Gerald M. Morello, Jr.

President and Managing Partner
Mr. Morello is a graduate of the University of Michigan - Dearborn (B.S.A. in Finance and Managerial Economics, with High Honors), the University of Notre Dame Law School (J.D.), where he was a Higgins Scholar and Notre Dame Law School Scholar and the University of Notre Dame Graduate Business School (M.B.A. with Honors). Mr. Morello was a law clerk for Michigan Supreme Court Justice Patricia J. Boyle during law school. Mr. Morello is a member of the Michigan State Bar sections on Probate and Estate Planning, Taxation and Elder Law; he is also a Director-at-Large of both The Arc Downriver, and Arkay Incorporated. Mr. Morello’s primary areas of practice include: Estate Planning; Tax Planning; Wills; Trusts and Estates; Probate and Trust Administration; Business Law; and Business Planning. Mr. Morello has personally developed or supervised over 7,500 Estate Plans over the past twenty-three years. Mr. Morello is a frequent speaker on estate and business planning; he was the featured Estate Planning Attorney for several (AM 950) Michigan Money Summits. He was selected as one of Detroit’s top estate planning lawyers by DBusiness Magazine; he was awarded the 2014, 2015, 2016 and 2017 Five Star Estate Planning Attorney; he was awarded the 2015 Martindale-Hubbell Client Distinction Award; he was awarded the 2016 Northville Record People's Choice Award for Best Attorney; and he was awarded the 2017 Martindale-Hubbell Platinum Client Champion Award. He has discussed Estate Planning issues on WJR AM radio and at numerous professional associations, corporations and charitable organizations, including General Motors Corporation, Ford Motor Company, IBM, Detroit Edison, Oakland County Pre-Retirement Program, Detroit Urban League, the Knights of Columbus, and at numerous banks, credit unions and investment firms.
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George S. Fekaris

Partner

Mr. Fekaris' education includes: J.D., University of Detroit School of Law - during which time he served as a law clerk for the Wayne State University Office of General Counsel and Comerica Corporate Legal Department; and B.A. in Business Administration, Michigan State University. He is a member of the State Bar of Michigan sections on Probate, Elder Law and Disability Rights, Real Estate, Business Law, Labor & Employment Law and Family Law. He is a Wayne County Mediation Tribunal Case Evaluator. Mr. Fekaris is a member of the National Academy of Elder Law Attorneys, the Northville Chamber of Commerce and the Livonia Chamber of Commerce. Mr. Fekaris is Vice President and a member of the Board of Directors of the Northville Educational Foundation. He is admitted to practice in Michigan's State Courts and the Eastern Federal District Court. He is a member of the Delta Theta Phi International Law Fraternity, is knowledgeable in the Greek language and is past president of the Hellenic Bar Association of Michigan. Mr. Fekaris' primary areas of practice include: Estate and Business Planning; Trust Administration; Probate; Contested Estates; Medicaid; Corporate Counsel; Commercial Litigation; Collections; Commercial and Residential Real Estate; and Family Law. Mr. Fekaris has been a frequent speaker for financial professionals, elder care providers, non-profit organizations and he has served as the featured Estate Planning Attorney for the WWJ (AM 950) Michigan Money Summit. Mr. Fekaris is a frequent speaker on such topics as estate planning and administration, Medicaid planning and asset protection.
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Keith Genzel

Partner
Mr. Genzel’s education includes: J.D., University of Detroit Mercy School of Law (with honors); and B.A. in Business Administration from the University of Michigan-Dearborn. Some of Mr. Genzel’s academic accomplishments include the Dean’s Honor Society, earning the Dean’s Law Scholarship, and a Book Award in Business Organizations. Mr. Genzel’s primary areas of practice include: Estate Planning; Tax Planning; Wills; Trusts and Estates; Probate and Trust Administration; Corporate Law and Contracts; Business Law; and Business Planning.
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Ryan J Plantrich

Partner

Mr. Plantrich’s education includes: J.D., Wayne State University Law School with Honors; and B.A. in Biology, Albion College.  Mr. Plantrich’s academic accomplishments in law school include being a Dean’s Scholar award recipient, earning two Silver Key academic achievement awards, and serving as a Senior Member of the Moot Court team and President of Wayne Law’s Federal Bar Association – Student Chapter.  While attending law school, Mr. Plantrich was a Judicial Intern for Magistrate Judge Mark A. Randon at the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Michigan.  He is a member of the Membership Committee for the State Bar of Michigan's Probate & Estate Planning Section and a member of the American Bar Association Section of Real Property, Trust and Estate Law.  Mr. Plantrich’s primary areas of practice include:  Estate Planning, Wills, Trusts and Estates, Business Planning, Commercial Contracts and Transactions, Tax Planning, and Probate and Trust Administration.
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Ronald S. Thompson

of Counsel

Mr. Thompson's education includes: J.D., University of Detroit School of Law - where he served as president of the University of Detroit Student Bar Association and associate editor of the University of Detroit Law Review; M.B.A., Boston University; and B.G.S. in Business and Psychology, University of Michigan. He served as assistant dean at the University of Detroit School of Law and is the author of several University of Detroit Law Review articles. Mr. Thompson is admitted to practice in the Western and Eastern Federal District Courts of Michigan, in addition to the State Courts of Michigan and Ohio. Mr. Thompson's primary areas of practice include: Estate; Business Succession and Asset Protection Planning; Real Estate and Construction Law; Corporate Law and Contracts; Commercial Litigation; and Employment Law. He is also a licensed real estate broker and licensed builder. Mr. Thompson also served 12 years as a commissioned officer in the United States Marine Corps.

Dolores A. Coates

Senior Associate

Ms. Coates' education includes: J.D., Wayne State University Law School; and B.A. in Social Science and Pre-law with honors, Michigan State University. She is a member of the Michigan State Bar sections on Probate and Estate Planning and Elder Law. Ms. Coates' primary areas of practice include: Estate and Business Planning; Probate and Trust Administration; Elder Law and Business Law. Ms. Coates has extensive knowledge on and experience in the implementation of a comprehensive estate plan. Ms. Coates is a frequent speaker on estate planning and trust funding for Oakland County, the United Auto Workers and for numerous financial professionals.
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Robert E. Emmitt

Senior Associate

Robert Emmitt’s practice focuses on Business Formations, Mergers, Acquisitions, and Divestitures; Business Operational and Succession Planning; Agri-Business Planning; Tax Planning and Controversies; Estate Planning; Family Wealth Transfers; Commercial and Residential Real Property Matters, including Evictions; Charitable Giving and Charitable Trusts; Decedent Probate Estate and Trust Administration; and Medicaid and Veteran’s Benefits Planning. Mr. Emmitt handles Business Litigation, Contested Estates and Trusts, and Guardianship/Conservatorship proceedings. Mr. Emmitt is also a frequent speaker on Business, Tax, and Estate Planning, as well as the special topic of planning and post-death administration with Qualified Tax-Deferred Assets (e.g. IRAs, 401(k)s, etc.) Mr. Emmitt’s education includes: J.D., University of Detroit Mercy School of Law; and B.A. in Political Science, Wayne State University, Detroit. While in law school, Mr. Emmitt was a member of Law Review and served as a Title Editor. Mr. Emmitt was also elected and served as president of his law school class, and he served on the Student Bar Association’s Board of Governors. Some of Mr. Emmitt’s academic accomplishments include receiving Book Awards in Estates and Trusts, Estate and Gift Tax, Remedies, and Torts. He is a member of the Young Lawyers Section of the Michigan Bar, and sections involving Elder Law, Probate and Estate Planning, Disability Rights, and Real Property Law.
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Michele K. Kemler

Senior Associate

Ms. Kemler's education includes: J.D., Wayne State University Law School; and B. A. in Political Science, University of Michigan. She is a member of the Michigan State Bar sections on Taxation, Probate and Estate Planning and Elder Law. Ms. Kemler is admitted to practice in the Michigan State Courts and Eastern Federal District Court. Her primary areas of practice include: Estate Planning; Tax Planning; Wills; Trusts and Estates; Probate and Trust Administration; Guardianships and Conservatorships. Ms. Kemler has worked in the Detroit legal community since 1977. Prior to joining Morello Law Group, she spent fifteen years with one of Detroit’s oldest and largest full service law firms before establishing her own practice specializing in estate and tax planning, with particular emphasis on tax related matters. She has been a frequent lecturer on legal topics, the author of numerous law-related articles and an active participant in several non-profit organizations in the community, including serving as a Trustee for over 23 years for Detroit’s Music Hall.
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Trevor A. Stewart

of Counsel

Mr. Stewart’s education includes: J.D., University of Detroit Mercy School of Law; and B.A. in Business Administration and Legal Studies, Central Michigan University. Mr. Stewart’s primary areas of practice include: Estate Planning; Real Estate and Construction Law; Corporate Law and Contracts; Commercial Litigation; and Employment Law.