As a member of a wealthy family, you need trusted legal advisors who take a 360-degree view of your wealth, businesses, legacy and family. Warner attorneys work seamlessly with your other advisors, have encountered the most complex relationships, tax and governance structures, and have confidentially dealt with delicate financial and personal situations to create bespoke solutions that respond to your unique needs, goals and objectives. Regardless of where you fall generationally, Warner is critical to the future wealth – and health – of your family.
Sophistication, Plus Strategy
While we provide some of the most sophisticated and strategic tax and wealth planning work in Michigan, the sheer size of our firm – and the resulting depth and breadth of our team – also enables us to serve the full range of needs of family offices and wealthy families, from the professional to the personal and philanthropic, and in just about any practice area they might require. On top of this, we are agile and able to pivot – and to help our clients to pivot – quickly, in response to even the most unpredictable events. In sum, we offer our private and family office clients both peace of mind and protection in everything they do.
experience
Strengths Snapshot
- Bespoke trusts that reflect the values, purposes, goals and objectives of the creator of the trust – Mark Harder
- Tax planning strategies, including FLPs, sales to IDITs, GRATs, QPRTs, SLATs – Jennifer Remondino, James Steffel, Frank Henke, Sean Cook
- Trust governance strategies, including directed trusts and divided trusteeships – Mark Harder, Beth O’Laughlin
- Private trust companies – Mark Harder
- Multi-jurisdictional planning – Mark Harder, Laura Jeltema
- Probate, trust and estate litigation – David Skidmore, Laura Morris
- Family business succession – Susan Meyers, Mark Harder, Matthew Johnson
- Family office design, formation and operation – William Lentine, Laura Jeltema
- Insurance programs for family offices and UHNW families – Jason Byrne
- Asset protection planning – James Steffel, Frank Henke, Laura Jeltema
- Direct investments, impact investments, hedge funds and investment partnership structures – Loren Andrulis, William Lentine
- Family business and domestic employment matters – Jonathan Kok
- Estate property and vacation homes – James Rabaut, Christian Meyer
- Family education, governance and meetings – Susan Meyers, Jennifer Remondino
- Philanthropy, including private foundations – Jennifer Remondino
- White collar crime and crisis management – Brian Lennon, Madelaine Lane
- Sales, mergers and acquisitions of family businesses – William Lentine, Matthew Johnson
- Key employee compensation and employee benefits – Justin Stemple, Jennifer Watkins
- Family Law/Divorce – Ric Roane, Nazli Sater
Honors & Accolades
Chambers High Net Worth guide awarded a top-tier ranking to Warner Norcross + Judd in 2019 as one of Michigan’s top firms in private wealth law, and specifically recognized partners Carl W. Dufendach, Mark K. Harder, Susan Gell Meyers and David L.J.M. Skidmore as well as Of Counsel W. Michael Van Haren.
The Best Lawyers in America 2018 has named eleven Warner Norcross + Judd attorneys as Lawyers of the Year. Bruce C. Young was recognized this year from the Private Client and Family Office practice area.
The Best Lawyers in America 2018 has additionally recognized the following Warner Norcross + Judd attorneys from the Private Client and Family Office practice: Loren M. Andrulis, Carl W. Dufendach, Susan Gell Meyers, Jennifer L. Remondino, James J. Steffel, W. Michael Van Haren and Stephen C. Waterbury.
Michigan Super Lawyers magazine has named Warner Norcross + Judd attorney Jennifer L. Remondino as a Rising Star. This award requires that attorneys are younger than 40 and have attained a high degree of peer recognition and personal achievement.
Michigan Super Lawyers magazine has also named Super Lawyers from Warner Norcross + Judd’s Private Client and Family Office practice, including attorneys Loren M. Andrulis, Carl W. Dufendach, Mark K. Harder, Susan Gell Meyers, James J. Steffel, W. Michael Van Haren and Stephen C. Waterbury.
Chambers High Net Worth guide awarded a top-tier ranking to Warner Norcross + Judd in 2019 as one of Michigan’s top firms in private wealth law, and specifically recognized partners Mark K. Harder, Susan Gell Meyers, Carl W. Dufendach and W. Michael Van Haren for their expertise.
Michigan Lawyers Weekly named Susan Gell Meyers as one of its leading “Women in the Law.”
The American College of Trust and Estate Counsel (ACTEC) has elected six Warner Norcross & Judd attorneys as Fellows, the largest number of ACTEC Fellows practicing at any Michigan firm. ACTEC Fellows in the Private Client and Family Office practice include Carl W. Dufendach, Mark K. Harder, Jennifer L. Remondino and W. Michael Van Haren.
Warner Norcross + Judd attorney Mark K. Harder chaired the State Bar of Michigan committee that spent more than five years writing the Michigan Trust Code, which governs how trusts are established and administered in the state. He also co-authored a reference for attorneys and courts on the meaning of Michigan’s laws regarding probate, trusts, guardianships and conservatorships.
Resources
- Have You Been Thinking About Creating a Family Office?Legacy Matters
- What Can Cybersecurity Insurance Do for You?Legacy Matters
- Who Gets Grandpa’s Guitar Pick Collection?Legacy Matters
- Should You Be Holding Family Meetings?Legacy Matters
- The Corporate Transparency Act – Where Are We Now?Legacy Matters
- Helping Clients Who Are Thinking About a Private Trust CompanyLegacy Matters
- Reflections on 2021 – A Year in Search of NormalcyLegacy Matters
- Developing Gratitude in Children Can Be a Challenge – LiterallyLegacy Matters
- Update on Proposed Tax Changes Affecting Estate PlanningLegacy Matters
- How Do I Create a Functioning Board of Directors for My Family Business?Legacy Matters
- National Estate Planning Awareness Week Reminds Us to Be PreparedLegacy Matters
- Proposed Tax Changes Affecting Estate Planning Are Moving Through CongressLegacy Matters
- Why Does My Family Office Need Standard Employment Documents?Legacy Matters
- The New Rules for Florida Trusts Are HereLegacy Matters
- Thanking You for Your Input on Our WorkLegacy Matters
- New Bill Proposes To Have Family Offices Register With the SEC and Begin SEC ReportingLegacy Matters
- Should You Have a Family Constitution?Legacy Matters
- The ACE Act Aims to Change DAF and Private Foundation Tax LawsLegacy Matters
- Your Capital Gains Could Become Capital Pains Under the President’s Proposed BudgetLegacy Matters
- Your 7-Step Plan for Creating Chaos in Your Family BusinessLegacy Matters
- Remember our advice to prepare for estate tax changes sooner rather than later? Later is now.Legacy Matters
- 2020 Planning Is Only Useful if It Is CompletedLegacy Matters
- Have You Had “The Talk” With Your Kids? (No, not that one. The one about your estate plan.)Legacy Matters
- Is It Time to Address Flooding and Erosion Issues at Your Lakefront Property?Legacy Matters
- Reflections on 2020 – There’s Good in GoodbyeLegacy Matters
- Why Won’t My Parents Retire and Let Me Run the Family Business?Legacy Matters
- Gratitude – It’s Not Just for ThanksgivingLegacy Matters
- Philanthropic Planning Opportunities for 2020 Year EndLegacy Matters
- October 19-25 Is National Estate Planning Awareness WeekLegacy Matters
- It’s Not Too Late to Hold a Virtual Family Meeting This Year: Series Part 2 – Best practices for virtual family meetingsLegacy Matters
- Partner Mark Harder Presents Estate Planning Update at 2020 Family Office ForumLegacy Matters
- The Election is Looming – the Window for Estate Planning is NarrowingLegacy Matters
- Family Meetings Go Virtual in 2020: Part 1 – Putting the “Family” into Virtual Family MeetingsLegacy Matters
- Thanking You for the Opportunity to be RecognizedLegacy Matters
- When a Prenuptial Agreement Isn’t an OptionLegacy Matters
- Estate and Tax Planning Ideas for a COVID-19 Economy – Part 2Legacy Matters
- Estate and Tax Planning Ideas for a COVID-19 Economy – Part 1Legacy Matters
- Do I want a Donor-Advised Fund or a Private Foundation?Legacy Matters
- Estate Planning and the 2020 ElectionLegacy Matters
- Newly-Enacted Tax Act: A Holiday Gift for FoundationsLegacy Matters
- The Gift of Gratitude Lasts a LifetimeLegacy Matters
- Talking Turkey about Holding Family Meetings over the HolidaysLegacy Matters
- Give Your Family the Gift of Family Legacy for the HolidaysLegacy Matters
- It Is National Estate Planning Awareness Week – October 21-27, 2019Legacy Matters
- Is Your Family Office Ready For a Cyber Incident?Legacy Matters
- Options for Transferring Family Vacation Homes May Have Become More LimitedLegacy Matters
- Is It Time for a Trust Taxation Tune-Up?Legacy Matters
- When Is It Time For Your Children To Attend Family Meetings?Legacy Matters
- Four Best Practices for Holding Successful Family MeetingsLegacy Matters
- Give Your Graduate the Gift of Legal DocumentsLegacy Matters
- Auditors Now Have Guidance Regarding Private Foundation Self-Dealing TransactionsLegacy Matters
- Starting (and Sustaining) Family MeetingsLegacy Matters
- The Benefits of Shared Family ValuesLegacy Matters
- Is a Domestic Asset Protection Trust Right For You?Legacy Matters
- Changes Are Coming to Michigan’s Trust Laws in MarchLegacy Matters
- “Roses are Red, Violets are Blue”—Approaching Prenuptial Agreements PositivelyLegacy Matters
- Family Constitutions: The Foundation of a Family’s FutureLegacy Matters
- Finally, New Year’s Resolutions Your Ultra High Net Worth Family Can Keep!Legacy Matters
- ‘Tis the Season for Evaluating Charitable GivingLegacy Matters
- There is No Time Like the Present to Make GiftsLegacy Matters
- Legacy Planning Tools to Preserve Family WealthLegacy Matters
- Lessons From a 16th Century Family Owned WineryLegacy Matters
- Warner Partner Sean Cook Speaks about Transitioning the Family BusinessLegacy Matters
- 5 Best Practices for Planning Successful Family MeetingsLegacy Matters
- Top 3 Excuses For Not Having Family Meetings – And How to Beat ThemLegacy Matters
- 4 Great Benefits of Having Family MeetingsLegacy Matters
- Warner Partner Sean Cook Speaks About Succession Planning Under the New Tax ActLegacy Matters
- The Pros and Cons of Using a Commercial Institution as Your TrusteeLegacy Matters
- Hiring Domestic Help: Using a 5-Step Background Check to Protect Your High Net Worth FamilyLegacy Matters
- A High Net Worth Guide to Hiring Domestic Help: Protect Your Family from LiabilityLegacy Matters
- Why Your Family Business Needs a Family Employment PolicyLegacy Matters
- 10 Common Employment Mistakes Family Office Managers MakeLegacy Matters
- Why High Net Worth Families Need to Review Estate Plans Now: Unintended Consequences of the Tax ReformLegacy Matters
- Lender Management v. Commissioner Decision Impacts Single Family Offices in 2018Legacy Matters
- Gift Strategies to Help High Net Worth Families Benefit from Tax ReformLegacy Matters
- Talking to Your Children About Family WealthLegacy Matters
- Should I Choose a Family Member to Be My Trustee?Legacy Matters
- Introducing Our New Private Client and Family Office Blog . . .Legacy Matters
- Family Business Alliance Board of Directors Workshop
- 2018 FOX Trustees and Beneficiaries Workshop
- Webinar: 10 Common Mistakes Managers Make
- Strategic Alternatives for Middle Market and Closely Held Businesses
- Warner Partner Bruce C. Young Honored by Inclusion in Michigan Lawyers Weekly 2022 Hall of Fame
- Six Warner Attorneys, Firm Named Top Leaders in Chambers High Net Worth 2021 Guide
- David J. Klippert Elected to Stevens Center for Family Business Executive Council at SVSU
- 102 Warner Attorneys Rated 2021 Best Lawyers in America
- When a Prenuptial Agreement Isn’t an Option
- Mark K. Harder Elected Treasurer of the Community Foundation of the Holland/Zeeland Area
- Five Warner Attorneys Recognized as Leaders in Their Field in Chambers High Net Worth Guide
- 24 Warner Attorneys Recognized as Top Women Lawyers by Michigan Super Lawyers Magazine
- Warner Names New Executive Partner at Muskegon Office
- Warner Partners Earn Top Writing Honors at Family Office Exchange Fall Forum
- Warner Again Ranked One of Michigan’s Top Firms in Chambers High Net Worth Guide
- Warner Moved to New Offices in Holland
- Four Partners Recognized as Top Michigan Super Lawyers
- 57 Warner Attorneys Recognized as Michigan Super Lawyers
- Ninety-Seven Warner Attorneys Rated Best Lawyers in America
- Fourteen Warner Partners Named Lawyers of the Year in 2018
- Warner Partner Elected Board Chair of Community Foundation of Holland/Zeeland Area
- Jennifer L. Remondino Elected as Fellow to ACTEC
- Laura A. Jeltema Joins Warner
- Warner Partner Mark K. Harder to Serve as Chair Elect of Community Foundation of the Holland/Zeeland Area
- Nine Warner Partners Named Lawyers of the Year
- Warner Names Mark Harder Practice Group Chair
- Jim Steffel Presents 2015 Estate Planning Update
- Jim Steffel Contributes to White Paper on Family Wealth Management
- Jim Steffel to Present in Family Office Exchange Webinar on Estate Planning