Local attorneys team with State Bar to present seminar at Tanglewood Park
By Diana L. Coleman
Legal News
Tanglewood Park Senior Center will host an estate planning seminar entitled “A Living Trust Initiative: Who Should You Trust: Avoiding Estate Planning Mistakes” on August 6, with sessions at 12:00 noon and again at 6:00 p.m. The same program will be presented in fifty-one counties in Michigan and is being promoted as a seminar to empower senior citizens on estate planning decisions.
Tanglewood Park is located on Seminole Road in Norton Shores. The seminar is free of charge to all seniors attending. Following each session will be a time period for questions and answers.
Karen Kayes, Senior Estate Planning attorney with the firm of Warner Norcross and Judd, will be presenting the noon session. Kayes provides a full range of estate and tax planning services for individuals and families, including business owners, professionals and executives, and assists her clients with the design, implementation and administration of their estate plan to facilitate transfer of decision making during disability and an efficient transfer of wealth at death. Kayes has assisted clients in developing plans that enhance their heirs' appreciation and protection of the inherited wealth, as well as plans that leave a legacy through charitable giving vehicles. Karen prepares estate plans and handles estate administration for Michigan and Florida residents. She is a member of the firm's Trusts and Estates Practice Group and editor of the group's newsletter.
Kayes has represented clients in numerous routine probate and trust administrations in those two states; represented fiduciaries in routine and complex estate administrations, many including taxable estates; and represented beneficiaries to enforce legal rights under applicable documents and/or state law.
Kayes received her undergraduate degree from Hope College in 1984, graduated from Thomas M. Cooley Law School in 1988, and received her LL.M. in 1993 from Wayne State University. Kayes was admitted to the Michigan Bar in 1988 and the Florida Bar in 1994. She is a member of the American Bar Association, State Bar of Michigan, and the Florida Bar Association.
The evening session beginning at 6:00 p.m. will be co-presented by Sueann T. Mitchell and Roger Cotner.
Sueann Mitchell is a member of the Gielow Groom Terpstra & McEvoy (GGTM) team. She started at GGTM in 2013, joining veteran attorneys/founding members Eric Gielow, Brad Groom, Rachel Terpstra and Keith McEvoy. Mitchell concentrates her practice in the areas of estate planning, elder law, probate matters, real estate and business matters.
Prior to practicing law, Mitchell worked as a reporter for the Grand Haven Tribune and as a 9-1-1 dispatcher for nearly 10 years at Ottawa County Central Dispatch. Throughout law school, Mitchell continued to work full time, dispatching at night, so she could attend classes during the day at Thomas M. Cooley Law School, having obtained her undergraduate education at the University of Michigan. She graduated from Cooley cum laude, sat on the Assistant Board of Editors for Law Review and was part of a National Negotiating Team. Additionally, she was able to hone her skills as a legal analyst and writer during her externship with Hon. David H. Sawyer of the Michigan Court of Appeals, during which time she had the opportunity to assist the court with the drafting of several COA opinions.
In addition to her legal experience, Mitchell has actively volunteered to benefit her church, her children’s school and sporting activities, and her community. Her legal skills and life experiences coupled with her commitment to clients and attention to detail allow Mitchell to provide excellent service and care to her clients throughout every step of the probate and estate planning processes.
Roger Cotner has practiced law as a solo practitioner for more than 32 years, nearly all at Cotner Law Offices, 220 Franklin Avenue, Grand Haven. Cotner’s practice is devoted to consumer issues; estate planning and administration; taxation; and real estate. Roger passed the Virginia bar while concluding his law studies (Juris Doctor) at the University of Richmond School of Law in 1982. He has been a member of the State Bar of Michigan since 1984 and is a member of its Consumer Law Section, Probate and Estate Planning Section, and Master Lawyers Section.
He earned his B.A. degree at Wittenberg University in 1974. He is a founding member of the Debtors Bar of West Michigan, and is a longstanding member of the National Association of Consumer Bankruptcy Attorneys and the National Association of Consumer Advocates.
Community service is important to Cotner: he has served on the City of Grand Haven’s Planning Commission and Board of Review; the Loutit District Library’s board; and Port Sheldon Township’s Zoning Board of Appeals. He is currently is President of Grand Haven’s Duncan Park Commission. Cotner and wife Marlan, wed nearly 30 years ago, live in Grand Haven and have two adult sons and two old dogs.
The State Bar of Michigan groups involved in planning this blitz to be presented across the state are the members of the Unauthorized Practice of Law Committee, the SBM Elder Law and Disability Rights Section, and SBM Probate and Estate Planning Section.
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