Attorney Profiles

Michael J. Willis, J.D., C.P.A., Co-Founder, Managing Partner

Michael is registered as a Certified Public Accountant in the State of Illinois and is licensed to practice law in both Florida and Michigan.  Before forming Willis & Willis, PLC, Michael worked for Varnum, Riddering, Schmidt & Howlett LLP and Kerr, Russell, Weber, PLC.

He practices:

• Corporate Law;
• Estate Planning;
• Estate and Trust Litigation;
• Estate Tax Minimization;
• Estate, Trust and Probate Administration;
• Elder Law;
• Medicaid Planning: and,
• Real Estate Law. 

He is also a frequent lecturer on these topics.

Representative Clients:

• Entrepreneurial, Wealth-generating Individuals
• Life Science Related Corporations and Individuals
• Technology Firms
• Professional Service Organizations
• Development Companies
• Retail and Wholesale Brokers

Awards/Honors:

• Michael is rated as an AV-Preeminent attorney by Martindale-Hubbell's Peer Review Rating.  This rating, according to Martindale, which has been rating lawyers for over a century, signifies that a lawyer has reached the heights of professional excellence and is recognized for the highest levels of skills and integrity.
• In 2007 he was selected by Michigan Lawyers Weekly as one of Michigan's Up and Coming Lawyers, an award presented to only 6 of 40,000 attorneys in Michigan .
• In 2008, he was selected as a Rising Star by Michigan Super Lawyers.
• Also in 2008, he was first listed in Marquis Who's Who in American Law.
• In 2009, he was selected by the Florida Bar as the President's recipient of the Pro Bono Service Award for the Out of State (49 states) Judicial Circuit.
• Also in 2009, Willis & Willis was honored by Michigan Lawyers Weekly as a 21^st Century Innovator for it value-based employee compensation system.

Michael serves on the following corporate boards:

• Lake Doster Development Co., Secretary and Treasurer
• Jack H. Kelly Farms, Inc., President

He serves on the following non-profit boards:

• Holy Cross College at Notre Dame, Indiana, Board of Trustees
• Notre Dame Club of Kalamazoo , Committee Chair
• Cpl. Christopher Kelly Willis Foundation, Co-President
• Vineyard Outreach Ministries
• St. Monica School

Michael received his J.D. from the University of Michigan Law School.   He graduated magna cum laude with a B.A. from the University of Notre Dame.

He belongs to the Florida and Michigan Bars; the Estate Planning Committee of the American Association of Attorney-CPAs; the Real Property, Probate and Trust Law and the Taxation Sections of the American Bar Association; the Michigan Bar, the Kalamazoo County Bar Association and the Christian Legal Society.

Michael's wife Susan and their children, Isabella, Christian, Mary and Michael Joseph, are the lights of his life.  They live in Kalamazoo .

Willis & Willis, PLC dedicates its practice to God, the Lord Jesus Christ, and the founders' fallen brother, Corporal Christopher Kelly Willis.

You can reach Michael Willis at 269-492-1045 or by email at mjwillis@wwplc.com