Legal Services & Lawyers

Since 1989, I have been an attorney licensed by the State Bar of Michigan. In my decades of general practice, I have served more than 1000 clients.

Among the first-50 attorneys in Michigan to complete the Family Law Certificate program offered by the Institute for Continuing Legal Education in Ann Arbor, MI, I have completed more than 250 divorces from start to finish.

In addition to family law, I have a robust criminal law practice, representing clients in jury trials and appeals across Michigan. Approved for felony assignments by the Oakland County Circuit Court, and for criminal appeals through the Michigan Appellate Assigned Counsel System, I know my way around the criminal justice system.

The Michigan Attorney General has appointed me to serve as a Special Assistant Attorney General (felony child support) and to serve Oakland County as a Public Administrator. These appointments have provided extensive family law, probate and elder law experience as a professional fiduciary in more than 75 cases.

My appellate docket has placed me before the Michigan Supreme Court, Mich Court of Appeals, and the U S Court of Appeals for the 6th Circuit. Serving 2-years as a pre-hearing attorney for the Mich Court of Appeals was my 1st job out of law school, followed by another 5-years in the appellate section of Plunkett & Cooney, one of Michigan’s largest private law firms.

For 8-years in the middle of my career, I was an Asst Professor and Director of Legal Studies at the Univ of Detroit Mercy. The UDM Law Review published my article on civil rights claims in the law enforcement seizure context. As a professor of legal studies, I trained paralegals in all aspects of assisting attorneys in private practice, publishing a comprehensive article on this subject in the Mich Bar Journal.

Juris Doctor from the University of Detroit (1988)
Bachelor of Arts with honors from the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor, MI, (1984).

We are Michigan Estate & Business Planning lawyers at Witzke Berry PLLC. Our Office is in Bloomfield Hills, Michigan. We serve Oakland, Macomb, Wayne, Livingston, and Lapeer Counties.

Visit us on the web at www.witzkeberry.com and www.michiganestateplanninglawyerblog.com

We assist our clients with:
Estate Planning
-Living Trusts
-Wills
-Living Wills
-Powers of Attorney
-Medical Powers of Attorney
Elder Law
-Medicaid Planning
Planning For Parents With Minor Children
-Kids Protection Planning
-Guardianship
Pet Planning
-Pet Trusts
Michigan Probate
-Estate Administration
Business Planning
-Business Succession Planning
-Buy/Sell Agreements

I have enjoyed a small town general law practice for my entire career. Advising real estate, business and elderlaw clients presently gives me the most satisfaction in my business; but in a rural community where many different client needs require diligence and ingenuity, I enjoy the daily challenge of helping solve people's problems. As a Christian, I try to ensure that my own integrity and my client's satisfaction are observable at the end of each client encounter.

I have five years of experience serving the people in criminal, divorce, child custody, bankruptcy, probate and other legal matters. I concentrate my practice in matter which help the working person. I have never worked in collections or for government.

Janet M. Mistele, J.D. is a member of the State Bar of Michigan
(1989), the United States District Court for the Western District of
Michigan (1991), and the North Carolina State Bar (2003). Ms.
Mistele earned her Juris Doctor degree, Magna Cum Laude, from the
Thomas M. Cooley Law School, where she was a member of the
National Trial Team, and earned American Jurisprudence Awards for
top honors in seven of her law school courses.

Upon graduation from law school in 1989, Ms. Mistele accepted a
position with the Michigan Court of Appeals in Lansing, Michigan as a
Prehearing Attorney, reviewing trial court records for errors and
preparing recommendations for appeals court judges.

Ms. Mistele has practiced law in Traverse City and its surrounding
counties since 1991, with an emphasis on family, juvenile and criminal
law, as well as estate planning and administration. She has spent her
career as an aggressive advocate for the underdog, representing
adults and juveniles charged with criminal offenses, spouses in the
midst of divorce and custody disputes, and animals who have been
subjected to abuse or neglect. Ms. Mistele is the Domestic Violence
Attorney for the Grand Traverse Band of Ottawa & Chippewa Indians.

For those of you from the Detroit-area, you will probably recognize
the Mistele name from the legendary 100-year old Mistele Coal &
Oil Company, founded by her great-grandfather in 1896. Her family
purchased a summer home in Traverse City in 1969, and has been
proud to call Traverse City home on a year-round basis since 1974.

Symantha Heath practice's exclusively in the areas of divorce, family, and matrimonial law. She serves the Metropolitan Detroit areas of Oakland, Wayne, Livingston, Macomb and Washtenaw Counties and have been practicing in the State of Michigan since 1994. Symantha Heath believes that every client deserves personal attention, the best representation possible and guidance on the options available for resolving their divorce. Based upon this philosophy, she has developed a successful family law practice.

Sanford J. Melder has helped thousands of people as an attorney. He was admitted to the State Bar of Michigan in 1974. He graduated from Wayne State University with a Jurist Doctor in 1973, and Wayne State University with a Bachelor of Science in 1968.

Sanford J. Melder has practiced law for over 30 years, representing clients in legal matters including Family Law, Divorce, Adoption, Real Estate, Debt Collection/Debt Collection Defense, Wills, Trusts & Estate Planning, Asset Protection, Criminal Defense, Traffic Matters, Drunk Driving, Business Law and Personal Injury.

Areas of Practice:

Family Law
Divorce
Adoption
Real Estate
Debt Collection/Debt Collection Defense
Wills, Trusts & Estate Planning
Asset Protection
Criminal Defense
Traffic Matters
Drunk Driving
Business Law
Personal Injury