Areas of Practice

Debtor Defense

Every year, Michigan courts are flooded with debt-collection lawsuits filed by a handful of law firms seeking to collect a range of consumers debts from credit card balances to private student loans. Many of these suits fall short of Michigan evidentiary, procedural, and substantive law, yet collectors pursue them anyways in the hopes defendants will not respond. If you fail to respond to a collection suit, a default judgment will be entered and you may have your bank accounts, tax returns, and wages garnished. Do not ignore a collection lawsuit. Call Clipeus to learn your defense options.

Tenant Defense

With housing remaining in high demand and prices still on the rise, many Michigan residents find themselves renting at one time or another. Believing they have few options, landlords routinely ignore the rights of Michigan tenants or seek evictions despite knowing their tenants have nowhere else to go. If your landlord is trying to evict you, do not despair. Help is available. Clipeus defends tenants exclusively and will never represent landlords.

Consumer Protection

While Michigan once had one of the strongest consumer protection laws in the country, court rulings have increasingly pushed Michigan law to protect businesses, not people. Thankfully, through creative and vigorous advocacy, Michigan consumers can still pursue claims against businesses that have wronged them. Whether the issue is a fraudulent car sale, defective home repair, or another situation where a business did not honor its commitments, Clipeus can review your situation and determine quickly whether you have a case.

Post-Relationship Property Settlement

Relationships can be difficult and managing the fallout after they end can feel daunting. Whether married or not, couples often intermingle assets and debts that can be difficult to separate after the relationship ends. Clipeus works closely with experienced family law attorneys to help people determine what liabilities they may have going forward, particularly where a party is subject to debts incurred because of abuse or coercion from their former partner.

Auto Fraud

Purchasing a car can sometimes feel like a necessary evil. While new automobile purchases are protected by Michigan’s “Lemon Law,” used car purchases have their own set of rules. While dealers may believe they are protected from responsibility for fraudulent sales because of “as is” clauses in their purchase agreements, this may not always be so. Clipeus is able to review your sale to see if you still have legal recourse against dealers who engage in unscrupulous business practices.

Student Loan Law

Student loans remain a fraught political issue. For too many recipients, they are a burden—particularly when these loans originated with private lenders rather than the federal government. Many such loans have traded hands over the years, eventually being consolidated into massive trusts such as National Collegiate Student Loan Trust. Unfortunately for these collectors, their poor record-keeping practices mean they are sometimes unable to legally collect on these loans. Clipeus is happy to review your cases and discuss loan defenses today.

Consumer Lending

Economic realities dictate that most adults will need to take out multiple loans over the course of their lives to pay for housing, transportation, schools, and, in dire circumstances, just to make ends meet. Lenders, whether national banks or payday loan outfits running out of strip malls, are subject to a series of federal and state rules governing their practices. Although many lenders abide by these regulations, not all of them do. If you feel you are being taken advantage of, call Clipeus immediately for a free consultation.