Robert received his Bachelor’s Degree in Accounting from Michigan State University in 1977 and his Juris Doctorate from Thomas Cooley Law School in 1983. He was admitted to the State Bar of California in 1983, the State Bar of Michigan in 1994, and the United States Supreme Court Bar in 1996. Robert joined Shinners & Cook in 1997. He currently serves as President and is involved with business succession planning, estate planning, probate, litigation, and conflict resolution.

Robert holds a number of certifications including: Certified Public Accountant (Michigan); Accredited Estate Planner certified by the National Association of Estate Planners & Councils (2009); Certificate of Completion from the Institute of Continuing Legal Education “Probate and Estate Planning Program” (2005); Certificate of Achievement for Managers from Dale Carnegie Training; and Leadership Saginaw (2000).

“I absolutely love being a lawyer,” Robert says. “I appreciate that we are truly helping people. We play the role of consultant to those who are experts in their own sector, but who may need help in paving their way in estate planning, contracts, forming a business, or, if things don’t go as planned, determining the best course of action. When people come to me with a problem, they’re at their most vulnerable point. I really like helping people through these business-related problems.”

“As the youngest of 12 children, I learned a lot about working with people. This is really important because before I can give our clients advice, I need to learn about them and understand their personal goals. Whether I’m working with a client on an estate plan or resolving a conflict, the foundation of our work with them is spending the time to understand their internal agenda and their priorities – to get to know the person. Then I can do the best possible job to help them through a conflict or to deal with succession issues.”

In addition to his work at Shinners & Cook and his extensive volunteer activities, Robert has been studying Spanish at a local community college. He is also interested in photography.