Service Areas
Education
- Detroit College of Law, J.D., 1973
- Wayne State University, B.A.
Bar Admissions
- Michigan
Court Admissions
U.S. Court of Appeals
- Sixth Circuit
U.S. Tax Court
With more than three decades of experience in resolving intrafamily personal problems, Richard J. Siriani is a widely recognized expert in all matters related to probate and trust administration, estate planning, and probate and trust litigation. This area of the law is frequently intense and emotional for everyone involved, and Richard makes sure his clients are confident that he is speaking on their behalf and putting their interests first and foremost.
“People come to Miller Canfield for our expertise and also because they know that they are going to get great representation in probate courts.”
Richard J. Siriani
Experience
Richard represents clients not only in Oakland County but across the Detroit Metropolitan Area and beyond. In a recent case involving an estate in excess of $2 million, Richard and Miller Canfield colleague, James W. Williams, represented the decedent’s estate against a claim filed by an heir-at-law. The issues in the dispute involved real estate and partnership issues. Richard and Jim and their team contended that only the decedent’s estate – not the partnership -- held title to his interest in the real estate. The matter was appealed to the Michigan Court of Appeals and subsequently dismissed after settlement
“This was a complex case that involved real estate law and partnership law as well as probate law. We were successful in convincing the court that no partnership existed as it related to the real estate, and the case was settled favorably for our client.”
Richard is a former attorney with the Estate and Gift Tax Section of the Department of Treasury assigned to the Detroit District.
Reported + Published Decisions
Estate of Widdifield, No. 252678, 2005
Mich App Lexis 1569 (June 28, 2005)
Professional Activities
- State Bar of Michigan: Board of Commissioners 2008-present; Member, Probate and Estate Planning Section, 2006-present; Chairperson, Practice Management Committee; Co-Chairman, Committee of Specialization and Certification; Member, Uniformity of Practice and Contested and Uncontested Probate Procedures Committees.
- Member, Oakland County Bar Association.
- Member, Wayne County Probate Bar Association
Honors + Awards
- Wayne State University, with distinction
Publications
"Update Attorneys Fees in Michigan," Michigan Probate Journal, Summer 2007
"Update Fiduciary Fees in Michigan," Michigan Probate Journal, Fall 2007
Speeches
"Conflict of Interest," Annual Probate Seminar, 2004
