Family Law

• Divorce
  Divorce law in Michigan requires that the court finds that there has been a breakdown of the marital relationship to the extent that the objects of matrimony have been destroyed, and there remains no reasonable likelihood that the marriage can be preserved. We handle every situation in a very sensitive, supportive and caring manner, while providing you with the utmost in legal advice and representation.
• Spousal Support
  A pre-nuptial agreement is meant to handle the orderly disposition of property either in a divorce or a death. They are valid in Michigan and can cover every issue including property and alimony issues in the event of a divorce. It is important that you be carefully advised. In order for a pre-nuptial agreement to be enforced, they should be drafted in an arm’s-length transaction, with each party having an attorney.

Criminal Law

• Criminal Defense
  Norman Lippitt is a founding partner of Lippitt O’Keefe, PLLC. Norman has been practicing law for over 50 years and has gained priceless experience, wisdom and the respect of his colleagues and clients. Norman’s distinguished career began as a prosecutor in Wayne County Recorder’s Court. After a period of time he transitioned his talents and skill in the courtroom to become a criminal defense attorney. Miraculously, he tried over 100 major felony cases before he turned 30, an unprecedented feat in today’s legal environment. The tales of Norman’s legal prowess and acumen spread to Lansing, and in 1985, the governor appointed Norman to the bench of the Oakland County Circuit Court, where he served for three and a half years before returning to private practice.
• Fraud
  Carey has appeared in the Michigan Court of Appeals, the Michigan Supreme Court and was admitted pro hac vice into the United States District Court for the District of Nevada to litigate a private securities fraud suit.

Business and Corporate Law

• Corporate Law
  A Limited Liability Corporation (LLC) may be the best structure for your small business. As the name states, an LLC can limit your liability by protecting your personal assets from creditors. Business owners have enough to worry about without adding losing their home to corporate litigation to the list. But there are still plenty of legal issues that arise and having corporate counsel that is deeply familiar with the issues that impact LLCs can be extremely valuable.
• Mergers and Acquisitions
  Alan is also Court certified to mediate in the Courts in the State of Michigan. A case evaluator for the Oakland County Circuit Court since 1984, he participated in the creation of the Oakland County Circuit Court Early Case Evaluation Program. He regularly serves as a neutral throughout the United States, on Large Complex Disputed Matters involving corporate & commercial transactions, mergers and acquisitions, health care law, employment law, franchise law, computer & technology, software development, E commerce law and IT issues, entertainment law, intellectual property, telecommunications and securities law.
• Business Disputes
  Business law is a complex arena, and your attorney must have deep attention to detail. Whether it’s going through financial documents and the maze of laws and regulations that impact your business or simply monitoring the best practices within your industry, experienced lawyers can efficiently and effectively handle your case.
• Business Transactions
  Moreover, the details on commercial transactions can be more nuanced than those involved with a residential sale. Zoning issues are common in commercial real estate, as is the need for government permits. While disputes in a residential transaction are going to be between two homeowners, the dispute in commercial real estate is more likely to involve the local government.
• Limited Liability Companies
  The legal issues that arise with business structures are unique to how each individual business is set up. Limited Liability Companies (LLCs) might be chosen for personal liability protection and potential tax flexibility. Partnerships can be attractive because of their comparative ease in setting up. A syndication structure may make borrowing easier. Each structure has its own strengths and weaknesses and its own compliance requirements.
• Trade Secrets
  Trade secret law protects confidential information that is valuable to the operation of a business. Some good examples of intellectual property in this field are business processes or customer lists. Recipes are often best protected by trade secret structures. If an invention is difficult to reverse-engineer, it might be worth considering the pursuit of trade secret protection, and this decision is something our attorneys can consult with you on.
• Intellectual Property
  David has extensive experience in all aspects of domestic and international intellectual property law. His expertise includes the prosecution of patent, trademark, and copyright applications; clearance and infringement opinions; preparation and negotiation of licenses and assignments; and advising clients on trade secret issues.
• Antitrust
  This is a specific type of class action filing. To win an antitrust lawsuit, your legal team must demonstrate business practices that are anti-competitive. Furthermore, those practices must have the consequence of leading to some negative result, such as price fixing or fraud.

Employment Law

• Employment Contract
  Lippitt O’Keefe attorneys are experienced in drafting robust nondisclosure agreements to protect your trade secrets. We often draft stand-alone agreements for this purpose, though we may advise that you instead incorporate one into employment agreements where it is appropriate.
• Employment Litigation
• Non-compete Agreement
  A business may deal with sensitive information. Ownership needs to be assured that their most important secrets won’t leave the company when an employee does, or that customers won’t follow a salesperson to another firm. Non-disclosure agreements and non-compete agreements are a company’s protection in situations like these.

Property Law

• Real Estate Litigation
  Too close to their residential space. This can lead to conflict and public hearings. Your attorney must be experienced at zealously representing your interests while doing what’s possible to maintain good relationships with the people who live in your area. Property rights and boundary disputes can come up in commercial real estate cases.
• Construction Litigation
  Construction law encompasses everything associated with a project from the time the owners apply for a permit. This field of law involves working with designers, architects, suppliers, contractors, and more. It requires knowledge of nuanced codes and regulations.
• Real Estate Transactions
  Commercial real estate transactions are typically complex. An attorney who is experienced in the issues you are likely to confront might be the difference in whether or not your investment will turn into a long-range success.
• Land Use and Zoning
  The knowledge of municipal regulations is imperative for any business that would like to expand or acquire new properties. Our attorneys are familiar with local codes throughout the area.
• Condominium Law
  Condo developments involve a maze of business relationships. They require expertise in Michigan condominium law and the ability to integrate that with real estate and transaction law. It’s common for substantial amounts of money to be at stake in condo developments, and your lawyer can help you navigate your case.

Trusts and Estates

• Estate Planning
  Estate planning encompasses a comprehensive list of legal documents dealing with issues that may arise at the end of someone’s life and will arise after their death. All of these documents have one unifying goal — to see to it that a person’s wishes are respected in the event of death or incapacitation and that there is a legal mechanism to ensure this happens. Good estate planning considers probate, looks at whether a trust is the best means of achieving a person’s goals, and proactively anticipates end-of-life decisions that might transpire.
• Trusts
• Power of Attorney
  We don’t want to think of the prospects of being mentally incapable of making our own health care decisions. Even less do we want to think about being in that state when there are potentially difficult decisions to make. Your health care power of attorney is the person you will designate to make these decisions on your behalf.
• Probate

Finance Law

• Bankruptcy