Brian is a founding partner of Lippitt O’Keefe, PLLC, along with Norman L. Lippitt. He supervises the firm’s transactional, real estate, business, and personal planning departments. During his more than 25 years as an attorney, Brian has represented local, regional, and national entities in general business and corporate matters, including formations, financings, mergers and acquisitions, dispositions and dissolutions. He’s represented lenders, borrowers and developers in sophisticated real estate transactions. In addition, he represents individuals and entities in business and personal planning matters. Brian has focused his practice in recent years in the areas of venture capital financing where, among other things, he has represented both private equity funding sources and individuals and entities receiving angel and venture capital. Recently, Brian was a leading advocate for the retiree associations in the City of Detroit bankruptcy hearings.
Brian received a Bachelor of Arts degree from Michigan State University in June 1981, graduating cum laude. He then attended Columbus School of Law at the Catholic University of America in Washington, D.C., where he achieved the degree of juris doctor in May, 1986.
His professional memberships include the State Bar of Michigan, the Oakland County Bar Association, and the American Bar Association. He has also sat on the Board of Directors of the Young Entrepreneurs Organization of Michigan and the Manresa Retreat House. Brian has been distinguished with the highest ranking of AV by the Martindale-Hubbell Law Directory. Finally, Brian is outside general counsel to Realcomp II Ltd,, the largest real estate multi-listing service in the State of Michigan. Over the course of his career, Brian has been legal counsel in transactions with a cumulative value in excess of $1 billion.
Areas of Expertise
- Mergers, Acquisitions, and Divestitures
- Venture Capital
- Individual, Estate, and Wealth Arrangement and Planning
- Corporate Law & Finance
- Banking
- Technology & E-Commerce
- Commercial Real Estate Law and Development
- Entity Formations and Dissolutions
- Workouts
- Commercial Litigation
Bar Admissions
- State Bar of Michigan
- U.S. District Court for the Eastern and Western Districts of Michigan
- U.S. Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit
Education & Academic Honors
- AV Preeminent rating by Martindale Hubbell
- Michigan Super Lawyers, 2014-present
- Crain’s Detroit Business Michigan Top Attorneys, 2014
- dBusiness Top Lawyers, 2015, 2016
- Michigan State University, B.A., 1981, cum laude, with honors
- Exceptional Contribution Award, American Marketing Association
- Member, Golden Key International Honour Society
- Catholic University of America Columbus School of Law, J.D., 1986
- Business Manager, The Judicial Notice
- Member, Communication Law Institute Association
Memberships & Appointments
State Bar of Michigan (Real Property Law, Business Law, and Taxation sections)
Oakland County Bar Association
American Bar Association (Business Law, Real Estate, Real Property, Probate and Trust Law Sections)
Member, Board of Directors, Young Entrepreneurs Organization, 1997-2001
Member, Board of Directors, World Entrepreneurs Organization, 2001-2003
Member, Board of Directors, The Manresa Retreat House, 2000-2011
Member, IR Global
Public Services
- Lecturer, National Business Institute
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