Blog

The past year has brought an extraordinary amount of change to small businesses in Michigan, in both good ways and bad ways. Which has led to a lot of small business owners realizing that the unexpected really can happen in the blink of an eye. Here are 3 simple estate planning tips for small business ... CONTINUE READING

There are 3 main reasons to set up a revocable living trust in Michigan. If any 1 of the 3 applies to you, a trust can be a great estate planning tool. But if none of the 3 apply, why go through the time and expense of setting up a complicated legal document that is ... CONTINUE READING

One of the most important roles of a business attorney is thinking about risk avoidance, with a goal that if bad things happen to your company, they aren’t as bad as they could have been. As we start a new year, here are four legal issues to double-check and update before something happens. File your ... CONTINUE READING

If you are a new commercial tenant and ask me to review the lease given to you by your landlord, the most important reason you are hiring me is not for what’s already in the lease. For the vast majority of our clients, the things in a lease that raise a red flag to you ... CONTINUE READING

One of the most rewarding aspects of my legal practice is working with small business startups. Every owner is beyond excited about their business concept, and it is so much fun listening to them explain how they plan on conquering the world. But what makes the work so rewarding is helping small business owners identify ... CONTINUE READING

When you decide to buy a business, information comes at you like a fire hose. There are four critical legal questions to investigate as part of a business purchase. Taking the time to understand how these legal pieces fit into the ongoing operation of your business can save many headaches down the road. What am ... CONTINUE READING

“ wife’s dower right is abolished and unenforceable either through statute or at common law.” MCL 558.30 With that simple sentence, Michigan’s 171-year history of providing dower rights to married women has ended, effective April 6, 2017. In a brief nutshell, dower laws were originally enacted during a time when women were not legally allowed ... CONTINUE READING

Working in a co-working space has a lot of advantages for startup entrepreneurs and members of the freelance economy: free coffee; shared services; professional meeting space; and collaborative discussions. Did I mention free coffee? But there are certain things about a small business owner working in a shared space with other people who are not part ... CONTINUE READING

The Small Business Administration (SBA) and Department of Veteran’s Affairs (VA) have multiple programs where federal contracts can be “set-aside” for companies owned by certain classifications of persons. But what happens to those set-aside contracts when the certified owner of the company passes away, and someone different (such as a surviving spouse or child) becomes ... CONTINUE READING

West Michigan Law is one of the newest establishments to the City of Holland, headed by real estate and small business attorney Adam Zuwerink. Zuwerink recently opened a second office at 493 Century Lane, Suite 103, after originally opening a Muskegon office in February, 2013. “My family and I moved to the Holland area last ... CONTINUE READING