The Super Lawyers selection process is multi-phased and includes peer nominations and evaluations combined with third-party research. Attorneys are selected from over 70 practice areas and all firm sizes to ensure a credible and relevant annual list. No more than five percent of attorneys in Michigan are selected as Super Lawyers each year, and no more than 2.5 percent are named to the Rising Stars list.

The 2020 list includes:

Kylie E. Bergmann
Rising Stars, 2017-2020 – Real Estate

Alfredo Casab
Super Lawyers, 2019-2020 – Real Estate

Randal R. Cole
Super Lawyers, 2014-2020 – Employment & Labor

Brian J. Considine
Super Lawyers, 2017-2020 – Environmental

Edward C. Dawda
Super Lawyers, 2006-2020 – Business/Corporate
Michigan Super Lawyers Top 100, 2006-2020

Daniel M. Halprin
Super Lawyers, 2020 – Real Estate

Theresa C. Joswick
Super Lawyers, 2007-2020 – Employee Benefits

Jeffrey D. Moss
Super Lawyers, 2017-2020 – Tax

John Mucha III
Super Lawyers, 2010-2020 – Civil Litigation
Michigan Super Lawyers Top 100, 2015-2020

Michael D. Mulcahy
Super Lawyers, 2006-2020 – Real Estate

Glenn G. Ross
Super Lawyers, 2017-2020 – Estate & Probate

Susan J. Sadler
Super Lawyers, 2006-2020 – Environmental

Marc K. Salach
Super Lawyers, 2020 – Business/Corporate

Wayne S. Segal
Super Lawyers, 2007-2020 – Real Estate

Tyler D. Tennent
Super Lawyers, 2014-2020 – Land Use/Zoning

Erin Bowen Welch 
Rising Stars, 2017-2020 – Real Estate

Frances Belzer Wilson
Rising Stars, 2010-2020 – Business Litigation

The post 17 Attorneys at Dawda Honored as 2020 Super Lawyers and Rising Stars appeared first on Dawda PLC.

On December 20, 2019, while you were finishing your holiday shopping, Congress passed the Setting Every Community Up For Retirement Enhancement (SECURE) Act of 2019.  The SECURE Act became effective for events occurring after December 31, 2019.  This new law impacts many rules related to retirement plans, including mandatory withdrawal ages, treatment of beneficiaries, and the types of investments permitted by a retirement plan.

Here are some highlights of the SECURE Act:

• For people born after June 30, 1949, the required minimum distribution date from retirement accounts is pushed back from age 70 ½ to age 72. This allows for up to two more years without mandatory withdrawals which can allow for more tax-free growth.
• On the flip side, the use of the “stretch” IRA concept which allowed non-spouse designated beneficiaries to receive many years of tax deferred compounding is, in many situations, now limited to 10 years. Without getting into all the details, most IRA heirs, other than spouses, will be required to withdraw assets within 10 years rather than over their life expectancy.  Under the old rules, an account owner could name a younger child or grandchild as a designated beneficiary and obtain distributions over the lifetime of the much younger beneficiary, hence the “stretch”.

The surviving spouse will still have the same options available under current law.

With respect to minor children, there is a special rule for inherited accounts.  A minor child can accept distributions based upon their life expectancy until age 18 when at that point in time, there is an additional 10-year deferral which then mandates the entire account be distributed by age 28.  There is another special exception for minor children which defers the age of majority from 18 to up to age 26 if he or she has not completed a “specified course of education”.  The exceptions discussed above do not apply to grandchildren, if a grandchild is named a designated beneficiary, he or she will be required to have a 10-year payout even if the grandchild is under age 18 at the time of the account holder’s death.

• There are other exceptions when beneficiaries are disabled or chronically ill individuals. If a designated beneficiary qualifies as a disabled or chronically ill designated beneficiary, he or she would still be able to obtain lifetime payout.  There is apparently a “certification rule” for disability and chronic illness.  It is unclear whether one has to be disabled or chronically ill at the date of account holder’s death or if a person becomes disabled or chronically ill during the 10-year period whether this alters the status of the payout.
• Deferred compensation trusts such as conduit trusts and accumulation trusts may be negatively impacted by this legislation. Even in the case of a conduit trust which would require mandatory distributions to a designated beneficiary of his or her share of the subtrust, deferrals would be limited to 10 years rather than lifetime.  Thus, many people may have had expectations that their trust agreement would provide minimum distributions for the lifetime of children or grandchildren.  Individuals expectations now must change.

There are other changes resulting from the SECURE Act including permitting part time workers to participate in 401(k) plans, allowing IRA contributions after age 70 ½, allowing “small business owners” to receive a tax credit for starting a retirement plan, and allowing the withdrawal of 529 plan dollars to pay up to $10,000 in student debt over the course of a student’s lifetime.  There is expanded opportunities for annuities as investments.  ROTH IRA conversions may be favored in some situations.

The result of the SECURE Act is that all retirement account holders should review their beneficiary designation forms and estate plan documents and determine whether or not these new rules fundamentally alter his or her goals and objectives with respect to estate planning and retirement accounts.

Please do not hesitate to contact your Dawda attorney if you have any questions related to the SECURE Act, your estate plan, and the impact of your beneficiary designations.

The post The SECURE Act Makes Stretch IRAs Less Flexible appeared first on Dawda PLC.

The following Dawda attorneys were included on the 2020 Top Lawyers list:

• Alfredo Casab: Litigation – Real Estate
• Randal R. Cole: Labor and Employment Law, Litigation – Labor Employment Benefits
• Brian J. Considine: Environmental Law, Intellectual Property and Patent Law
• Edward C. Dawda: Corporate Law, Real Estate Law
• Theresa C. Joswick: Employee Benefits Law
• Joseph M. Judge: Real Estate Law
• David A. Mollicone: Litigation – Commercial
• Jeffrey D. Moss: Nonprofit/Charities Law, Tax Law, Trusts and Estates
• John Mucha III: Commercial Law, Litigation – Construction
• Michael Mulcahy: Real Estate Law
• Glenn G. Ross: Tax Law, Trusts and Estates
• Susan J. Sadler: Environmental Law
• Marc K. Salach: Corporate Law, Mergers & Acquisitions Law
• Todd A. Schafer: Real Estate Law
• Wayne S. Segal: Banking & Financial Service Law, Real Estate Law
• Tyler D. Tennent: Environmental Law
• Frances B. Wilson: Litigation – Banking and Finance, Litigation – Commercial
• Robert A. Wright III: Banking & Financial Service Law

For more information on the awards, visit: www.dbusiness.com/top-lawyers/

The post Eighteen Dawda Attorneys Named 2020 Top Lawyers by DBusiness Magazine appeared first on Dawda PLC.

Kathryn Kaleth has joined Dawda’s growing team of attorneys. She will serve as an associate, focusing her practice primarily in the areas of real estate, business transactions and environmental law.

Kaleth received her J.D. from Wayne State University Law School in 2019 and her B.A. from Michigan State University in 2016, majoring in Environmental Studies and Sustainability with a minor in Conservation, Recreation, and Environmental Law Enforcement. While in law school, she served on the board of the Journal of Law in Society as a Senior Note Editor along with competing in two outside competitions as a senior member of the Moot Court team.

Additionally, during her time at Wayne Law she worked as a Student Attorney with the Transnational Environmental Law Clinic. Her responsibilities included tracking statewide compliance with requirements set by the federal coal combustion residue rules, contributing to an Amicus Brief submitted to the Michigan Supreme Court, and conducting complex legal research into a variety of environmental law and property related issues.

See the original article in Automation Alley

The post Dawda Welcomes Kathryn Kaleth appeared first on Dawda PLC.

See the original press release HERE

Alliance Benefit Group of Michigan To Join Focus Partner Firm Sentinel Benefits & Financial Group

NEW YORK, Nov. 04, 2019 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Focus Financial Partners Inc. (FOCS) (“Focus”), a leading partnership of independent, fiduciary wealth management firms, announced today that it has entered into a definitive agreement under which Alliance Benefit Group of Michigan, Inc. (“ABG of Michigan”), a premier retirement and benefits plan consulting and administration firm, will join Focus partner firm Sentinel Benefits & Financial Group (“Sentinel”), based in Wakefield, Massachusetts. The transaction is expected to close in the first quarter of 2020, subject to customary closing conditions.

Founded in 1969 and located in Bingham Farms, Michigan, ABG of Michigan works with almost 400 benefits and retirement plans representing over 30,000 participants, and provides best-in-class administration and record-keeping services. ABG of Michigan’s wholly-owned subsidiary, ABG Portfolio Strategies, Inc., provides investment advisory services primarily for retirement plan assets. ABG of Michigan, will expand Sentinel’s geographical reach, creating a premier “super-regional” retirement and benefits-focused financial services firm, and will position Sentinel’s business for further growth in the Midwest.

“We are thrilled to have such a well-respected firm join our team,” said Sam Mitchell, CEO of Sentinel. “ABG of Michigan has created an offering that will further enhance the ability of the combined firm to service clients, as well as increasing our bench strength and scale in the Midwest.”

“Having known the group at Sentinel for many years through the Alliance Benefits Group national network, we have seen first-hand Sentinel’s exceptional client commitment and ability to continuously improve the quality of their offerings,” said Lawrence Raymond, President of ABG of Michigan. “Sentinel’s approach to creating successful client outcomes mirrors the core principles of ABG of Michigan and will strengthen the combined firms’ business,” said Carol Tracey, ABG of Michigan’s Executive Vice President.

“We are very pleased that ABG of Michigan will be joining Sentinel,” said Rudy Adolf, Founder, CEO and Chairman of Focus. “This is Sentinel’s fifth merger since joining Focus, further enhancing the depth and scale of its employee benefits and retirement plan outsourcing business. Building on Sentinel’s long-standing presence in these areas demonstrates the value that we offer our firms in helping them scale their businesses within their specific areas of expertise. The diversity of our partner firms’ capabilities across a range of wealth management and retirement planning services provides significant benefits to our partnership.”

About Focus Financial Partners Inc.

Focus Financial Partners Inc. (FOCS) (“Focus”) is a leading partnership of independent, fiduciary wealth management firms. Focus provides access to best practices, resources, and continuity planning for its partner firms who serve individuals, families, employers and institutions with comprehensive wealth management services. Focus partner firms maintain their operational independence, while they benefit from the synergies, scale, economics and best practices offered by Focus to achieve their business objectives. For more information about Focus, please visit www.focusfinancialpartners.com.

About Sentinel Benefits & Financial Group

Sentinel Benefits & Financial Group (“Sentinel”) is an independent provider of employee benefits and financial services located in Wakefield, Massachusetts. Sentinel serves both individuals and institutions, providing offerings including employee benefits and retirement plan administration, open architecture retirement plan recordkeeping, investment advisory services, defined benefit and cash balance plan services, actuarial consulting, employee stock ownership plans, and group benefits brokerage. For more information about Sentinel, please visit https://www.sentinelgroup.com.

The post Dawda Attorneys Represent Alliance Benefit Group of Michigan in Merger with Sentinel Benefits & Financial Group appeared first on Dawda PLC.

Firms included on the “Best Law Firms” list are recognized for professional excellence with persistently impressive ratings from clients and peers. To be eligible for a ranking, a firm must have a lawyer listed in The Best Lawyers in America, which recognizes the top 5 percent of practicing attorneys in the U.S.

The 2020 rankings are based on the highest number of participating firms and client votes received on record. Almost 16,000 lawyers provided more than 1,229,000 law firm assessments, and more than 12,000 clients participated providing 107,000 evaluations.

Ranked firms, presented in three tiers, are listed on a national and/or metropolitan scale. Receiving a tier designation reflects the high level of respect a firm has earned among other leading lawyers and clients in the same communities and the same practice areas for their abilities, their professionalism and their integrity.

Dawda is ranked Tier 1 in eight practice areas in our region. Those practice areas include:

Closely Held Companies and Family Businesses Law
Corporate Law
Employee Benefits (ERISA) Law
Environmental Law
Litigation – Environmental
Litigation – Real Estate
Real Estate Law
Trusts & Estates Law

The 2020 “Best Law Firms” rankings can be seen in their entirety by visiting bestlawfirms.usnews.com

The post Dawda included in U.S. News & World Report, 2020 “Best Law Firms” list appeared first on Dawda PLC.

While it is hard to believe, in 2008, Congress passed a resolution that designated the third week of October as National Estate Planning Awareness Week.  At Dawda, our group of estate planning and tax attorneys dedicate nearly every week to estate planning, and we were overjoyed to learn that Congress designated this particular week to emphasize how important planning for future transfers of wealth can be.

We have always thought our role in the estate planning process was to meet with our clients, listen to their particular situation, and draft comprehensive and holistic documents to take into account the goals and objectives of our clients.  A good estate plan should be durable, flexible, and work across a broad spectrum of circumstances.  We also believe that an estate plan should be tax efficient, avoid the probate court, and we emphasize advising and assisting our clients in funding their trusts and making proper beneficiary designation to integrate all the different items.

Good candidates for estate planning are families with young children, blended families, and families with significant assets to manage.  This is a great time to dust off your old estate plan and review it to make sure all the pieces still work, or it is a great time to establish a relationship with one of our estate planning attorneys to create your estate plan.  Please do not hesitate to contact me or your Dawda attorney for more information.

The post October 21–27 is National Estate Planning Week appeared first on Dawda PLC.

Hirsch has spent the majority of her legal career working in the state judicial system, first as a prehearing attorney for the Michigan Court of Appeals and then as a Judicial Staff Attorney at Oakland County Probate and Circuit Court.  She has extensive experience in the areas of probate, juvenile, family, civil, criminal and appellate law.

Hirsch graduated cum laude from the University of Detroit Mercy School of Law in 1996, where she was the winner of the Chmielnicki Business Law Scholarship.  She graduated from the University of Michigan in 1993 with her Bachelor of Arts in History.  She is also a former representative of the State Bar of Michigan Young Lawyers Section.

Hirsch is a current member of the National Multiple Sclerosis Society-Michigan Chapter Board of Trustees and a member of the Community Connections committee. She is a founding member and Vice-President of Families Fighting Against MS (FAMS), a Michigan 501(c)(3) corporation.

See the original article in Automation Alley

The post Dawda Welcomes Julie M. Hirsch as Newest Attorney appeared first on Dawda PLC.

The Super Lawyers selection process is multi-phased, and includes peer nominations and evaluations combined with third-party research. Attorneys are selected from over 70 practice areas and all firm sizes to ensure a credible and relevant annual list. No more than five percent of attorneys in Michigan are selected as Super Lawyers each year, and no more than 2.5 percent are named to the Rising Stars list.

The 2019 list includes:

Kylie E. Bergmann
Rising Stars, 2017-2019 – Real Estate

Alfredo Casab
Super Lawyers, 2019 – Real Estate

Randal R. Cole
Super Lawyers, 2014-2019 – Employment & Labor

Brian J. Considine
Super Lawyers, 2017-2019 – Environmental

Edward C. Dawda
Super Lawyers, 2006-2019 – Business/Corporate
Michigan Super Lawyers Top 100, 2006-2019

Theresa C. Joswick
Super Lawyers, 2007-2019 – Employee Benefits

Jeffrey D. Moss
Super Lawyers, 2017-2019 – Tax

John Mucha III
Super Lawyers, 2010-2019 – Civil Litigation
Michigan Super Lawyers Top 100, 2015-2019

Michael D. Mulcahy
Super Lawyers, 2006-2019 – Real Estate

Glenn G. Ross
Super Lawyers, 2017-2019 – Estate & Probate

Susan J. Sadler
Super Lawyers, 2006-2019 – Environmental

Wayne S. Segal
Super Lawyers, 2007-2019 – Real Estate

Tyler D. Tennent
Super Lawyers, 2014-2019 – Land Use/Zoning

Erin Bowen Welch 
Rising Stars, 2017-2019 – Real Estate

Frances Belzer Wilson
Rising Stars, 2010-2019 – Business Litigation

The post 15 Attorneys at Dawda Honored as 2019 Super Lawyers and Rising Stars appeared first on Dawda PLC.

Best Lawyers is one of the oldest and most respected peer review guide to the legal profession worldwide. To ensure credibility of results, Best Lawyers conducts exhaustive peer-review surveys, in which thousands of leading lawyers confidentially evaluate their professional peers. For the 2020 edition of The Best Lawyers in America, 8.3 million votes were analyzed, which resulted in the inclusion of more than 62,000 lawyers, or approximately 5% of lawyers in private practice in the United States.

The following Dawda attorneys were included on the list:

Edward C. Dawda
“Lawyer of the Year” – Corporate Law
Corporate Law, Real Estate Law
Recognized in Best Lawyers since 2006

Paul A. Bringer
Real Estate Law

Dana Kreis Glencer
Real Estate Law
Recognized in Best Lawyers since 2018

Daniel Halprin
Real Estate Law
Recognized in Best Lawyers since 2019

Theresa C. Joswick
Employee Benefits (ERISA) Law
Recognized in Best Lawyers since 1997

Curtis J. Mann
Closely Held Companies and Family Business, Trusts and Estates
Recognized in Best Lawyers since 2013

Christopher M. Mann
Corporate Law, Trusts and Estates
Recognized in Best Lawyers since 2019

John Mucha III
Commercial Litigation

Michael D. Mulcahy
Corporate Law
Recognized in Best Lawyers since 2006

Glenn G. Ross
Trusts and Estates

Susan J. Sadler
Environmental, Litigation – Environmental, Litigation – Real Estate
Recognized in Best Lawyers since 2010

Todd A. Schafer
Real Estate Law
Recognized in Best Lawyers since 2019

Leon M. Schurgin
Litigation – Real Estate
Recognized in Best Lawyers since 2007

Tyler D. Tennent
Environmental Law
Recognized in Best Lawyers since 2013

The post Fourteen Dawda Attorneys Recognized in the 2020 Edition of The Best Lawyers in America appeared first on Dawda PLC.