Sandra D. Glazier is an equity shareholder with Lipson Neilson P.C. in its Bloomfield Hills, Michigan law firm 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 39 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 served as chair of the OCBA Probate-Committee during 2015-2016, with that committee earning the OCBA’s 2016 “Committee of the Year” under her leadership.
In addition, she has served as vice 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 and member of the Legislative Committee, and as a member of the OCBA’s nominating committee and its Public Advisory Committee on Judicial Candidates.
Glazier was a 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 a member of the ABA Family Law and Real Property, Trust and Estates (RPTE) sections, and has served as an appointed a member of the RPTE Continuing Legal Education Committee and currently sits on the Diversity and Inclusion Committee. She has recently received a one-year Presidential appointment as Special Advisor to the Commission on Law and Aging.
Glazier is also one of only five attorneys currently named as a legal advisor to the prestigious Notre Dame Tax and Estate Planning Institute.
Glazier has been inducted as a Fellow of Litigation Counsel of America, which is a trial lawyer honorary society composed of less than one-half of one percent of American lawyers. Fellowship in the LCA is highly selective and by invitation only, with fellows selected based upon excellence and accomplishment in litigation and superior ethical reputation.
Glazier is also an AEP® designee by the National Association of Estate Planners & Councils, in recognition of her satisfactory completion of the requirements for this graduate level, multi- disciplinary specialization in estate planning. This designation is awarded to recognize estate-planning professionals who meet the NAEPC’s stringent requirements of experience, knowledge, education, professional reputation, and character.
Glazier taught Valuation for Federal, Estate and Gift Tax Purposes in the Masters of Tax program at Walsh College.
Glazier has written and presented on many topic involving estate planning and administration. They include such topic as undue influence, the attorney client privilege in will and trust disputes, defending fiduciaries, ethical considerations when representing vulnerable adults 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, STEP-Orange County, Johns Hopkins All Children’s Hospital Annual Estate, Tax, Legal & Financial Planning Seminar 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.
Publications
- In re Dockins: To Be or Not To Be – Is an Undistributed Inherited 401(k) Park of a Bankruptcy Estate? LISI Asset Protection Planning Newsletter #416, Jun. 15, 2021.
- The Case of the Issue: PF, Petitioner-Appellant v. JF, Respondent-Appellee, Michigan Family Law Journal, Vol. 51, No. 4, pp. 6-8, co-authored with Henry Gornbein, Apr. 2021.
- Ladybird, Ladybird, Fly Away Home, Your House is On Fire, Your Insurance is Gone; Strope-Robinson v. State Farm Fire & Casualty: The Importance of Adding Appropriate Insureds when Ladybird Deeds Are Utilized, LISI Estate Planning Newsletter #2876, Apr. 8, 2021, republished Michigan Probate & Estate Planning Journal, Vol.40, Spring 2021, No. 2, pp. 23-24.
- Byars v. Department of Treasury: 2020 Cares Act Payments Subject to Offset to Satisfy Child Support Arrearage but 2021 Stimulus Payments Will Not, LISI Income Tax Planning Newsletter #212, Apr. 5, 2021.
- Undue Influence: Focus Factors During a Pandemic, TrustsandEstates.com Magazine, Apr. 2021, republished Michigan Family Law Journal, Vol. 51, No. 4, pp.18-19, Apr. 2021.
- The Case of the Issue: Staple v. Staple, Michigan Family Law Journal, Vol. 51, Number 3, pp 5-7, co-authored with Henry Gornbein, Mar. 2021.
- Perspectives on Planning for Personal Property, Bloomberg Tax Management Estates, Gifts and Trusts Journal, 3/11/2021, Copyright 2021 by the Bureau of National Affairs, Inc.; Co-authored by Sandra D. Glazier, Esq., Kim Kamin, Esq. and Martin M. Shenkman, Esq.
- Levitan v. Rosen: Why Marital Property Agreements and Drafting Intent Provisions in Trusts Remain Important Considerations, LISI Estate Planning Newsletter #2797 (June 2, 2020).
- Biddle v. Commissioner: Surprise Section 71 Issues Linger After 2018, LISI Estate Planning Newsletter #2792, April 29, 2020, republished Michigan Family Law Journal, Vol. 50 Number 5, May 2020.
- A Rose by Any Other Name May Not Smell As Sweet – Lerbakken v. Sieloff and Associates, P.A., Revisited, Retirement Benefits Received as a Result of Divorce May Not Be Entitled to Federal Bankruptcy Exemption Treatment, LISI Asset Protection Newsletter #398, Feb. 25, 2020.
- Undue Influence and Vulnerable Adults, ABA Section of Real Property, Trust and Estate Law, book co-authored with Thomas M. Dixon and Thomas F. Sweeney, Feb. 2020, ISBN 9781641056168.
- The Revenue Officer Compliance Sweep (ROCS) program: The Importance of Knowing the Difference between a Scam and When the IRS is Actually Knocking at your Door, LISI Income Tax Planning Newsletter #190, Feb. 5, 2020.
- Nice v. United States: The Tax Man Cometh – Another Potential Adverse Consequence of Elder Financial Abuse, LISI Estate Planning Newsletter #2775, Jan. 27, 2020.
- Review Irrevocable Trusts for Potential Enhancements through Modification, ABA RPTE eReport 2019 Fall Issue, co-authored with Martin M. Shenkman, Dec. 2019.
- Estate and Tax Planning Roadmap for 2019-2020, LISI Estate Planning Newsletter #2745 (Sep 3, 2019), co-authored with Martin M. Shenkman, Jonathan G. Blattmachr and Joy Matak, republished NAEPC Journal of Estate and Tax Planning, Issue 32 – Oct. 2019.
News
- Trusts & Estates Magazine Appoints Sandra D. Glazier to its Planning & Taxation Committee Editorial Advisory Board. Trusts & Estates is the pre-eminent, peer review journal and website for wealth management professionals serving the needs of high-net-worth clients. Its readers have an average of 25 years’ experience and their clients generally have at least $10 million in assets to invest. Articles submitted for publication are reviewed for content that is timely, sophisticated, scholarly and cutting-edge.
Community Involvement
- Glazier, a resident of West Bloomfield, is also active in her community. She has served on the local boards of the Jewish National Fund, Jewish Theological Seminary and Congregation Beth Ahm.
February 2020 – Nationally recognized probate, estate and trust law attorneys Sandra D. Glazier, Thomas M. Dixon and Thomas F. Sweeney have combined their decades of expertise and experience to literally write-the-book on 
