Susan S. Lichterman

Susan is a partner in Taft’s Domestic Relations group and works closely with the Commercial Litigation and Appellate practice groups. She specializes in all aspects of domestic relations law, including divorce, separation, custody, parenting time, child support, spousal support, paternity, post-nuptial and prenuptial agreements, change of domicile, post-judgment modifications, and other family law matters.

In addition to representing and advocating for both men and women in domestic relations matters, Susan also serves as a neutral mediator and arbitrator. She has testified in family court as an expert in the area of family law and has extensive experience handling family law appeals in the Michigan Court of Appeals and has also appeared before the Michigan Supreme Court. Susan’s goal in every situation is to settle with as little court involvement as possible and reach an outcome that her client is comfortable with and which makes sense for her client and their family. She works with estates and families of all sizes and specializes in high-net-worth estates.

• Susan’s argument in the Michigan Supreme Court in the case of Marik v Marik led to the revision of Michigan Court Rule 7.202, effective January 1, 2019, which addresses when a post-judgment order is appealable by right in a domestic relations action.
• Susan’s goal in every matter is to settle with as little court involvement as possible. As such, and due to the sensitive nature of her work, many of her achievements are not a matter of public record.

• “Change of Legal Residence or Domicile,” Michigan Family Law, The Institute of Continuing Legal Education, May 2020-present.
• Washtenaw County Bar Association’s Family Law Section, Section Meeting, December 2014, Appellate Issues and Developing a Solid Record for Appeal.
• ICLE 2013 Marital Property Update, April 2013, Double Dip Revisited.
• OCBA New Lawyer Series, January 2011, Divorce Settlement Agreements and Judgments of Divorce.
• Laches (monthly publication of the Oakland County Bar Association), October 2011, “Preserving and Obtaining Electronically Stored Information In Family Law Cases.”
• UAW Family Law Seminar, 2007 Family Law Update.
• ICLE 2004 Child Custody, Support and Parenting Time Update, April 2004, Recent Legal Developments.
• Business Roundtable Series (a series of roundtables for women in business sponsored by Jaffe, Raitt, Heuer & Weiss), October, 2001, Separation of Assets Within a Marriage.
• Due Process (Oakland County Bar Association Television Program, WDIV), July, 2001, Panelist, Topic: Friend of the Court.
• Children’s Center of Wayne County In-Service, March, 2001, Dispute Resolution in the Employment Context.
• Children’s Center of Wayne County In-Service, September, 1999, Confidentiality and Your Client.
• Child Welfare League of America, 1997 Mid-West Region Training Conference & National Conference on Out-of-Home, October, 1997, Legal Issues in Child and Family Agencies: Problems, Approaches, and Legal Standards.
• Business Briefings IV (a series of briefings for women in business sponsored by Jaffe, Raitt, Heuer & Weiss), November 1996, Panelist, Family Planning for Women in Business is More than Deciding When to Have Children.
• National Business Institute’s Law Review Series, June 1996, Effective Family Law Practice in Michigan.
• National Business Institute’s Law Review Series, November 1995, Ethics as it Relates to Tax Consequences in Divorce.
• Children’s Center of Wayne County’s Annual Spring Conference, May, 1995, Legal Issues Related to Crisis Intervention: A Guide for Human Service Professionals.
• Children’s Center of Wayne County In-Service, January, 1995, Confidentiality and Your Client: A Guide for Human Service Professionals.