News & Resources

A recent ranking of Traverse City, Michigan law firms by the Traverse City Business News identifies Kuhn Rogers PLC as the second largest firm in the area. The ranking is based on the number of attorneys at each firm. Click here to visit the ranking on the TCBN website, which identifies Kuhn Rogers’ partners, top areas of practice, and total number of attorneys and staff.

By: Troy W. Stewart, Partner The Perishable Agricultural Commodities Act (“PACA”) 7 USC §499a, et seq., is a federal statute which provides certain protections for unpaid suppliers, sellers or agents relating to the purchase or sale of any perishable agricultural commodity. PACA defines the term “perishable agricultural commodity” as “fresh fruit and vegetables of every kind and character”, whether or not frozen or packed in ice, including cherries in brine. PACA requires all brokers and dealers in perishable agricultural commodities to obtain licenses from the Secretary of Agriculture. Brokers and dealers violate PACA if they do not pay promptly and Read More …

By: Joseph E. Quandt, Partner In what has become an annual process over the last three years, the Michigan Legislature has, again, amended Michigan’s primary Environmental Remediation Statute, known as Part 201 of the Natural Resources and Environmental Protection Act, P.A. 451 of 1994, as amended. The most recent changes provide for more flexibility in managing the environmental remediation process at sites of environmental contamination. The following are highlights of these changes. Site specific cleanup criteria now allows for remediation approaches which accommodate contaminant exposure assumptions that are specific to a piece of property. In other words, if a specific Read More …

Recent amendments to the property tax statute expand planning opportunities for family property succession. By: Christopher G. Rogers, Attorney Whether your family property is a rustic camp in the U.P., a cozy cottage on Little Glen, a hunting cabin in Eastern Lower Michigan, or a house in Traverse City – to your family, your property likely has a “family meaning value” far in excess of its fair market value. A consideration when planning to keep property in your family for generations is its annual carrying cost, a major component of which is the annual property taxes. The longer you’ve owned Read More …

By: Christopher G. Rogers, Attorney The foundation of property taxes is a concept defined as “transfer of ownership,” which is “the conveyance of title to or a present interest in property, including the beneficial use of the property, the value of which is substantially equal to the value of the fee interest.” MCL 211.27a(6). There are certain conveyances that are defined to be a “transfer of ownership” and there are certain defined “exceptions” from a transfer of ownership. Further, there are three values attributed to your property each year: state equalized value, assessed value, and taxable value. Both state equalized Read More …