Michael J. Willis

Michael J. Willis: Attorney with Willis Law
Attorney Awards
  • Martindale-Hubbell Peer AV Preeminent Rating
About Attorney Awards

Biography

Michael Willis co-founded Willis Law with his brother, Shaun Patrick Willis, following in the footsteps of their father, Hon. Frank D. Willis, former Chief Judge for Van Buren County. Michael is a Certified Public Accountant in Illinois and is licensed to practice law in both Florida and Michigan. He has been recognized in The Best Lawyers in America (Lawyer of the Year in 2020, 2022, and 2023), Super Lawyers, and Leaders in the Law, and holds an AV rating from Martindale-Hubbell. Before founding Willis Law, Michael worked at Varnum, Riddering, Schmidt & Howlett LLP and Kerr, Russell, Weber, PLC.

Michael earned his J.D. from the University of Michigan Law School and graduated magna cum laude with a B.A. from the University of Notre Dame. He is a member of the Florida and Michigan Bars, the Kalamazoo County Bar Association, and the Christian Legal Society. Michael has served on the board at Holy Cross College and is actively involved with the Corporal Christopher Kelly Willis Foundation, which provides scholarships to children of fallen heroes, as well as with St. Monica Catholic Church and Hackett Catholic Prep High School.

Michael lives in Kalamazoo with his wife, Susan, and their six children.
See more ›

Areas of Practice (35)

  • Estate Planning
  • Corporate Law
  • Estate Administration
  • Estate Litigation
  • Mergers, Acquisitions and Divestitures
  • Medicare and Medicaid
  • Elder Law
  • Trust Administration
  • Probate Administration
  • Probate Litigation
  • Contested Trusts and Estates
  • Trust Litigation
  • Family Wealth Transfer
  • International Estate Planning
  • Wealth Preservation
  • Guardianship and Conservatorship
  • Asset Protection
  • Medicaid Planning
  • Business Law
  • Business Succession Planning
  • Business Estate Planning
  • Buying and Selling of Businesses
  • Corporate Formation
  • Corporate Planning
  • Corporate Successions
  • Nonprofit Corporations
  • Real Estate
  • Real Estate Sales
  • Real Estate Acquisitions
  • Tax Planning
  • Property Tax Appeals
  • Wills
  • Probate
  • Tax Audits
  • Securities
See more ›

Education & Credentials

University Attended:
Huntington College; University of Notre Dame, B.B.A., magna cum laude, 1996
Law School Attended:
University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, J.D., 2000
Year of First Admission:
2001
Admission:
2001, Michigan; 2001, Florida; 2001, U.S. District Court, Eastern District of Michigan
Memberships:
Grand Rapids, Kalamazoo County, and American (Member, Sections on: Real Property, Probate and Trust Law; Taxation Law) Bar Associations; State Bar of Michigan (Member, Sections on: Probate, Estate Planning and Business Law); The Florida Bar; Association of Attorney-Certified Public Accountants; National Academy of Elder Law Attorneys (Member, Sections on: Real Property, Probate and Trust Law and Taxation).
Birth Information:
Kalamazoo, Michigan, December 24, 1973
ISLN:
915625435

Payment Information

Fixed Hourly Rates
Available
Credit Cards Accepted
American Express, Discover, MasterCard, Visa
Other Information
Free initial consultation, Fixed fees available

Peer Reviews

4.5/5.0 (22 reviews)
Martindale-Hubbell® AV Preeminent Rating Badge

  • Legal Knowledge

    4.5/5.0

  • Analytical Capability

    4.5/5.0

  • Judgment

    4.5/5.0

  • Communication

    4.4/5.0

  • Legal Experience

    4.4/5.0

  • 4.8/5.0 Rated by a General Counsel on 12/09/09 in Business Law

    Michael Willis is one of the premier business attorneys in Kalamazoo County handling an array of client matters for large, medium and small businesses.

    Flag review

  • 4.6/5.0 Rated by a Senior Associate on 12/28/09 in Trusts and Estates

    Conscientous, dedicated, and thoughtful practitioner

    Flag review

  • 4.6/5.0 Rated by a Member on 09/16/09 in Business Law

    Flag review

  • 4.6/5.0 Rated by a General Counsel on 08/31/09 in Corporate Law

    Extremely bright, conscientious, hard-working. Broad understanding of legal precepts, including Tax, Entity Formation, Transactional Arrangements and Estate Planning. One of the best business practice attorneys in southwestern Michigan.

    Flag review

  • 4.4/5.0 Rated by a Managing Partner on 01/19/10 in General Practice

    Flag review

  • 4.4/5.0 Rated by a Partner on 08/28/09 in Business Law

    Michael is very qualified. He's intelligent, honest, hard working and communicates very well. He's an asset to our legal community.

    Flag review

  • 4.2/5.0 Rated by a Partner on 12/17/09 in Business Law

    Michael is an excellent lawyer. He works very hard, is concerned about his clients, interacts well with his peers and looks for solutions. He has also been very active in community and charitable activities. Most of my experience with Michael has... Read more

    Read more
    Flag review

  • 4.0/5.0 Rated by a Member on 12/17/09 in Decedents Estates

    Flag review

  • 4.0/5.0 Rated by a Senior Associate on 09/15/09 in General Practice

    Michael is a very proactive attorney, and is very involved in the community. I have a tremendous amount of respect for Michael as a person and as an attorney.

    Flag review

  • 3.0/5.0 Rated by a Partner on 12/11/09 in Business Law

    Flag review
Peer reviews submitted prior to 2008 are not displayed.

Other Legal Directories

Avvo Client Review
5.0/5.0 (3 reviews)

See more

Avvo Peer Endorsements

Client Reviews Write a Review

Location

Contact Michael J. Willis

Contact Information:

269-492-1429  Phone

269-492-1042  Fax

www.willis.law/who-we-are/attorneys-staff/michael-j-willis-j-d-c-p-a-

www.willis.law/#~O07436

Required Fields

Required Fields

Clear All Fields

By clicking on the "Submit" button, you agree to the Terms of Use, Supplemental Terms and Privacy Policy. You also consent to be contacted at the phone number you provided, including by autodials, text messages and/or pre-recorded calls, from Martindale and its affiliates and from or on behalf of attorneys you request or contact through this site. Consent is not a condition of purchase.

You should not send any sensitive or confidential information through this site. Emails sent through this site do not create an attorney-client relationship and may not be treated as privileged or confidential. The lawyer or law firm you are contacting is not required to, and may choose not to, accept you as a client. The Internet is not necessarily secure and emails sent though this site could be intercepted or read by third parties.