Clients frequently question the value of preparing an employee handbook.  Many small business owners do not provide employees with an updated, legally-sound handbook due to the anticipated time needed to develop it and/or the belief that it is not necessary since they have good relations with their employees.  Providing all employees with information on the company’s policies and guidelines, employee programs, attendance rules, and other work-related rules is one of […]

As a new year is upon us, we reflect back on 2015 and the successful year we had at CMDA. We recognized a monumental milestone, hired several attorneys, and celebrated some remarkable anniversaries. CMDA was honored to have celebrated our 50th Anniversary in 2015. This monumental anniversary would not have been possible without Owen Cummings, the founder of the Firm.  Mr. Cummings had a vision of developing a Firm whose […]

As the economy progresses through an economic cycle and continues to improve, business owners are seeing the value of their business recover.  Now is a good time for business owners to develop a plan for their company’s future, even if retirement is not on the horizon. A succession plan is a long-term process put in place by the business owner that identifies who the business will be transferred to upon the […]

The Firm is pleased to announce that Christopher G. Schultz has been selected to be the new managing partner of the Firm. Concluding his tenure as managing partner after nine years, T. Joseph Seward explained, “I talked with the equity partners about my wish to step down as managing partner and go back and do what I love most about being a lawyer, going to court, litigating files, and trying cases.  […]

This is a follow-up to the “2012 Tax Planning for Fiscal Cliff” article published in CMDA’s On Law newsletter (December 2012) and on our website. On January 1, 2013 Congress passed the American Tax Relief Act extending many of the individual and business tax breaks reviewed in the article. As a supplement to the Article, below is a list of some of the significant tax changes. Individual Income Taxes Federal […]

2012 Tax Planning for Fiscal Cliff Now that the election is over, our federal government has to address the “Fiscal Cliff” created by the Budget Control Act of 2011.  The Fiscal Cliff involves several tax increases, the expiration of the Bush Era tax cuts, along with cuts in government spending. Unless the Senate and the House come to a resolution, there are several tax provisions that will expire or be […]

In the past, articles have been written on the importance of having an estate plan in place. Going a little deeper, this article concentrates on how to correctly and appropriately handle those unique elder law situations that may arise. Elder law is different than traditional estate planning in the sense that elder law does not focus on death and taxes. It focuses, rather, on those times when family members need […]

We are fortunate to have a hard-working and dedicated group of attorneys, paralegals, secretaries and support staff working at CMDA. Each and every employee plays a role in making our Firm one of Michigan’s premier law firms. In the November/December 2009 issue of “dbusiness” magazine, a Detroit business journal, the Top Lawyers in Metro Detroit for 2010 were listed. We are proud to announce that several of our attorneys made […]