Paul Arslanian brings extensive experience in estate planning, tax and business planning, banking and financial, and probate and trust administration to Dawda PLC. Since his admission to the State Bar of Michigan in 1985, Mr. Arslanian has exclusively represented individuals, small and medium-sized businesses, and business owners in accomplishing various estate, tax, and business planning objectives.

Paul’s comprehensive background encompasses both legal practice and financial services. He is a licensed life and health insurance producer, holds a Series 65 license as an Investment Advisor Representative, and formerly served as a Certified Public Accountant. His professional experience includes several years as a tax manager with the prestigious accounting firm Coopers & Lybrand, providing him with invaluable insight into complex tax matters and business structures.

Mr. Arslanian frequently lectures on estate and tax planning matters, sharing his expertise with both professional and client audiences. His multifaceted background in law, accounting, and financial services enables him to provide comprehensive counsel that addresses all aspects of his clients’ estate planning and business needs.

Paul’s practice focuses on developing sophisticated estate planning strategies, structuring business transactions for optimal tax efficiency, and guiding fiduciaries through complex trust and estate administration matters. His extensive experience with tax planning and business succession ensures that clients receive well-rounded advice that considers both current objectives and long-term financial goals.

Aidan Schurig is an Associate at Dawda PLC. He concentrates his practice in real estate, construction, corporate law, and finance. As part of his practice, Aidan counsels both small and large businesses on various legal matters and contributes to the development of residential and commercial real estate projects.

Aidan graduated from Wayne State University Law School in 2024, where he attended as a full merit scholarship recipient. During law school, he served as a member of the Journal of Business Law and as a Board Member of the Business Law Society. He also gained valuable experience as a student attorney in the Legal Advocacy for People with Cancer Clinic, a medical-legal partnership between Wayne State Law School and Barbara Ann Karmanos Cancer Center, where he provided legal representation to low-income cancer patients in matters related to housing, insurance, employment, estate planning, and public benefits.

Prior to joining the firm as an Associate, Aidan served as both a Summer Associate and law clerk at Dawda, where he worked on various aspects of civil litigation, business transactions, and residential and commercial real estate matters including development, acquisitions, sales, leases, and land use. He previously worked as a law clerk at Linnell & Associates, further expanding his experience in these areas.

Aidan earned his Bachelor of Arts in Political Science, Summa Cum Laude, from Oakland University in 2020, where he was a member of the Pi Sigma Alpha Political Science Honors Society and received Dean’s List distinction for all semesters attended. He began his undergraduate career at DePauw University as a dual-sport collegiate athlete in Swimming and Track & Field. His background also includes experience as a licensed residential real estate agent in Michigan, providing him with valuable insights into the real estate industry.

Katie L. Ringler is an Associate at Dawda PLC. She concentrates her practice in the areas of estate planning, trust and estate administration, probate, and taxation. She works with individuals and families of all estate sizes to help them understand the options available for wealth transfer and preservation that provide maximum flexibility for evolving needs, giving careful consideration to those family members with special needs.  Kate partners with her colleagues to ensure all aspects of her clients’ affairs have been considered, including real estate and business matters.

Kate has significant experience in administration matters after the death of a loved one, helping fiduciaries through the estate administration process.  She assists with the transfer of assets, filing of tax returns, and overall implementation of the decedent’s estate plan.

Prior to joining Dawda, Kate worked at a large international bank where she advised the line of businesses on fiduciary responsibilities and compliance matters. She is well-versed in all aspects of trust administration and uses her experience to better protect her clients’ interests.

Kate received her L.L.M. in Taxation from Northwestern University, and her Juris Doctor degree and Bachelor of Arts from the University of South Carolina. She is a member of the State Bar of Michigan, serves as the Trusts and Estates Committee Chair of the Tax Section of the State Bar, and is a member of the Junior League of Detroit.

John F. Youngblood’s corporate law practice is focused on counseling business entities and their ownership and management on a wide variety of day-to-day issues, along with the more significant “bet the company” issues. He likens his role to that of the typical general counsel employed full-time by a business, but he achieves the same results as an outside general counsel for the organizations he works with. He counsels clients on a wide range of issues and often engages other attorneys at Dawda when the issues require the input and involvement of highly qualified specialists in various disciplines within the law, such as commercial property acquisitions or sales, complex financing transactions, litigation, environmental issues, taxation, and personal estate planning.

While he has a clientele engaged in a wide range of business types, his corporate practice has a significant focus on the retail motor vehicle business and related entities. He represents an extensive number of individual and multi-dealership enterprises, including some of the largest sales volume dealerships in the country. He routinely represents clients in the negotiations of the sale and purchase of dealerships. His clients also include several dealer line group advertising associations throughout Michigan and neighboring states.

PRACTICE AREAS

• • Corporate Law
  • Real Estate

Kristen L. Baiardi is a Senior Attorney at Dawda PLC. She primarily concentrates her practice on legal and regulatory issues affecting automobile dealers, while also representing clients in litigation, corporate, labor, and employment matters. Kristen also serves as outside counsel for several municipalities and governmental entities throughout the state of Michigan.

Kristen received her J.D. from Wayne State University Law School in 2008 and her B.A. from Boston College in 2005, majoring in English. While in law school, she served as a research assistant for corporate law professor Steven Davidoff Solomon.

Kristen is a member of the State Bar of Michigan and the Oakland County Bar Association. She is also a member of the National Association of Dealer Counsel. She is admitted to practice in all courts in the state of Michigan, the U.S. District Court-Eastern District of Michigan, U.S. District Court-Western District of Michigan, and the U.S. Sixth Circuit Court of Appeals.

Kristen is a director and vice president of the Baiardi Family Foundation, a private charitable foundation, where she is responsible for coordinating all metro Detroit-based grants. Kristen also is chair of the board of the Auburn Hills Community Foundation and a member of the House Committee at the Bloomfield Open Hunt. She is a past member of the Cranbrook Schools Board of Governors and a past president of the Cranbrook Kingswood Alumni Association.

PRACTICE AREAS

• Data Security and Privacy
• Labor, Employment, and Management Relations
• Litigation

Donald R. Bachand’s commercial litigation practice encompasses representing individuals and companies in a wide range of business disputes, including contract, employment, real estate, partnership, membership, and shareholder matters. Donald has also litigated cases involving claims of fraud and misrepresentation, breaches of fiduciary duties, and non-compete agreements. His extensive experience extends to appellate advocacy, having appeared before both the Michigan Court of Appeals and the Sixth Circuit Court of Appeals on behalf of his clients.

In addition to his litigation practice, Donald advises clients on various business transactions, leveraging his deep understanding of commercial law to provide comprehensive counsel.

Donald is a distinguished member of both the Million Dollar Advocates Forum and Multi-Million Dollar Advocates Forum, an honor limited to attorneys who have secured million and multi-million dollar verdicts, awards, and settlements for their clients. This exclusive membership, held by less than 1% of U.S. attorneys, underscores his exceptional ability to achieve substantial results for his clients.

Elle Madsen Ritsema is an Associate Attorney at Dawda PLC. Her growing practice focuses on corporate law, commercial real estate, and estate planning. Elle advises businesses of all sizes on diverse transactional and legal concerns, such as entity formation, corporate governance, and stock transactions. She also counsels clients on all aspects of real estate law, including both residential and commercial property transactions, zoning and land use, and commercial leasing. She has experience working with nonprofit organizations, automobile dealerships, and real estate developers. Elle also assists individuals with both straightforward and complex estate planning matters.

Elle graduated from the Frederik Meijer Honors College at Grand Valley State University in 2019 with her B.A. in legal studies with a minor in Spanish and an emphasis on land use planning. She then attended Wayne State University for Law School, where she was involved with Law Review, Moot Court, and the Women’s Law Caucus. She participated in the prestigious ABA National Appellate Advocacy Competition, where she competed as both an oralist and brief writer. During law school, Elle also worked as a corporate research assistant and served as a judicial extern at the Michigan Court of Appeals, where she split her time between the Research Department and the Honorable Judge Elizabeth L. Gleicher’s chambers.

Thomas R. August is a Senior Attorney at Dawda PLC, and has been practicing real estate law for more than 25 years. He has represented clients in transactions in more than 30 states as well as in Mexico, Canada, and the Caribbean.

Thomas’ experience includes the negotiation and documentation of purchase, sale, lease, and financing transactions, along with related development and land use agreements. His work includes assisting clients in the examination of title and survey matters, key lease review, and related due diligence activities.

He has significant experience representing clients in the acquisition, development, financing, leasing, operating, and sale of assets in the industrial, retail, multifamily, manufactured housing, office, medical/dental, and warehouse arenas, as well as the assembly and development of vacant land. His clients include public and privately held companies, special purpose funds, banks, insurance companies, family offices, nonprofit organizations, and joint ventures.

Kylie E. Bergmann is a Member of Dawda PLC. She concentrates her practice on real estate and business transactions. She has advised clients on property acquisitions and sales for office, multifamily, industrial, and retail use and has represented both landlords and tenants in commercial lease transactions for office and retail space. She has significant experience in residential property development. She also counsels clients on general business and corporate matters.

Kylie received her J.D. from Wayne State University Law School in 2013 and her B.S. from Denison University in 2009, majoring in biology. While in law school, she served as an associate editor for the Wayne Law Review. Kylie is a member of the State Bar of Michigan and the Oakland County Bar Association. She is admitted to practice in all courts in the state of Michigan and before the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Michigan.