Bio
Willard S. Holt, III is an of counsel attorney in the firm’s Bloomfield Hills office who focuses his practice primarily in the areas of business law and estate planning. Mr. Holt’s corporate clients include closely held companies, entrepreneurs, nonprofit organizations and quasi-public corporations, including government agencies.
Mr. Holt’s areas of legal expertise include commercial transactions, mergers and acquisitions, debt and equity structure, joint ventures, succession planning, corporate contracts, strategic alliances and operating/shareholder/partnership agreements. He has extensive experience working with clients on a variety of legal and business matters related to structural, operational and strategic initiatives. In addition, he is a leading practitioner in legal matters relating to the formation, structure and operation of Minority Business Enterprises (MBE).
When representing clients, Mr. Holt works collaboratively to help them reach their goals and objectives. He understands that the role of legal counsel is to serve and facilitate the client’s vision, concurrent with the law and real-market factors, which is the unique perspective that differentiates most transactional lawyers from “impactful advisors.”
In addition, his estate planning practice includes preparing plans for all sizes of estates. To accomplish his client’s personal, business, tax and funding goals, Mr. Holt utilizes his vast experience to draft plans that range from the simplistic to those more complex plans that include multiple trusts and entities, if needed.
Representative Client Work
- Created and represented an automobile supplier joint venture between a domestic company and a Canadian company.
- Represented a nonprofit client in an $8,900,000 low-income housing tax credit deal.
- Represented corporate clients in IRS and Michigan Department of Treasury tax controversy matters.
- Represented a nonprofit client in a $1,100,000 commercial real estate transaction.
- Represented a nonprofit client in securing a $12,000,000 contract from the State of Michigan.
Professional Affiliations
- District of Columbia Bar AssociationState Bar of Michigan (Business Law Section, Taxation Law Section)
- Wolverine Bar Association
Community Business Involvement
- ALS Center of Excellence, Michigan Medicine and affiliated Multidisciplinary ALS Clinic, Inaugural Board Member, 2018-Present
- Leadership Detroit Graduate (Class XXXIII, 2011-2012)
- Michigan Minority Supplier Development Council (Corporate Member Liaison)
- NAACP, Lifetime Member
- National Business League (Corporate Member Liaison)
- The Midnight Golf Program (Board of Directors and Legal Counsel, 2011-Present; Governance Committee Chair, 2012 - Present)
Publications and Lectures
- "Legal Aspects of Business Entity Selection," Presenter, New Detroit/Camp Enterprise, 2007-Present
- "Sarbanes-Oxley: Coming to a Nonprofit Near You," Author, Plunkett Cooney Business Newsletter, November 2006
- "Practical Steps to Business Succession Planning," Author, Plunkett Cooney Business Advisor Newsletter, March 2006
- "Michigan Single Business Tax Replacement Proposals," Author, Plunkett Cooney Business Advisor Newsletter, December 2006
Areas of Practice
Credentials
Education
- Georgetown University Law Center, J.D., 1982; LL.M, Tax, 1984
- Wesleyan University, B.A., 1979
Admissions
- Michigan, 1985
- District of Columbia, 1994
- U.S. Tax Court, 1985
- U.S. District Court, Eastern District of Michigan, 1985
Honors/Awards
Honors & Recognitions
- Leading Lawyer in Association & Non-Profit Law / Tax Law: Business / Tax Law: Individual / Trust, Will & Estate Planning Law, Leading Lawyers Magazine Michigan, 2015 - Present
