Hertz Schram PC

Michigan base and stated reach

With offices in Bloomfield Hills and Detroit, Hertz Schram PC has a base in two Michigan communities. The firm's website describes more than 45 years of legal work. It says the lawyers represent businesses and individuals.

The stated geographic reach includes Oakland, Wayne, Macomb and Washtenaw counties. The website also identifies work across the wider Midwest and nationally. It links the firm's profiles on Facebook, X and Instagram.

Focus and practice areas

On the business side, the website lists business and corporate law, mergers and acquisitions, commercial real estate, tax law, intellectual property and employment law. Dispute work includes shareholder conflicts, commercial litigation, securities and FINRA matters, and appeals. This gives the firm both transactional and courtroom categories.

For individuals, the firm identifies divorce and family law, personal injury and medical malpractice, estate and financial planning, will contests, trust disputes and probate administration. The website also lists class actions and criminal defense in state and federal court. These fields involve different courts, agencies, records and filing rules.

In my opinion, the division between business and personal matters makes the firm's scope easy to scan. Several categories can meet in a single matter. A shareholder conflict, for example, can involve corporate documents, employment terms, tax questions or securities rules.

Business transactions and disputes in context

Buyers and sellers often start a merger or acquisition by setting the proposed terms and controlling access to private information. Counsel may prepare confidentiality agreements and a letter of intent. The parties then inspect contracts, ownership records, employment obligations, property interests, taxes and possible claims. Final agreements set the price terms, closing duties and allocation of risk.

In general, business and corporate work includes company formation, governance and contracts. Owners use articles, operating agreements, bylaws, resolutions and shareholder agreements to define authority and economic rights. Counsel may also review transactions that require owner or board approval. These documents can become central when shareholders disagree about control, distributions or duties.

Commercial litigation usually begins with an assessment of the governing documents, disputed conduct and available remedies. Parties exchange pleadings, records and testimony through the court process. Judges decide motions and manage deadlines. A judge or jury may decide unresolved facts, while an appellate court reviews claimed legal errors after a qualifying ruling.

Securities and FINRA proceedings

Securities matters may concern investments, disclosures, brokerage conduct or regulatory duties. Brokerage disputes often proceed through FINRA arbitration. Claimants file statements of claim, respondents answer, and the parties select arbitrators and exchange relevant material. Arbitrators hear evidence and issue awards.

Other business fields rely on their own sets of records. Employment matters often turn on policies, contracts, communications and pay records. Commercial real estate work commonly uses purchase agreements, leases, title documents and financing papers. Tax and intellectual property matters can raise questions about reporting, ownership, licensing and alleged misuse.

Personal legal matters in context

Family cases usually call for close review of financial records and household arrangements. Divorce proceedings often address property, debt and support. Parents may also need orders concerning custody, parenting time and child support. Spouses can resolve terms by agreement, or a court can decide contested issues.

State and federal criminal cases use separate court systems and procedural rules. Prosecutors bring charges, and defense counsel studies the allegations and supporting evidence. Judges rule on release conditions, motions and the admission of evidence. A plea or trial may resolve the charges before any sentencing stage.

Injury, estate, probate and class actions

Personal injury claims usually call for records about the event, medical care and claimed losses. Medical malpractice matters also examine the treatment provided and the relevant standard of care. Claimants, defendants and insurers may evaluate liability and damages through document exchange, negotiations or litigation.

Estate and financial planning generally involves choosing decision-makers and preparing documents that state a person's wishes. People may use wills, trusts and related instruments for property and personal decisions. During probate, a personal representative gathers assets, addresses valid obligations and distributes property under the governing documents and law. Will contests and trust disputes place disputed documents, conduct or fiduciary decisions before a court.

Class actions add a formal certification question to the underlying claim. Proposed class representatives ask a court to permit them to proceed for a defined group. The court considers common issues and the representatives' ability to protect the group. If the court certifies a class, it may direct notice and supervise later proceedings.

Named lawyers and management

The attorney page lists 30 lawyers and gives each a title. The roster uses several levels of responsibility: attorney, senior attorney, partner, shareholder and management positions. Those labels provide a basic picture of the firm's internal structure.

The page names Joseph A. Bellanca, Eric Berlin, Eva Cantarella, Cristina Crescentini and Steven P. Jenkins as partners. Gerald Cavellier, Robert P. Geller and Howard Hertz appear as shareholders. It lists Danielle Fink and Jill N. Erickson as attorneys, with John Monnich Jr. as a senior attorney.

In my opinion, the published titles give readers a direct view of how the team is arranged. The firm names Steve J. Weiss and Kenneth F. Silver as co-managing shareholders. It identifies Victor M. Norris as managing shareholder emeritus.

Office details and contact routes

The Bloomfield Hills office has a street address of 1760 South Telegraph Road. That level of detail helps visitors distinguish the location from the firm's Detroit presence. The Detroit office is in the Guardian Building on Griswold Street, which places it at a named downtown property rather than a general city address.

The record provides two telephone numbers: (248) 494-4486 and (313) 757-4724. The different area codes offer separate contact routes for prospective clients. Anyone arranging an in-person meeting should confirm which office will handle the appointment, since the listing identifies distinct addresses in Oakland and Wayne counties.

In my opinion, the South Telegraph Road and Griswold Street locations give the firm a practical geographic split. One address is in Bloomfield Hills, while the other is in downtown Detroit. The published details allow a reader to choose a contact point based on the office involved.

Additional lawyers on the published roster

The roster includes four further partners: Laurie S. Raab, Daniel W. Rucker, Elizabeth (Liz) C. Thomson and Matthew J. Turchyn. Walter J. Piszczatowski and Lisa D. Stern hold shareholder titles. Sean Parent and Kristen Hunter Randall are listed as attorneys.

Martha Soltis has the combined title of intake attorney and nurse. That description differs from the other titles on the roster and gives directory readers a specific account of her stated role.

The firm also publishes a substantial counsel group. Herschel Fink, James Friedman, Jeffrey A. Robbins, Bradley J. Schram, Alexander Stotland and Robert Gittleman are of counsel. Scott Weinberg is senior of counsel. These designations identify lawyers whose relationship to the firm differs from the partner, shareholder and staff attorney positions elsewhere on the page.

The mix of current operational roles and counsel titles gives prospective clients more names to review before making contact. Since the supplied biographies contain no education, admission year or individual practice descriptions, the dependable distinctions here are the names and titles that the firm publishes.