In The News
Keep up to date with Speaker Law Firm! Our In The News page is where you can see what's new in 2024.
2024
July
The Speaker Law Team spent a great night to celebrate the Fourth of July by watching a Lansing Lugnuts game and watching a great fireworks show later that night!
Jordan Ahlers was elected to the State Bar of Michigan Children’s Law Section Council.
Liisa Speaker, Jordan Ahlers, and Cody Saville attended the Family Law Section Mid-Summer Seminar in Harbor Springs.
Senior Law Clerk Nick Raak has officially left the firm after finishing law school and taking the bar. He will be starting a new position at Henn Lesperance. We are very happy for him, but we will surely miss him around the firm!
June
June Family Law Webinar: Liisa Speaker and guests hosts, Andrew Bossory and Brandy Thompson, discuss Due Process and Constitutional Issues in Family Law.
Speaker Law Firm was recognized by Michigan Lawyers Weekly in their second annual Empowering Women program! This program recognizes law firms and legal departments that have shown a strong commitment to supporting and elevating women attorneys.
Liisa Speaker attended the Great Lakes Leadership Conference on Mackinac Island as the Chair-Elect of the SBM Family Law Section.
Jordan Ahlers helped organize the Ingham County Bar Association Young Lawyers Section Paper Chase 5-K.
May
May Family Law Webinar: Liisa Speaker and guest hosts, Judge Tina Yost Johnson and attorney Elizabeth Bransdorfer, discuss Legal Errors in Family Law Cases Related to Property and Money.
Lisa Schmidt published an article in the May 2024 Edition of the Michigan Family Law Journal, titled “Arbitration and Domestic Violence: Why The Easy Path May Not Be The Right One”.
Liisa Speaker presented at the AAML Michigan Chapter Conference on “Enforcement of Parenting Time Violations”.
Several new Law Clerks joined the Speaker Law Team!
Nygie Rhodes: 2L at MSU College of Law
Emily Bluck: 2L at MSU College of Law
Olivia Berryman: 2L at MSU College of Law
April
Speaker Law Firm celebrated its 17th anniversary! We couldn't have reached this milestone without the inspiring leadership of our boss, Liisa Speaker and our talented and dedicated team members. Here's to many more years of success, growth, and helping families!
April Family Law Webinar: Liisa Speaker and guest hosts, Judge Carla Testani and Judge Kent Engle, discuss Family Law Contempt of Court Issues.
Jennifer Alberts worked alongside the Appellate Practice Section, Michigan Association for Justice, and Michigan Defense Trial Counsel on an amicus brief in Bradley V Frye-Chaiken, a Michigan Supreme Court case.
Liisa Speaker was quoted in a Law360 article discussing the current trends in Michigan court docket processes: "'Mini' Arguments Loom Large On Mich. High Court's Docket"
Case Victories:
Jordan Ahlers won in a custody case resulting in the circuit court's order being vacated and a remand for a new custody hearing with up-to-date information.
Lisa Schmidt obtained a reversal of a custody order granting the mother sole legal custody and allotted rules for the father to follow that require him to refer to the child with their preferred pronouns in respect to their identified gender.
March
Liisa hosted another one of her monthly family law webinars! The March webinar Guardianships for Grandparents featured guests, attorneys Rachel Kelley and Sonia Cannon.
The Speaker Law Firm Family Law Portal was launched! This portal which is exclusively for trial attorneys, includes access to our growing collection of family law white papers, webinars, FAQ videos, and more. With new content added every month. This attorney only portal is free to join.
Liisa Speaker and our New Client Coordinator, Cody Saville were panelists on a webinar sponsored by the SBM Appellate Practice Section! Alongside the other expert panelists, they talked about all things regarding transcripts in appeal cases.
February
Liisa hosted her second family law webinar of 2024! The webinar on Postjudgment Custody Litigation featured guest hosts, Jackie Dupler and Sean Blume. Watch the webinar here!
January
The 2023 Diaper Drive came to an end! THANK YOU to everyone who donated diapers this year; your generosity will help so many families in our community. Every diaper we received was donated to either The Homeless Angels or Shared Pregnancy Women’s Center.
We hired a new team member! Nikira Price: Administrative Assistant
Lisa Schmidt convinced the Court of Appeals to vacate an order of revocation, stripping our client of his parental rights. The court’s decision went into immediate effect and the child was able to return home to the person he knows to be dad.
Liisa kicked off her next round of family law webinars with a webinar on Child Support. She was joined by guest hosts, Kristin Arnett and Kent Weichmann. Watch the webinar here!
2023
December
Liisa received the 2023 WLAM Mid Michigan Stell Award!
We hired a new team member! Jacob Seiler: Marketing Assistant
Liisa won a reversal in a termination of parental rights case in the Court of Appeals.
Jordan won BIG serving as co-counsel alongside attorney Paul Scott in a custody case that started all the way back in 2018.
November
Governor Gretchen Whitmer recognized November as Family Court Awareness Month!
Jordan won a custody case in a published opinion! The Court of Appeals agreed with us that the Trial Court did not err in continuing joint legal custody when the Trial Court registered the parties’ previous parenting time order issued in Georgia.
October
Jordan secured a peremptory reversal from the Court of Appeals on a custody case because Michigan did not have jurisdiction over the child.
Liisa’s article “More Than Just a Baby in a Box: A Critical Analysis of Safe Haven Legislation to Balance the Rights of Surrendered Children and Biological Children,” was published in the Journal of the American Academy of Matrimonial Lawyers.
Jennifer convinced the COA to reverse a custody decision.
Lisa Schmidt won a reversal in a custody appeal.
September
August
Jordan joined the Ingham County Bar Association - Young Lawyers Section Board of Directors!
Liisa presented alongside Dion Roddy at the SBM Family Law Section Mid-Summer Seminar on "Birth Parents' Rights in the Adoption Process".
July
Jordan had 2 case victories!
She persuaded the Court of Appeals to reverse, remand, and retain jurisdiction in a custody case, Palik v Palik. This was the second reverse and remand in this particular case for the Speaker Law Firm.
She also convinced the Court of Appeals to vacate the trial court’s grant of sole legal and primary physical custody and remand for a new custody hearing in McCloud v McCloud.
Lisa Schmidt convinced the Court of Appeals to vacate the trial court’s custody order and remand in Todd v Todd.
Jennifer persuaded the MI Supreme Court to remand to the Court of Appeals in a medical malpractice case.
June
Liisa lead a session with Hon. Tina Yost Johnson titled "How to Ensure Procedural Fairness in Family Division Matters" at the Michigan Supreme Court Judicial Conference.
Season 4 of Liisa’s legal talk show, In The Name Of The Law wrapped up! Catch up on the whole season here!
The June webinar hosted by Liisa and guest hosts, Hon. Tina Yost Johnson and attorney Liz Bransdorfer, focused on “Legal Errors in Family Law Cases”. Watch the full webinar here!
This is Liisa’s final webinar until the fall! Watch every past webinar on the Speaker Law YouTube Channel!
May
We hired several new Speaker Law team members!
Riley Lorenz: Administrative Assistant
Shelby Reed: Law Clerk
Leah Moylan: Law Clerk
We said good bye to another law clerk, Catrina Crane who is now a MSU College of Law Graduate!
Liisa won a divorce appeal on the division of tax liability in Glowacki v Glowacki.
Liisa presented alongside Scott Bassett on "Making or Breaking the Established Custodial Environment" at the AAML Michigan Chapter Seminar.
Jennifer had another Oral Argument at the MI Supreme Court Oral Argument in In re Joseph & Sally Grablick Family Trust.
Liisa was a panelist on the SBM Appellate Practice Section's webinar, "Appellate Court Appointments - The Keystone of Justice"!
The May webinar hosted by Liisa and guest hosts, Mediator, Traci Rink and Psychologist, Ben Burgess discussed “Parenting Coordination“. Watch the full webinar here!
April
April 2, 2023 marked our 16th Anniversary!! A massive round of applause to Liisa Speaker for being a fantastic owner & boss! The firm would not be where it is at without your vision and leadership. And thank you to all our great employees (past and present) who make this firm incredible!
Lisa Schmidt published an article in the April Issue of the Michigan Family Law Journal! Check out her article "Let the Record Show - Telling the Stories of Domestic Violence Survivors in the Trial Court and on Appeal," starting on page 12.
Jennifer has Oral Argument at the MI Supreme Court Oral Argument in Galvan v Poon.
The April webinar hosted by Liisa and guest hosts, Emily Calabrese and Tom Loeb, focused on “Ethical Issues in Family Law”. Watch the full webinar here!
We said goodbye to two of our law clerks, Audrey and Alex! Audrey will be clerking for the Eaton County Public Defenders, and Alex is graduating next month and will begin bar prep. Thank you both for being a part of our team; we wish you the best!!
March
Jordan was elected to the State Bar of Michigan - Family Law Section council!
Michigan Supreme Court Justices Megan Cavanagh and Kyra Bolden appointed Liisa to a new Child Protective Legal Representation Task Force!
Liisa presented at the “5 Best Things You Can Do for Your Law Firm in 2023 Summit”, her topic was on using the StoryBrand method to create a more authentic and effective website!
Jordan spoke alongside Cara Willing and Shantelle Richie at the SBM Family Law Section-Member Education Event at MSU College of Law.
The March webinar hosted by Liisa and guest hosts, Hon. Shannon Schlegel and attorney Blair Johnson, focused on “Grandparenting Time”. Watch the full webinar here!
February
We hired a new team member! Alex Anhault joined the Firm as our new Law Clerk.
Presentations:
The February webinar hosted by Liisa and guest hosts, Ashish Joshi and Siri Gottlieb, focused on “Parental Alienation”. Watch the full webinar here!
January
Our 2022 Diaper Drive came to an end! THANK YOU SO MUCH to everyone who donated diapers this year; with your generosity, we donated all these diapers to both the Homeless Angels and Shared Pregnancy Women's Center!
Jennifer preserved a Court of Appeals victory in Hanysz v Zak when the Supreme Court denied leave.
Liisa gave a presentation on adoption law at new judges training.
Three new episodes of Season 4 of In The Name Of The Law have aired on WLAJ ABC 53! Watch them all 6 episodes here!
Liisa started off the new year with a webinar, "Child Porn, Drugs & Guns in Custody Cases", with guest hosts Brandy Thompson and Kirsten Wolfram! Watch here!
2022
December
We hired a new team member! Kristina Gossett joined the Firm as our new Legal Assistant.
Our very own, Delaney Morgenstern, was selected as one of Michigan Lawyers Weekly's Unsung Legal Heroes for 2022! This award is reserved for the state's 25 most talented and dedicated legal support professionals who have consistently gone above and beyond the call of duty, often behind the scenes.
Liisa started out her third season of Family Law Webinars with "GAL & LGAL Issues", featuring guest hosts Scott Bassett, Keela Johnson and Laura Eisenberg! Watch here!
Case Victories:
After our client’s parents were cut out of a hearing for lack of a translator and the referee refused to hear all the evidence, Lisa Schmidt got the resulting order vacated and the matter remanded so our client tell her whole story in Tas v Kaye.
Jordan obtained a reversal in Sabatine v Sabatine when the trial court applied with wrong burden of proof. She also convinced the COA to affirm on the meaning of capital gains for child support.
After filing an emergency application, we got the news that our client received an order getting her out of weekend jail time! She served 3 weekends before we could file our emergency application, but we got the reversal decision in about 10 days from filing the emergency. Just in time to be at home for Christmas with her kids!!
Liisa spoke to some students at MSU College of Law on how new attorneys can help family law judges from making mistakes, which perfectly fit with her book Kids Caught In The Middle!
November
Governor Gretchen Whitmer once again issued a proclamation that November is Family Court Awareness Month!! This encapsulates what family law attorneys are trying to accomplish - having us all work together in the best interests of our children!
Lisa Schmidt case victories:
She won a reversal in In re ROGERS, Minors, a termination of parental rights case!
She restored a father’s parental rights in In re WARBLOW, Minors.
Jordan had a victory in a custody case, Rene-Pollard v Pollard, she convinced the Court of Appeals to reverse, remand, and retain jurisdiction due to the trial court’s failure to hold a de novo hearing following mom’s objection to the referee recommendation.
Liisa restored a parent’s rights after the trial courts skipped necessary steps in finding aggravating circumstances existed to support immediate termination without reunification services in In re BELL/BENSON, Minors.
October
The first few episodes of Season 4 of In The Name Of The Law have aired on WLAJ ABC 53! Watch them all here!
September
Filming for Liisa’s TV show, In The Name Of The Law began! Season 4 will begin airing in October on WLAJ ABC 53 on Wednesdays at 9am!
August
Lisa Schmidt won her first published opinion in Butters v Butters! The COA vacated a custody and parenting time order that took our client’s kids from their home and made her put up a $15,000 bond to see them. Now the family will be able to get back to normal!
Cheers to 5 Years! This month we celebrated Cody & Delaney’s five year work anniversaries!!
Liisa, Jennifer and Jordan attended the State Bar of Michigan - Family Law Section Mid Summer Seminar at Crystal Mountain. At the seminar, Jordan gave a fantastic presentation to family law attorneys on disqualification of judges.
We have added a new member to the Speaker Law Team! Audrey Myers: Law Clerk
July
Liisa wrapped up filming Season 3 of her legal talk show In The Name Of The Law! Season 4 will air this fall with a new format, Liisa will be both hosting the show and head up the family law segments!
The first 6 chapter videos for Liisa's book are live on YouTube! These are an excellent resource for a quick brush up of family law topics.
Jennifer Case Victories:
She received an excellent MI Supreme Court victory in a civil appeal - saving our client at least $300K!
She obtained a peremptory reversal from the COA, who vacated the order and remanded back to the trial court.
June
Liisa hosted her final webinar of the season in June! The webinar on Custody Litigation featured guest hosts Lise Spresser, Siri Gottlieb, and Ryan Kelly. Watch the webinar here!
Liisa had an excellent victory in an adoption appeal, In re BABY BOY DOE, Minor. The Michigan Supreme Court reversed in part and vacated in part the judgment of the Court of Appeals and remanded the case to the Court of Appeals for reconsideration of petitioner’s arguments regarding the denial of his motion to unseal the adoption file and for further proceedings.
We had a great victory in In re Marshall/Barnett Minors, the transcripts were a nightmare and many completely unable to be transcribed. The COA agreed that our client's rights to due process was violated.
May
We have added several new members to the Speaker Law Team!
Nick Raak: Law Clerk
Catrina Crane: Law Clerk
Morgan DeRose: Law Clerk
Liisa presented at the AAML Michigan Chapter Seminar on the Safe Delivery of Newborns Law.
Jordan, Jennifer and Liisa not only attended The Michigan Appellate Bench Bar Conference ‘22 but participated in it as well, Jordan was a panelist on “Lessons Learned from the Pandemic”, Jennifer was a Reporter for a breakout session and Liisa was a Moderator a Family Law session on “Appealing Ex Parte, Temporary and Interim orders!
Liisa hosted the May 2022 Family Law webinar on QDROs with guest hosts, Jennifer Johnsen and Saraphoena Koffron! Watch in on YouTube today.
Liisa debuted two new supplements to her book, Kids Caught In The Middle!
The Parent's Guide - It’s for parents to use as a quick overview of the area of law that impacts their family. It summarizes the kind of mistakes trial judges are making in cases involving children, and will help them understand the issues where it is hard to predict what the judge will do.
The Guidebook - It's intended to be a quick reference for trial attorneys, when they are confronted with an unfamiliar area of family law. Each chapter of the Guidebook includes a quick legal summary, problem areas, and issues that have not yet been resolved by the appellate courts.
April
On April 2nd, we celebrated Speaker Law Firm's 15th Anniversary!! A big round of applause to Liisa Speaker for being an amazing owner & boss, all the success the firm has had over the years would not have been possible if it didn’t have someone like you leading us from the front. Thank you to all our fantastic employees (past and present) who make this firm incredible!
Liisa was recently admitted to the International Academy of Family Lawyers! The IAFL is a worldwide association of practicing lawyers who are recognized by their peers as the most experienced and skilled family law specialists in their respective countries. Congrats Liisa!
Liisa appeared on Episode 55 of The Jennifer Hargrave Show! Liisa and Jennifer discussed Liisa's book "Kids Caught In The Middle" and what happens when judges get it wrong!
Liisa hosted the April 2022 Family Law webinar on Supervised Parenting Time with guest hosts, Michelle Younger & Arlene Platt! You can watch it here!
March
Jennifer was admitted to the Supreme Court of the United States! Kudos Jennifer!!
Liisa hosted the March 2022 Family Law Webinar - UCCJEA (Uniform Child Custody Jurisdiction and Enforcement Act) with guest host Matt DeLange! Watch the webinar here!
A great case victory for Jennifer! She obtained a peremptory reversal from the Supreme Court today in a negligence case involving a death caused by a backing tow truck. The circuit court erred by granting summary disposition without allowing the deposition of the driver to be taken.
February
Jennifer Alberts was named one of the 2022 recipients for the ICBA's Top 5 Under 35 Award!! This award is given to young lawyers who have distinguished themselves in their relatively short career by manifesting: exemplary character, integrity, judgment and legal scholarship; service to the profession and the bar; service to the community; and a reputation for or the advancement of the highest legal standards and professional responsibility.
Liisa hosted the February 2022 Family Law Webinar, "Can you feel the love? Two years into FIG-C" featuring guests, Liz Bransdorfer, Sahera Housey & Tony McDowell. Watch the webinar here!
Case Victories:
Jennifer received a victory in a spousal support appeal! The Court of Appeals held that it was error for the Trial Court to fail to take into account the payor spouse's actual ability to pay by considering only his gross wages, rather than his take-home pay.
January
Liisa hosted the January 2022 webinar on Constitutional Law & Due Process with Trish Haas and Josh Pease! Watch the recording here!
Liisa presented at the ICBA Family Law Section meeting in January on "Tips for Motions for Reconsideration".
We hired two new team members!
Shane Smith: Paralegal
Savina Mucci: Law Clerk
Case Victories:
Jennifer obtained a victory on a complex probate appeal.
Jordan received a published victory in a probate appeal! The Court of Appeals agreed that our client, the daughter and personal representative of a decedent, cannot be forced to submit a genetic sample for the purposes of determining whether the opposing party is a biological child of our client’s deceased father.