Accepts Credit Cards

(Main Office)

Kotz, Sangster, Wysocki and Berg, P.C. was founded in 1978, and is located in downtown Detroit in the Renaissance Center. Our clients represent a broad cross-section of businesses, including a variety of automotive, aerospace and defense related manufacturers, construction general contractors and subcontractors, commercial leasing companies, and various industrial, commercial and professional service businesses. We provide a full range of legal services to our corporate clients, both local and national.

Statement of Practice

Business Organization, Business Planning, Mergers and Acquisitions, Corporate Planning, Corporate Finance, Closely Held Corporations, Executive Compensation, Real Estate Development, Real Property Finance, Residential Real Estate Development, Zoning Law, Land Use, Civil Litigation, Commercial Litigation, Appellate Practice, Construction Law, Construction Claims, Construction Arbitration, Labor Relations, Employment Law, Taxation, Estate Planning, Probate Administration, Estate Administration, Trust Administration, Commercial Leasing, Immigration Law, Environmental Law, Bankruptcy, Commercial Workouts, Creditors Rights, Family Law and Business Succession Planning, Health Care Law, Hospital Law, Lending and Finance.

Firm Affiliations

LAWYERS ASSOCIATED WORLDWIDE (L.A.W.): Lawyers Associated Worldwide (LAW) is an association of independent commercial law firms located throughout the world. LAW members are located in over fifty countries in major financial/commercial centres of Europe, North and South America, Asia, Australia and the Middle East.

Representative Clients:

Aluminum Blanking Company, Inc.
American Heller Corp.
CABLCON
Caratron Industries, Inc.
Clawson Tank
Conti Electric, Inc.
Detroit Cornice & Slate Co., Inc.
Ellis-Don Construction Company
Etkin Skanska USA
Garland, Inc.
Griswold Manufacturing & Engineering, Inc.
Guy, Hurley, Blaser & Heuer, L.LC.
Hercules Welding Products
Howard Ternes Packaging Company, Inc.
IBC North America
J&D Automation Services, Inc.
LaBelle Electric Services, Inc.
Michielutti Brothers, Inc.
Michigan Tooling Association
Midwest Steel, Inc.
Morgan Stanley Dean Witter & Co.
Obara Corporation
Peerless Steel Co.
Pine River Plastics, Inc.
Piper Industries, Inc.
Qualitor, Inc.
Rochester Anesthesiologists
The Salvation Army
Sole Construction Co.
T&M Asphalt Paving, Inc.
Triple, Inc.
Utica Enterprises, Inc.
Virginia Tile Co.
Visioneering, Inc.
YWCA of Metropolitan Detroit.

Rate Information

Fixed Hourly Rates
Fixed Fees Available
Accepts Major Credit Cards

• Visa
• MasterCard

Address

400 Renaissance Center, Suite 3400
Detroit, MI 48243, (Wayne Co.)

Phone

Phone: 313-259-8300
Facsimile: 313-259-1451

Website

http://www.kotzsangster.com

Office Hours

Monday: 08:00 AM - 06:00 PM
Tuesday: 08:00 AM - 06:00 PM
Wednesday: 08:00 AM - 06:00 PM
Thursday: 08:00 AM - 06:00 PM
Friday: 08:00 AM - 06:00 PM

Firm/Affiliate Offices

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George F. Curran III (Associate) born Grosse Pointe, Michigan, January 27, 1952; admitted to bar, 1980, Michigan, U.S. District Court, Eastern District of Michigan and U.S. District Court, Northern District of Texas. Education: Wayne State University (B.A., 1975); Detroit College of Law (J.D., 1980); Wayne State University (Graduate Certificate, Hazardous Waste Control, 1992). Delta Theta Phi. Adjunct Professor, Environmental Law and Administration Environmental Real Estate Transactions, Auditing and Due Diligence, 1992-1994. Certified, Hazardous Materials Manager (CHMM), Institute of Hazardous Materials Management, 1992. Author and Speaker: "Bad Faith and Other Related Recent Developments in United States Insurance Law, including Mass Torts Coverage," 1990; "International Implications of Acid Rain and The Clean Air Act Amendments; Recent Developments in CGL Coverage Duty to Defend Issues," ABA Tort and Insurance Practice Section, 1991; "Pacific Rim Environmental Regulation," ABA Tort and Insurance Practice Section, 1992; "Consent Decrees & Other Pollution Prevention Enforcement Mechanism," Laches, 1993; "Will German Recycling Legislation Serve as a Model for the European Community?" Plastronics, Frankfurt, Germany, 1993; "Behind the Wheel of the Green Car: EPA's New Direction After the Pollution Prevention Act of 1990," Auto Recycle '93 Conference. Co-Editor, "Michigan Environmental Law," Insurance Law Chapter, Lawyers Cooperative Publishing Co., 1993. Member, Board of Directors, National Chairman, Insurance Committee and Vice President, Academy of Certified Hazardous Materials Managers of Michigan. Member: Oakland County (Chairman, Environmental Law Committee), Detroit and American (Member, Energy and Environmental Law Section; Member, Insurance Litigation Committee; Vice Chairman, International Tort and Insurance Practice Committee, 1991-1994) Bar Associations; State Bar of Michigan (Member, Environmental Law Section; Member, International Environmental Law Committee; Air Committee); Defense Research Institute (Member, Excess and Reinsurance Committee). Practice Areas: Environmental Law; Insurance; Occupational Safety and Health; Litigation.

Matthew S. Derby (Associate) born Wyandotte, Michigan, September 18, 1957; admitted to bar, 1987, Michigan. Education: University of Michigan (B.A., with distinction, 1982); Wayne State University (J.D., 1987). Published Decision: "Porter v. City of Royal Oak", 214 Mich. App., 478, Michigan Court of Appeals, 1995. Unpublished Decision: "Wheaton v. North Oakland Medical Centers", 130 Fed. Appx. 773, 6th Circuit Court of Appeals, 2005. Member: State Bar of Michigan (Member, Section on Labor Relations Law); American Bar Association (Member: Section on Labor and Employment Law and Litigation). Reported Cases: Porter v. city of Royal Oak, 214 Mich.App.478, Mich Court of Appeals, 1995 Unpublished; Wheaton v. North Oakland Medical Centers, 130 Fed App x 773 6th Cir Court of Appeal, 2005. Practice Areas: Labor and Employment Law.

Jeffrey A. Heldt (Associate) born Sacramento, California, 1948; admitted to bar, 1973, Michigan; U.S. District Court, Eastern and Western Districts of Michigan; U.S. Court of Appeals, 6th and 10th Circuits; U.S. Supreme Court. Education: Johns Hopkins University (B.A., 1969); Wayne State University (J.D., cum laude, 1972); Walsh College (M.S., in Taxation, 1990). Recipient: American Jurisprudence Award in Evidence, 1972; Stanley W. Smith Taxation Award, May, 1989. Senior Associate Editor, Wayne Law Review, 1972. Instructor: Attorney General's Advocacy Institute, 1975; "Business Law," Walsh College, 1977-1979, 1990-1991. Assistant U.S. Attorney, Eastern District of Michigan, 1973-1975. Member: State Bar of Michigan (Member, Sections on: Corporation, Finance and Business Law; Taxation; Real Estate). Practice Areas: ERISA; Corporate; Finance; Business; Taxation; Real Estate; Collections.

Robert B. Goldi (Associate) born Trenton, Michigan, July 1, 1961; admitted to bar, 1986, Michigan. Education: Michigan State University (B.A., Finance, with honors, 1983); Wayne State University (J.D., cum laude, 1986). Delta Theta Phi. Member: Oakland County Bar Association; State Bar of Michigan. Practice Areas: Corporate Law; Equipment Leasing Law; Banking Law.

R. Edward Boucher (Associate) born Royal Oak, Michigan; admitted to bar, 1997, Michigan; 1998, U.S. District Court, Eastern and Western Districts of Michigan. Education: Albion College (B.A. 1987); Wayne State University (J.D., 1997). Mortar Board Honor Society. Member: State Bar of Michigan; Washtenaw Contractors Association (Member, Construction and International Law Sections). Practice Areas: Commercial Litigation; Environmental Litigation; Construction Law; Building and Public Safety Codes.Email: R. Edward Boucher

Heather Ptasznik (Associate) born Brooklyn, New York; admitted to bar, 1996, Pennsylvania, New Jersey and U.S. District Court, District of New Jersey; 1997, U.S. District Court, Eastern District of Pennsylvania; 1999, U.S. Court of Appeals, Third Circuit; 2001, Michigan and U.S. District Court, Eastern District of Michigan; 2002, U.S. District Court, Western District of Michigan. Education: University of Michigan (B.A., 1993); Widener University (J.D., 1996). Member, Moot Court Honor Society. Member, Widener Symposium Journal of Law. Member: State Bar of Michigan; Women Lawyers Association of Michigan (First Vice-President, Wayne Region, 2002-2003). Reported Cases: Cowell v. Palmer Township, et al., 263 F.3d 286 (3d Cir. 2001); Fugarino v. University Services Inc., et al., 123 F.Supp. 2d 838 (E.D. Pa. 2000). Practice Areas: Labor and Employment; Employment Law; Commercial Litigation.Email: Heather Ptasznik

Rebecca M. Decoster (Associate) born Madison, Wisconsin; admitted to bar, 2000, Michigan and U.S. District Court, Western District of Michigan. Education: University of Utah (B.S., 1996; J.D., 2000). Phi Kappa Phi. Pre-Law Membership Chair, Phi Alpha Delta. Leary Scholar, 2000. Moot Court Competition Semi-Finalist, First Place Oral Argument. National Trial Team, 1999-2000. Recipient, Outstanding Academic Achievement Award for Parent, Child and State Seminar. Staff Editor, The Utah Forum. Editor-in-Chief, Journal of Law and Family Studies, 1999-2000. Author: 2002 Wayne State Law Review, Survey Edition, Family Law, 2001-2002. Case Note: "Miller v. Albright," Journal of Law and Family Studies, Vol. 1, No. 2; "Case Retrospective: David C. v. Leavitt," Journal of Law and Family Studies, Vol. 2 No. 1. Book Note: "Ghosts from the Nursery," Journal of Law and Family Studies, Vol. 2. Member: Grand Rapids and American Bar Associations; State Bar of Michigan. Practice Areas: Litigation; Commercial Litigation; Family Divorce; Child Custody; Child Support.Email: Rebecca M. Decoster

Kevin C. Clark (Associate) born Cumberland, Maryland, February 26, 1973; admitted to bar, 2002, Nevada and U.S. District Court, District of Nevada; 2003, Michigan and U.S. Court of Appeals, Ninth Circuit. Education: University of Nevada, Las Vegas (B.A., magna cum laude, 1998); Pepperdine University School of Law (J.D., 2002); Straus Institute for Dispute Resolution, Pepperdine University (M.A., 2002). Member: State Bar of Nevada; American Bar Association (Member: Sections on, Labor and Employment Law; Alternative Dispute Resolution; Litigation; Tort and Insurance). Practice Areas: Commercial Litigation; Construction Litigation; Labor and Employment Litigation.Email: Kevin C. Clark

Jeremy R. Cnudde (Associate) born Bay City, Michigan; admitted to bar, 2004, Michigan. Education: Michigan State University (B.A., 1999); Michigan State University College of Law (J.D., 2003). Member: Ingham County Bar Association; State Bar of Michigan. Practice Areas: Business Taxation; Business Transactions; Business Law; Corporate Law; Mergers and Acquisitions; Contracts.

Barry J. Jensen (Associate) born Livonia, Michigan; admitted to bar, 1989, California. Education: Wayne State University (B.A., 1985); University of Michigan (J.D., 1988). Member: Orange County (Member, Sections on: Construction Law; Business Litigation) and American (Member, Public Contract Law Section) Bar Associations; State Bar of California. Practice Areas: Construction Litigation; Public Contract Law (State and Federal); General Business Litigation; Conflicts/Interstate Litigation; Appeals.

Donna A. Heiser (Associate) admitted to bar, 1994, Michigan; 1996, Indiana and Kentucky. Education: Michigan State University (B.A., magna cum laude, 1989); Detroit College of Law (J.D., 1994). Practice Areas: Construction Litigation; Employment Litigation; Commercial Litigation.

Sean P. McNally (Associate) born Grand Rapids, Michigan, March 7, 1978; admitted to bar, 2003, Michigan; U.S. District Court, Eastern and Western Districts of Michigan. Education: Michigan State University (B.A., 2000; J.D., Trial Practice Certificate, cum laude, 2003). Member, Moot Court Board. Member: Ingham County and American Bar Associations; State Bar of Michigan (Executive Council, Young Lawyers Section and Civil Procedure and Courts Committee); American Inns of Court. Practice Areas: Construction Law; Collections; Trial and Appellate Litigation.

Jayson M. Macyda (Associate) born Dearborn, Michigan, February 28, 1975; admitted to bar, 2002, Michigan and U.S. District Court, Eastern and Western Districts of Michigan. Education: University of Michigan, Dearborn (B.A., with distinction, 1998); Vermont Law School (J.D., 2002). Member: State Bar of Michigan (Member, Sections on: Real Property Law; Environmental Law); Oakland County Bar Association. Practice Areas: Commercial Litigation; Bankruptcy Law; Real Estate.