Hubbell Peer Review Rated (www.martindale.com) as “AV Preeminent Rating” (highest achievable ranking of attorneys as determined by attorney peers/judiciary)
- Martindale-Hubbell “Client Distinction Award” (ranking in the top 1% of over 1,000,000 lawyers for client satisfaction based on communication ability, responsiveness, quality of service, and value)
- Martindale-Hubbell "Client Champion - Platinum Award" 2018
- AVVO "10.0 Superb Rating" -
- AVVO "Client's Choice Award" -
- Macomb County Bar Association - Extraordinary Service Award (2018)
- Italian American Bar Association – Phillip F. Greco Award for Excellence 2018.
News:
- Crain’s Detroit Business - February 2011, “First National Ownership Tangle”
- Crain's Detroit Business - July 2012, Unraveling Northern Group's Tangled Web
- WXYZ/WDIV - June 2011, Gas Station Price Fixing in Detroit
- Multiple published articles for ICLE and State Bar (some listed below)
Speaker/Contributions:
- Regular speaker at the Macomb County Friend of the Court S.M.I.L.E Program (required program for parents going through divorce in Macomb County)
- Regular Contributor/Speaker for the Institute of Continuing Legal Education (“ICLE”);
- Presenter/Author - Complex Real Property Transfers in a Divorce (Institute of Continuing Legal Education, 2014)
- Presenter/Author - Quiet Title Actions (Institute of Continuing Legal Education, 2014)
- Host/Moderator - November Family Law Institute (Institute of Continuing Legal Education, 2014)
- Presenter/Author - Properly Drafting Judgments of Divorce (ICLE Small Firm Institute and State Bar Annual Conference, 2015)
- Oakland County Bar Association Family Law Seminar - Securing Property Interests During a Divorce (2015)
- Presenter/Author - Do’s and Don’ts of Transferring Real Property in a Divorce (Institute of Continuing Legal Education, Family Law Institute Annual Meeting, 2015)
- Presenter/Author - Handling Change of School Cases (Institute of Continuing Legal Education, Family Law Institute Annual Meeting 2016)
- Co-Presenter - Change of Parenting Time Motions and Evidentiary Hearings with live demonstrations with Hon. Patrick J. Conlin and Ref. Marie Matyjaszek (Washtenaw Circuit Court - Family Division) (Institute of Continuing Legal Education, 2017)
- Presenter/Author - Cryptocurrencies and Other Intangible Assets That You Can't Afford to Miss (Institute of Continuing Legal Education, Family Law Institute Annual Meeting, 2018)
- Keynote Speaker with Prosecutor Karen D. McDonald (Oakland County) on Spousal Stalking
- Master of Ceremony/Host, Investiture Hon. James Maceroni (2015)
- MCBA's Bowling for Dollars, 2014 host/curator (sustaining charitable bowling event benefiting greater-Macomb charities)
Recent Contributions:
- Author - Michigan Basic Practice Handbook (Chapter 2 - Divorce Cases, pg. 59 to 212) - 2020, and updates 2021 and 2022
- Co-Presenter - Military Divorce and Family Law Matters (4-part series) with Mark Sullivan (N.C., JAG retired), author and expert of the Military Divorce Handbook (American Bar Association)
- Author - A Big Change in Store for Child Custody Disputes in Michigan?---RE HB 4691 (MCBA Bar Briefs, October 2017 edition)
- Author - Prenuptial Agreements in the Wake of Allard III (MCBA Bar Briefs, November 2017 edition)
- Author - Jurisdiction and Venue in Divorce Actions at a Glance (MCBA Bar Briefs, December 2017 edition)
- Author - New Year, New Problems, A Quick Glance at the New Tax Law (MCBA Bar Briefs, January 2018)
- Author - Grandparenting Rights at a Glance (MCBA Bar Briefs, February 2018)
- Author - Jurisdictional Issues after Ramamoorthi v. Ramamoorthi (MCBA Bar Briefs, March 2018)
- Author - Analysis of Joughin v. Joughin and Entry of Retirement Division Orders (MCBA Bar Briefs, May 2018)
- Author - What is a Final Order? (MCBA Bar Briefs, July 2018)
- Author - Back to Basics, The Proper Use of Emergency Motions and Ex Parte Orders (MCBA Bar Briefs, September 2018)
- Author - Adding a Third Party to a Divorce Action (MCBA Bar Briefs, December 2018)
Professional Achievements:
Successfully foreclosed a construction lien on Detroit landmark property; The First National Building on behalf of construction manager client for unpaid construction costs-----after over 4 plus years of litigation, my client was awarded full recovery, plus full reimbursement of all attorney fees.
Presentations/Seminars
- (2014)The Institute of Continuing Legal Education (ICLE) - Quiet Title Actions - Best Practices
- (2015) State Bar Annual Family Law Conference - Drafting Judgements
- (2016) Michgan Annual Family Law Seminar - Change of Schools - Institute of Continuing Legal Education (Michigan)
- (2018) Michigan Annual Family Law Seminar - Cryptocurrency and Intangible Assets in Divorce - Institute of Continuing Legal Education (Michigan)
- (2019) Michigan Annual Family Law Seminar - High Income Deviation under Michigan Child Support Formula - Institute of Continuing Legal Education (Michigan)
- (2020) Michigan Annual Family Law Seminar - Use of Courtroom Technology - Institute of Continuing Legal Education (Michigan)
- (2021) Michigan Annaul Family Law Seminar - Taxes and Divorce - Institute of Continuing Legal Education (Michigan)
- (2022) Michigan Annual Family Law Seminar - Cyberstalking and Legalities - Institute of Continuing Legal Education (Michigan)