With a unique background in construction management and finance, Mr. Chioini’s primary practice focuses on representing construction companies, businesses, and families in a wide array of matters ranging from contract review to arbitration and litigation to complex divorce matters. During the serious downturn of the economy in Michigan in 2008, Mr. Chioini was successful in assisting his clients in shoring up and defending their accounts receivables through the implementation of liens and related litigation. In 2012, Mr. Chioini successfully foreclosed one of the largest commercial properties in Michigan and a staple Detroit landmark property, The First National Building, on behalf of his contractor-client. His client received a full recovery and attorney fees after almost 4 years of litigation. Mr. Chioini has focused on the principal that by helping his clients weather tough times, he will retain loyal life-long clients down the road. To date, he represents a number of small and large businesses and has further diversified his practice and developed considerable expertise in litigating complex domestic matters, especially divorce matters that involve businesses and complex property issues or other holdings.
Mr. Chioini is a regular speaker, contributor, and moderator at a variety of legal seminars and meetings on an annual basis, and is a residing presenter for the Institute of Continuing Legal Education (ICLE) on a variety of specialized topics ranging from real property transfers to drafting complex Judgments of Divorce. These treatises have been published and are widely utilized by practitioners seeking guidance in certain technical aspects of law. Mr. Chioini also sits on the advisory board for the Institute which selects topical legal issues that require analysis and review by the Michigan legal community.
Mr. Chioini believes that his finance background allows him to create concise legal blueprints for his clients, before, during, and after the divorce process. He specifically prides himself on his ability to think “outside-of-the-box” to provide creative solutions when he is resolving complex property allocations in divorce matters. Mr. Chioini states that “during litigation there is frequently situations when parties will be at a complete impasse regarding settlement options, however, more often than not a solution does in fact exist….That solution might even offer mutual benefits to both parties, however, that solution may require parties and their attorneys to be able to look past the established methods of settlement in divorce matters in exchange for more creative options.” Mr. Chioini cites that this line of thinking sometimes requires considerable efforts by him to demonstrate to parties (and their attorneys) that there are other, more creative (and possibly more beneficial settlement options) that exist. There is an unfortunate conundrum that plays out routinely in the practice of law in that many attorneys, quite like robots, believe that all legal matters must follow a template or set of rules. Mr. Chioini passionately disagrees with that scenario and remains a firm believer that creativity generates solutions in all legal matters, but unless parties are willing to entertain these options, they may be leaving money on the table via tax scenarios or other considerations. Mr. Chioini proactively engages (and serves as a presenter/moderator) at various continued education seminars related to law (and outside of the law) so that he is always prepared and well-versed in any matters that may affect his clients.
Designations/Awards:
• dbusiness Magazine (www.dbusiness.com) – “Top Lawyer in Metro Detroit” 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2017, 2019, 2020, 2021, 2022 (Areas: family law and construction litigation)
• “Super Lawyer” 2019, 2020 (designation given to less than 2% of all attorneys in practice – www.superlawyers.com)
• “Super Lawyers Rising Stars” 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019, 2020, 2021, 2022 (designation given to less than 2% of attorneys under 40 upon election of peers – www.superlawyers.com)
• Martindale-Hubbell Peer Review Rated (www.martindale.com) as “AV Preeminent Rating” (highest achievable ranking of attorneys as determined by attorney peers/judiciary)
• Martindale-Hubbell “Client Distinction Award” (ranking in the top 1% of over 1,000,000 lawyers for client satisfaction based on communication ability, responsiveness, quality of service, and value)
• Martindale-Hubbell “Client Champion – Platinum Award” (2018 -present)
• AVVO “10.0 Superb Rating” – AVVO.com
• AVVO “Client’s Choice Award” – AVVO.com
• Macomb County Bar Association (MCBA) – “Extraordinary Service Award” (2018) – awarded to a lawyer/bar member who stands out for their contributions and extraordinary service to the bar association.
• Italian American Bar Association of Michigan (IABAM) – “President’s Award” (2017) – awarded for service and leadership of the organization.
• Italian American Bar Association of Michigan (IABAM) – “Philip F. Greco Award for Excellence” (2018) – highest honor of this association.
News/Publications:
• Crain’s Detroit Business – February 2011, “First National Ownership Tangle”
• Crain’s Detroit Business – July 2012, Unraveling Northern Group’s Tangled Web
• WXYZ/WDIV – June 2011, Gas Station Price Fixing in Detroit
• Multiple published articles for ICLE and State Bar (some listed below)
Speaker/Contributions:
• Regular speaker at the Macomb County Friend of the Court S.M.I.L.E Program (required program for parents going through divorce in Macomb County)
• Regular Contributor/Speaker for the Institute of Continuing Legal Education (“ICLE”);
• Presenter/Author – Complex Real Property Transfers in a Divorce (Institute of Continuing Legal Education, 2014)
• Presenter/Author – Quiet Title Actions (Institute of Continuing Legal Education, 2014)
• Host/Moderator – November Family Law Institute (Institute of Continuing Legal Education, 2014)
• Presenter/Author – Properly Drafting Judgments of Divorce (ICLE Small Firm Institute and State Bar Annual Conference, 2015)
• Oakland County Bar Association Family Law Seminar – Securing Property Interests During a Divorce (2015)
• Presenter/Author – Do’s and Don’ts of Transferring Real Property in a Divorce (Institute of Continuing Legal Education, Family Law Institute Annual Meeting, 2015)
• Presenter/Author – Handling Change of School Cases (Institute of Continuing Legal Education, Family Law Institute Annual Meeting 2016)
• Co-Presenter – Change of Parenting Time Motions and Evidentiary Hearings with live demonstrations with Hon. Patrick J. Conlin and Ref. Marie Matyjaszek (Washtenaw Circuit Court – Family Division) (Institute of Continuing Legal Education, 2017)
• Presenter/Author – Cryptocurrencies and Other Intangible Assets That You Can’t Afford to Miss (Institute of Continuing Legal Education, Family Law Institute Annual Meeting, 2018)
• Speaker/Presenter – Handling Domestic Actions (Federal Bar Association Annual Summit, 2018)
• Host/Moderator – Oakland Bar and Macomb Bar (Joint) Family Law Boot Camp (2018)
• Presenter/Author – Supercharge Your Litigation Technology (Institute of Continuing Legal Education, Family Law Institute Annual Meeting 2019)
• Presenter/Author – High Income Child Support Deviation with Referee Sahera Housey (Oakland County) – (Institute of Continuing Legal Education, Family Law Institute Annual Meeting 2020)
• Presenter/Author – Tax Tips in Family Law (Institute of Continuing Legal Education, Family Law Institute Annual Meeting 2021)
• Key Note Presenter/Author – Cyber Stalking and Spousal Monitoring and When it Becomes Illegal with Prosecutor Karen D. McDonald (Oakland County) – (Institute of Continuing Legal Education, Family Law Institute Annual Meeting 2022
-Presenter/Author - Gambling Issues in Family Law Cases (Institute of Continuing Legal Education, Family Law Institute Annual Meeting 2024)
• Master of Ceremony/Host, Investiture Hon. James Maceroni (2015)
• MCBA’s Bowling for Dollars, 2014 host/curator (sustaining charitable bowling event benefiting greater-Macomb charities)
Recent Contributions:
• Author – Divorce, The Michigan Basic Practice Handbook 2020, 2021, 2022, 2023, 2024 and 2025 (Volume I and II) (Institute of Continuing Legal Education) and all supplements
• Co-Presenter – Military Divorce and Family Law Matters (4-part series – 2018/19) with Mark Sullivan (N.C., JAG retired), author and expert of the Military Divorce Handbook (American Bar Association).
• Author – A Big Change in Store for Child Custody Disputes in Michigan?—RE HB 4691 (MCBA Bar Briefs, October 2017 edition)
• Author – Prenuptial Agreements in the Wake of Allard III (MCBA Bar Briefs, November 2017 edition)
• Author – Jurisdiction and Venue in Divorce Actions at a Glance (MCBA Bar Briefs, December 2017 edition)
• Author – New Year, New Problems, A Quick Glance at the New Tax Law (MCBA Bar Briefs, January 2018)
• Author – Grandparenting Rights at a Glance (MCBA Bar Briefs, February 2018)
• Author – Jurisdictional Issues after Ramamoorthi v. Ramamoorthi (MCBA Bar Briefs, March 2018)
• Author – Analysis of Joughin v. Joughin and Entry of Retirement Division Orders (MCBA Bar Briefs, May 2018)
• Author – What is a Final Order? (MCBA Bar Briefs, July 2018)
• Author – Back to Basics, The Proper Use of Emergency Motions and Ex Parte Orders (MCBA Bar Briefs, September 2018)
• Author – Adding a Third Party to a Divorce Action (MCBA Bar Briefs, December 2018)
• Author – Proposed Court Rules Re: Discovery in Family Law Matters (MCBA Bar Briefs, May 2019)
Professional Achievements: Successfully foreclosed a construction lien on Detroit landmark property; The First National Building on behalf of construction manager client for unpaid construction costs—–after over 4 plus years of litigation, my client was awarded full recovery, plus full reimbursement of all attorney fees.
Memberships/Affiliations:
• State Bar of Michigan (Representative Assembly for the 16th Circuit, 2016 to 2019)
• Italian American Bar Association of Michigan (“IABAM”), 2007 – present (Secretary 2010, Treasurer 2011, Vice President 2012, President Elect 2013, President 2014)
• National Italian American Bar Association (“NIABA”)
• Macomb County Bar Association:
- Chairperson for Family Law Committee (2017-present)
- YLS Board of Directors, 2008-2010, Secretary 2011, Vice-President 2012, President 2013)
- Honorary Membership Committee, Long-Term Planning Committee, Co-Chair – Mentorship Program)
• Macomb County Bar Foundation (Board of Directors, 2016 to 2018)
• Macomb County Bar Foundation Trustee
• Oakland County Bar Association
• Construction Association of Michigan (CAM)
• Institute of Continuing legal Education (ICLE) – Regular Speaker and Moderator, Advisory Board
• The Resolution Center – Sustaining Sponsor and “First Friend“
• The Resolution Center (Board of Directors, 2019 to present)
• 100-Hour State Mediation Certification
• MIOSHA 10-hour state certification
• Regular speaker at the Macomb County Circuit Court S.M.I.L.E Program (required program for parents going through divorce in Macomb County)
• Time Team Detroit, Volunteer (local charitable organization that seeks to provide hands on and realistic support to surrounding community members in need)
• The Goldfish Foundation, Board of Directors/Founding Member (charitable organization that seeks to provide swimming and water safety outreach to underprivileged children in Metro-Detroit and throughout Michigan
