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Synchronized Buy-Sell & Operating Agreements
Aligning death, disability, divorce, and retirement trigger clauses with life-insurance funding, valuation mechanisms, and surviving-spouse buyout protections.
Integrated Corporate & Estate Strategy for Business Founders & Family Wealth.
Uniting buy-sell agreements, trust funding of LLC and corporate shares, asset protection, tax planning, and probate litigation defense so closely held businesses survive generational transitions.
Capital, Transactions & Private Wealth ยท Lead Counsel: Reese Serra (P74482), Matt Wozniak, JD / CPA, Brian D. Harrison
Sector FocusFounders, Family Offices & Succession
Lead AttorneysReese Serra (P74482) & Matt Wozniak, JD / CPA & Brian D. Harrison
Court VenuesOakland, Macomb, Wayne & Federal Courts
Headquarters125 E. 3rd St, Suite 100, Rochester, MI
Why must a business owner's operating agreement and revocable trust be drafted together?
When a founder signs a trust without updating corporate operating agreements and assigning membership interests, transfer restrictions in the company agreement can invalidate the trust transfer or trap the business inside contested Michigan probate proceedings under the Estates and Protected Individuals Code (MCL 700.1101 et seq.).
Core legal architecture for founders, family offices & succession.
Structured entity isolation, commercial contract precision, tax alignment, and courtroom enforcement built for owners and executive teams.
Discuss This Mandate →
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Revocable, Irrevocable & Special-Purpose Trusts
Drafting and funding Michigan revocable living trusts, irrevocable asset-protection and tax trusts, Ladybird deeds, powers of attorney, and LLC interest assignments.
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Contested Probate & Fiduciary Litigation
Representing trustees, personal representatives, and business heirs in Oakland, Macomb, and Wayne County probate courts on undue-influence, accounting, and family-company control disputes.
Controlling statutory framework.
Every operating agreement, acquisition, lease, and litigation strategy is anchored to the Michigan and federal authorities governing founders, family offices & succession.
Statutory & Regulatory Benchmark 01
Michigan Estates and Protected Individuals Code / EPIC (MCL 700.1101 et seq.)
Statutory & Regulatory Benchmark 02
Michigan Trust Code (MCL 700.7101 et seq.)
Statutory & Regulatory Benchmark 03
Internal Revenue Code Sections 1014 (Basis Step-Up) & 2036
Principal counsel & trial readiness.
Your matter is led directly by senior attorneys who combine entrepreneurial ownership experience, CPA tax fluency, and decades of Michigan courtroom advocacy.
Founding Attorney & Managing Member ยท Bar P74482Reese SerraSenior Litigation & Trial CounselBrian D. HarrisonAttorney & Certified Public Accountant (JD / CPA)Matt Wozniak
Confidential Family Holding Company Address
Family offices and real-estate trusts use our Rochester Suite 100 address and Resident Agent service to keep family residences off searchable state databases.
Frequently asked questions: Founders, Family Offices & Succession
Direct answers to the structural, transactional, and litigation questions Michigan owners ask most often.
What happens if I create a trust but never formally assign my LLC membership units to it?
An unfunded trust controls nothing. Without a signed Assignment of Membership Interest and updated company schedule, your business equity must pass through public probate court administration upon death.
How did recent IRS rulings affect stepped-up basis in irrevocable grantor trusts?
Under Revenue Ruling 2023-2, assets held in an irrevocable grantor trust that are not included in the grantor's taxable gross estate at death generally do not receive a Section 1014 basis step-up, requiring careful tax modeling before transferring low-basis business or realty assets.
How did Connelly v. United States change life-insurance-funded redemption buy-sell agreements?
The U.S. Supreme Court held that corporate-owned life insurance proceeds earmarked to redeem a deceased shareholder's stock can increase the company's estate-tax valuation. Cross-purchase or dedicated insurance LLC structures often avoid that tax hit.
What is a Michigan Ladybird deed and how does it work with a trust?
An enhanced life estate (Ladybird) deed allows a Michigan property owner to retain complete lifetime control to sell or mortgage real estate while automatically transferring title to a trust or beneficiary upon death outside of probate.