Overview
Matthew Fedor focuses his practice on helping individuals and families in estate planning, business law, probate, trust and estate administration, elder law guardianships and conservatorships, and litigation in these areas. This combination of practice areas allows him to counsel clients on wealth strategies for their business and personal assets as well as create various limited liability companies and ancillary trusts for this purpose.
Matt has a unique perspective due to his experience in representing both families and business owners and is able to counsel clients regarding protecting their assets and planning for the transfer of those assets to the next generation. Matt represents businesses as their general counsel, advising them in various aspects of the business cycle from choice of entity at start up, buy-sell agreements, real estate transactions, contract review and negotiation, acquisitions, through the eventual sale or dissolution.
Elder law and the areas related to an aging population are becoming more important in the way Matt counsels clients. Estate planning is an important and vital part of that process and Matt takes the time to gather the personal information and histories of clients, recommending a plan that can include tax planning, asset protection, Medicaid planning, guardianships and conservatorships, specifically tailored to the clients’ needs. Matt is a member of the National Academy of Elder Law Attorneys (NAELA).
Matt has served in various capacities on behalf of clients including corporate officer, trustee, and general legal counsel, and is able to bring this perspective in counseling clients to achieve their goals.
Matt is a frequent speaker on various topics related to his practice and is a Probate and Estate Planning Certificate recipient from the Institute of Continuing Legal Education. He earned his law degree, Cum Laude, from Michigan State University with a concentration in taxation, and his Bachelor of Science degree from Indiana University. He also attended Father Gabriel Richard High School in Ann Arbor.
Affiliations
Memberships & Affiliations
Legal Affiliations:
- State Bar of Michigan
- Client Protection Fund Committee
- National Academy of Elder Law Attorneys (NAELA)
- Client Protection Fund Committee, State Bar of Michigan
- Veterans Administration (VA) Accredited, U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs
- Indiana University Alumni Association
Community Involvement:
- MSU College of Law Alumni Board - 2003-2009; President 2008-2009
- Presidents Club, Michigan State University
Experience
Representative Matters
- Defended the Trustee of a deceased business owner’s estate in administering a multi-million dollar trust against multiple lawsuits from family members.
- Represented business owners in sale of business to multi-million dollar insurance agency.
- Successfully defended client against petition for guardianship, obtaining an order of dismissal from the Probate Court Judge.
- Successfully represented client to challenge personal representative of father’s estate to have the personal representative removed and replaced with my client.
- Successfully negotiated settlement for client of disputed life insurance policy in Federal Court where client was not the last named beneficiary.
- Negotiated multi-million dollar buyout of Michigan company by international purchaser.
- Assisted client in transitioning real estate condominium development to newly formed condominium association entity.
- Created family LLC to hold family cottage with specific provisions providing for details of maintenance, expense sharing, and use schedules.
- Negotiated settlement of over $100,000 for victim of dog bite case after filing suit against the insurance company.
Communications
Recent Blog Posts
Elder Law Blog
- Recent Legislative and Regulatory Developments Designed to Protect Seniors in Michigan
- Valuable Benefits that Often Go Unused by Our Country’s Veterans
- Estate Planning Awareness Week
- Checking in on the Family this Holiday Season
- Can I be paid for taking care of my elderly parents?
- Three Common Myths about Medicaid
- Worried about the Future? Here's what you need to do now
- Recognizing and Living with Alzheimer’s
- Helping my Aging Parents Pay for Care
- Planning for a Vacation Home?
Publications
- Stay-at-Home: What the Governor's Executive Order Means for Michigan Businesses, Foster Swift Legal Update E-blast, March 23, 2020
- COVID-19 Legal Issues for Employers, March 17, 2020
- Michigan Employers-FAQs on Coronavirus and Your Employees, Foster Swift Labor & Employment Law News E-blast, March 16, 2020
- Not as Closely Held as We Used to Be: Proposed Regulations Under Section 2704 Would Impair Discounts, Michigan Tax Lawyer, Winter 2017
News & Events
Speaking Engagements
- District Court Civil Law Update, Michigan Judicial Institute: Regional Judicial Seminar, January 14, 2020
- Trusts 101: Estate Planning for the Disabled, November 14, 2018
- Foster Swift Attorneys Present Trusts Seminars, National Business Institute (NBI), November 14 and 15, 2018
- ADMINISTERING THE ESTATE EFFECTIVELY and MAINTAINING AN ETHICAL BALANCE IN PROBATE PRACTICE, Probate Process from Start to Finish (NBI), October 16, 2018
- Panelist on the 2018 Entrepreneurs Forum, Southeast Michigan Entrepreneurs Association, Southfield Area Chamber of Commerce, May 18, 2018
- Probate Process from Start to Finish, National Business Institute, May 4, 2018
News
- Minimizing Legal Impact of Coronavirus for your Organization, Foster Swift Legal Update E-blast, March 17, 2020
- Foster Swift Elects New Shareholders, Lansing Regional Chamber, January 21, 2019
- Foster Swift Launches Elder Law Blog, May 23, 2018
- Foster Swift Southfield Office Has Second Growth Spurt, September 18, 2017
Practice Areas
Education
Michigan State University, College of Law, J.D. cum laude 2000
Indiana University, B.S. Public Affairs 1996
Bar and Court Admissions
Michigan
U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Michigan