PRACTICE AREAS

  • Estate Planning
  • Family and Domestic Law
  • Probate Litigation
  • Probate and Trust Administration
  • Prenuptial and Postnuptial Agreements

EDUCATION

  • Wayne State University School of Law, J.D.
  • Wayne State College of Liberal Arts, B.A. – cum laude

ADMITTED

  • Michigan

WEBINAR

SUPER LAWYER: 2017-2020

For the fourth consecutive year, Ms. Glazier has been selected as a Michigan Super Lawyer by Thomson Reuters, the world’s leading source of information for the legal industry.

SANDRA D. GLAZIER
(PARTNER)

BLOOMFIELD HILLS, MI
3910 TELEGRAPH ROAD, SUITE 200
BLOOMFIELD HILLS, MI 48302
248-593-5000
248-593-5040 FAX
SGLAZIER@LIPSONNEILSON.COM

Sandra D. Glazier is an equity shareholder with Lipson Neilson P.C., in its Bloomfield Hills, Michigan office. Glazier concentrates her practice in the areas of family law; probate litigation; estate planning; and, probate and trust administration. She has served as a mediator, arbitrator and guardian ad litem in family court and probate cases.

With over 35 years of experience, she has handled a multitude of complex cases. In the probate litigation arena, Glazier has represented parties in some of the largest estates subjected to litigation in Michigan.

Her experience includes, but is not limited to, complex litigation relating to claims of breach of fiduciary duty, will and trust contests, and claims of undue influence or lack of capacity.

Her divorce experience is diverse and has included a myriad of issues, including, but not limited to, valuation of closely held business interests, the impact of pre-marital, gifted and inherited property, custody and parenting time, child support, spousal support, equitable division of the marital estate and obligations, pre- and postnuptial agreements, division of retirement benefits, and tax implications.

Glazier has been an active member of the Oakland County Bar Association (OCBA) since 1987, where she has served on the Family Law Court, Probate and Legislative committees. She has served as vice chair and chair of the Probate Committee, vice chair and chairperson of the OCBA’s Family Court Committee, subcommittee chair and representative for the Family Court Division for a number of bench/bar retreats, liaison to the Legislative Committee, and as a member of the OCBA’s nominating committee and its Public Advisory Committee on Judicial Candidates.

Glazier was the OCBA representative to the Second Invitational Michigan Bench/Bar Conference, and sat on the State of Michigan Second Bench/Bar Conference Committee for the Third Invitational Conference. She is also a fellow of the Adams Pratt-Oakland County Bar Foundation, where she previously served on its projects committee.

Glazier is also active in the RPTE Section of the ABA and currently is a member of its CLE committee and the Litigation, Ethics & Malpractice Group (TE).Glazier taught Valuation for Federal, Estate and Gift Tax Purposes in a Masters of Tax program. She has written and presented on various issues, including but not limited to those relating to undue influence, the attorney client privilege in will and trust disputes, defending fiduciaries, ethical considerations when representing vulnerable adults, charitable giving after the 2017 tax act and other topics relating to estate planning, administration and probate litigation.

She has also authored numerous articles relating to family law, including some related to spousal support, separate property, and the intersection of probate and family law.

Glazier has presented on estate planning and probate litigation issues at Bloomberg BNA Estate and Gift Tax Advisory Board, Notre Dame Tax and Estate Planning Institute, Kansas City Estate Planning Symposium, ABA, WealthManagement.com., Institute for Continuing Legal Education (ICLE), OCBA and Wilmington Trust’s New York Trust Symposium.

She has also presented on issues relating to valuation and tax, and separated versus marital property for ICLE, National Business Institute, and the OCBA. She has presented on issues relating to valuation as well as on the intersection of probate and family law for the Family Law Section of Michigan’s State Bar and the OCBA.

HONORS

Glazier is a Phi Beta Kappa. She was the recipient of the OCBA’s Distinguished Service Award in 2003 and under her leadership the OCBA PET Committee was named “Committee of the Year” in 2016. She has been designated an “AV®” Rated Preeminent attorney by Martindale-Hubbell and was named a “Top Lawyer” for 2010 by dbusiness in the areas of probate, estate planning and family law.

Glazier has been recognized by Super Lawyers in 2017 and 2018 as a Top Rated Estate & Trust Litigation Lawyer. She is also the recipient of the 2018 Trusts & Estates Magazine Distinguished Authors Award for Thought Leadership.

VIDEOS

ELDER LAW

COMMUNITY INVOLVEMENT

Glazier, a resident of West Bloomfield, is also active in her community. She has served on the local Jewish National Fund board and on, the Detroit board of the Jewish Theological Seminary. She is currently on Congregation Beth Ahm’s board of trustees.

PUBLICATIONS

Glazier has written a number of articles pertaining to family law, probate and estate planning. Some of those articles have included, but not been limited to:

  • No Good Deed Goes Unpunished Especially When Acceptance Means a Target on One’s Back: Defending Breach of Fiduciary Duty Claims in the Context of Trust and Estate Administration; Bloomberg BNA Tax Management Memorandum, Vol. 58, 8, p. 179, 04/17/2017.
  • Testimony from Beyond the Grave—The Gravamen of the Attorney-Client Privilege in Will and Trust Contests; Bloomberg BNA Tax Management Memorandum, Vol. 57, No. 24, p. 495, 11/28/2016
  • The Post-Mortem Saga; The Intersection of Divorce and Probate, published February 2015, Oakland County Laches
  • Michigan’s Homestead, Family and Exempt Property Allowances, published Summer, 2014, Michigan Probate & Estate Planning Journal, Vol. 33, No. 3 .
  • A Road Map to Attorney Fees in Domestic Relations Actions published May 2014, Michigan Family Law Journal
  • When Is a Trustee Not a Trustee (in the Context of Real Estate Business Held in Trust, For Purposes of the Net Investment Income Tax)? published April 2014, BNA Tax and Accounting Center
  • Along Came a Spider, published February 2011, Oakland County Laches, No. 535
  • Contribution: A New Remedy for Entireties Property? published December 2010 Michigan Real Property Review
  • Property Interests and Non-Marital Relationships, published August, 2010, Michigan Real Property Section E-Newsletter
  • An Overview of Important Drafting Considerations Following Enactment of the Michigan Trust Code, published February 2010, Oakland County Laches, No. 525
  • Senate Bill 1244, The 100 Mile Law, published May, 2001, Headnotes, Women’s Bar Association Newsletter, Oakland County Region of Women’s Lawyers Association of Michigan
  • A Brief History and Current Tends in Alimony Awards, published December, 1997, Oakland County Laches, No. 383

In addition Glazier has co-authored the following papers and articles:

  • What Every Estate Planner Should Know About Undue Influence:Recognizing It, Insulating/Planning Against It…. And Litigating ItSandra D. Glazier, Esq., Thomas M. Dixon, Esq., and Thomas F. Sweeney, published Bloomberg BNA Tax Management Memorandum, Vol. 56, No. 11, June 1, 2015, pp 185-209, as well as Bloomberg BNA Tax Management Estates, Gifts and Trusts Journal, Vol. 40, No. 4, July 9, 2015, pp 175-198.
  • Confronting Undue Influence in your Practice? Industry experts weigh in on how to take an increasingly pervasive issue. Sharon L. Klein, Sandra D. Glazier, Thomas M. Dixon & Thomas F. Sweeney, published Trusts & Estates; The Wealth Management.com journal for estate-planning professional, July 2015, pp 33-37.

Glazier historically appeared on the television show “Due Process” to speak on family law issues.

Links to articles may be found below: