Overview
Matt 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 extensive and wide-ranging experience in business and corporate law, acting as general counsel for many clients. His practice focuses on mergers and acquisitions, commercial contract negotiations, complex corporate transactions, corporate governance matters, banking and finance agreements, shareholder agreements, joint ventures, and vendor agreements. His practice covers a broad range of business clients handling complex business transactions between privately held companies, private equity firms, investors, and financial institutions. Matt has represented clients in a wide variety of industries including automotive, heath care, environmental, insurance, SaaS, and information technology and network solutions. He provides strategic planning for clients, advises boards of directors and committees, and acts as their in-house counsel and trusted advisor.
As part of his business and corporate law practice, he also advises clients on business succession planning, including generational wealth transfers, estate planning, dynasty trusts, Elder Law, and Medicaid issues.
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.
Honors & Recognitions
Michigan Lawyers Weekly, "Go-To Lawyer" in Business Transactions, 2024
Affiliations
Memberships & Affiliations
Legal Affiliations:
- State Bar of Michigan
- Client Protection Fund Committee
- National Academy of Elder Law Attorneys (NAELA)
- Michigan State Bar Foundation
- Fellow
- 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
BizTech Law Blog
Estate Planning & Elder Law Blog
- Resources for Seniors and Caregivers
- Choosing the Right Housing Situation for Your Elderly Loved One
- Aging Unbound: A Multi-Part Caregiver Resource Guide
- How FEPA Protects Michigan’s Elderly Against Financial Exploitation
- Checking in and Reconnecting with Family this Holiday Season
- Valuable Benefits that Often Go Unused by Our Country’s Veterans
- A Look at Conservatorships in Wake of Britney Spears Case
Michigan Labor & Employment Law Blog
Publications
- Beware: New MOU Between Four U.S. Agencies Impacts M&A Activities, Foster Swift Business & Tax Law News, October 2, 2024
- Court of Appeals Ruling Halts Pending Minimum Wage Increase and New Earned Sick Time Act – For Now, Labor & Employment Law News E-blast, January 27, 2023
- Don't Forget! Michigan's Minimum Wage Increases on January 1, Additional Hike Expected, Foster Swift Labor & Employment Law News E-blast, December 28, 2022
- Executive Order: Revised Requirement for Businesses and Other Organizations, Foster Swift Legal Update E-blast, July 19, 2020
- Whitmer Enacts Mandatory Mask Executive Order, Foster Swift Legal Update E-blast, July 10, 2020
- Why Employers Need to Support the “Sandwich Generation”, April 30, 2020
News & Events
Speaking Engagements
- Talent Recruitment and Retention Policies, Fall 2022 Labor & Employment Law Updates, October 12, 2022
- What Employers Need to Prepare for in 2023, Foster Swift Going Forward Webinars, October 12, 2022
- Spotlight on Elder Law: Attorney Matthew Fedor, Business Innovators Magazine, May 21, 2021
- Learn About Key Issues of Business Interruption Insurance, Foster Swift Second Wednesday Morning Break, March 10, 2021
- Business Interruption Insurance Coverage, Michigan Society of Association Executives (MSAE), January 25, 2021
- The Current Status of COVID Orders in Michigan, Foster Swift, November 11, 2020
News
- Be Proactive: Jumpstart Planning with Elder Law Month Resources, Meltwater Newswire, May 1, 2024
- Holiday Gatherings Offer Insight into Family Members’ and Friends’ Well-Being, Global Newswire, December 19, 2022
- The Faces of Strategic Business Law, dBusiness, November 1, 2022
- Fedor and Genovich join Michigan State Bar Foundation Fellows, Michigan State Bar Foundation, November 11, 2021
- Legal Resources for Seniors Key Benefit to Elder Law Month, Automation Alley, May 3, 2021
- Resource for Seniors and their Caretakers During Pandemic, September 14, 2020
- COVID-19 Creates Renewed Urgency for Elder Law Planning, May 1, 2020
Practice Areas
- Trusts & Estates
- Business & Tax
- Elder Law
- Business Succession Planning
- Estate Planning
- Trust & Estate Administration
- Trust & Estate Litigation
- Business Contracts
- Business Law
- Coronavirus Pandemic/Crisis Support Task Force
- Deal Team - Mergers & Acquisitions
- Family Owned Businesses
- General Counsel
- Small Business
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