- GuardianshipMr. Jocks assists his municipal clients with a wide range of matters including zoning ordinances, utilities, sewer, water, medical marihuana, health insurance, Open Meetings Act, and Freedom of Information Act. He regularly advises and litigates on real property matters including residential and commercial sales, property taxes, easements, riparian use and boundary disputes, oil and gas matters, zoning, and nuisance disputes. His environmental practice involves water law, wetlands, concentrated animal feeding operations (cafos), and groundwater and soil contamination. Mr. Jocks proudly drafts unique estate plans, wills and trusts for clients, and handles probate court matters that include probating estates, will and trust disputes, guardianships, and conservatorships.
- Business DisputesMr. Borden is a member of the Business Law, Insurance and Indemnity Law, Litigation, Appellate Practice, Information Technology and Agricultural Law Sections of the State Bar of Michigan. He has served on the Court Liaison/Rules Comment Committee of the Appellate Practice Section. He is a member of the Grand Traverse-Leelanau-Antrim Bar Association and has served as the association's President (2005-2006) and Treasurer (2002-2004). He is also a member of the Michigan Defense Trial Counsel and Defense Research Institute. Mr. Borden served on the 2005 Michigan Appellate Bench Bar Conference Planning Committee.
- Business TransactionsThe firm is engaged in a substantial business practice, including all phases of business and tax planning and commercial transactions for the many and varied categories of modern business. We are experienced in representing companies in the formative, mature and dissolution/sale stages of organizing, planning and running limited liability companies, corporations, joint ventures, limited partnerships and other forms of business entities. We plan, negotiate and draft the documents needed to meet the legal needs of the business. We are experienced in counseling with corporate management of publicly traded, as well as closely held, businesses. When necessary, we are capable of assiduously pursuing or defending commercial litigation related to virtually any business/commercial dispute.
- Limited Liability Companies
- Wrongful TerminationEmployment and labor law representation is on the side of management for both union and non-union employers and includes labor contract negotiations and drafting; grievance and arbitration cases; plant closings and relocations; responding to union organization campaigns, advising management and other employees in their dealings with union representatives; defending wrongful discharge, discrimination and other claims brought by employees; handling OSHA and other safety – related matters, as well as proceedings in court and before the NLRB, MERC, Michigan Department of Civil Rights, EEOC and other state and federal agencies, revising policy manuals and employee handbooks; and counseling public and private sector employers in all areas of employment relations.
- Employment DiscriminationOur goal is to provide the most effective and efficient legal service we can to meet our clients' needs. We make every effort to assist our clients in the prompt resolution of disputes. When a dispute cannot be resolved out of court, we have the experience, knowledge and skills needed to vigorously protect our clients' rights in court. We have successfully represented our clients in lawsuits involving commercial transactions, motor vehicle liability, premises liability, construction site accidents, indemnity claims, business disputes, uninsured and underinsured motorist's claims, personal injuries, employment discrimination and wrongful discharge claims, employment agreements, real estate disputes, construction defect claims, transportation liability, product liability and general liability claims. Members of our firm have extensive experience and expertise in employer side labor and employment arbitration. Sondee, Racine & Doren, PLC has successfully represented governmental entities and schools in labor and employment matters. We also represent injured persons in personal injury claims on a selective basis.
- Employment Contract
- Real Estate LitigationWe have extensive real estate law experience in both transactional matters and litigation. The firm represents buyers and sellers in the sale, development and financing of land. Also, the firm has expertise in dealing with zoning and other regulations and permitting of land uses.
- Premises LiabilitySondee, Racine & Doren, PLC provides a full range of legal services to property and casualty insurers and their insureds. We assist claims personnel with insurance coverage analyses involving commercial, business, auto, homeowners, and farm policies, as well as excess and umbrella policies. We represent insurers, businesses and individuals in insurance coverage disputes and declaratory judgment actions. We can provide legal support to personal lines and commercial lines underwriting personnel with regard to drafting policy forms and Michigan law. Sondee, Racine & Doren, PLC also defends insured individuals and businesses in lawsuits throughout northern Michigan. Our law firm has extensive experience in insurance defense, including first and third party Michigan no-fault insurance claims, premises liability claims, general liability claims, and uninsured and underinsured motorist claims.
- Construction LitigationHis practice areas include contracts, business and commercial litigation, insurance coverage analysis and disputes, construction litigation, employment non-compete and non-disclosure agreements, indemnity, condominiums, trust litigation, nonprofit governance, and products, transportation and premises liability. He handles both first and third party insurance claims, including ERISA, automobile liability, no-fault insurance, and uninsured and underinsured motorist claims. Mr. Borden specializes in insurance coverage analysis and litigation. He provides coverage analyses for businesses, individuals, insurers and municipalities, and represents litigants in insurance coverage disputes. Appellate practice is another area in which he specializes. Mr. Borden has successfully represented clients in appeals to the Circuit Court, Michigan Tax Tribunal, Michigan Court of Appeals, Michigan Supreme Court and the United States Sixth Circuit Court of Appeals.
- Real Estate TransactionsKarrie has been a governmental law attorney since 2000, working for municipalities and other governmental entities in northern Michigan. On a daily basis, Karrie advises municipalities, government officials, and employees on general administrative and governance issues, policies, and laws and in matters related to contract negotiations, intergovernmental agreements, the Freedom of Information Act, Open Meetings Act, and board governance, including ethical standards, conflict issues, and rules of order. She also counsels her clients on issues related to charter interpretation, ballot language, zoning, land use planning, purchasing policies, leases, ordinance drafting, interpretation, and enforcement, and real estate transactions. She litigates on behalf of her clients in civil court and administrative tribunals, including the Michigan Tax Tribunal.
- Easement
- Land Use and Zoning
- Personal InjuryMr. Racine enjoys assisting people in resolving their disputes through the process of facilitative mediation, which often leads to a more timely, less expensive and more satisfying outcome than is achieved through a traditional trial in court. Since receiving his initial mediator training in 1994, he has served as the mediator in more than a thousand cases involving business disputes, real estate, contracts, municipal, personal injury, malpractice, insurance, discrimination, construction and probate matters. He is currently listed as an approved general civil mediator by several circuit, district and probate courts and was recently honored to receive the 2019 Mediator of the Year award from the 13
- Estate PlanningAV peer review rated in Martindale-Hubbell. Holds a Certificate of Completion in the areas of probate and estate planning issued by the Institute of Continuing Legal Education and Probate and Estate Planning Section of the State Bar of Michigan. Listed in "The Best Lawyers in America" - Real Estate and Municipal Law.
- Wills
- TrustsMr. Doren has been a practicing attorney in the Traverse City area since 1977. He moved here from Lansing where he was an in-house attorney for Ingham County and before that was Law Clerk to the Honorable Timothy Quinn, Michigan Court of Appeals. Mr. Doren has handled numerous real estate transactions and litigation including construction disputes. He regularly represents parties in zoning litigation and administrative hearings. He is an estate planner and handles probate and trust administration.
- Power of AttorneyThe firm's Estate Planning and Probate practice includes counseling the client on probate proceedings and avoiding Probate to begin with through the use of trusts, durable powers of attorney, advanced medical directives and proper titling of assets. It also assists with the tax planning and business planning issues inherent in each individual's specialized needs and desires. The firm provides cost effective estate planning and probate related to a variety of clients, ranging from those whose assets are not extensive, or whose special needs are not complex, to those whose wealth and affairs and family structures require use of more sophisticated and complex estate planning techniques.
- ProbateFor over 30 years, Sondee, Racine & Doren PLC has maintained an extensive civil law practice throughout northern Michigan, with emphasis in the areas of employment, labor, municipal, real estate, business, estate planning and probate law, commercial and business litigation, insurance defense litigation, insurance coverage, appellate practice, mediation and arbitration. Every year since our firm's inception, we have been awarded an AV rating which is the very highest possible rating from Martindale-Hubbell Law Directory, the world's leading guide to the legal profession. The highest rating was received in the two categories considered: legal ability and general ethical standards. These ratings are based on confidential reports from judges and other attorneys. We are extremely proud that each attorney in our firm has been awarded an AV peer review rating for high ethical standards and professional ability. The firm's clients include individuals, large and small businesses, cities, counties, townships, villages, public and private schools, medical care providers, utilities, banks and insurance companies. The primary areas of law in which the firm is engaged are listed in Practice Areas.
- Tax Law