Fraternite Notre Dame is a traditional catholic religious order made up of bishops, priests, deacons, friars, and nuns; none of which receive a salary. With missions around the world, their goal is to put the gospel into practice with soup kitchens, hospitals, schools, orphanages, aid to families in need and so on. Lipson Nielson attorneys provided legal and financial counsel during the Fraternite’s recent purchase of buildings on Detroit’s east side that are now home to a Fraternite Notre Dame mission.
About one week ago, on January 7, 2019, DTE Energy sent a crew to the Fraternite’s Detroit campus and shut off the gas. Without any notice, the priests and nuns living there, helping the homeless and providing services to revitalize this neighborhood, were without hot water and heat. Even worse, this shutoff coincided with winter temperatures falling below freezing. When they could not get answers from DTE Energy as to why their gas was shut off, the Fraternite contacted Lipson Neilson for help.
This request was trafficked to Megan Fisher, a Litigation Paralegal at the firm, and she immediately went to work cutting through the mounds of “Red Tape” at DTE Energy. Working tirelessly through the week, and the weekend, Megan maintained her professional approach (and her patience) as the case was transferred from department-to-department at DTE Energy (including a “new department” that did not even have a name yet but was responsible for reviewing the case.)
Sensing a seemingly endless process of case reviews at DTE Energy, Megan creatively shifted her strategy and began logging complaints with local and State organizations responsible for monitoring energy and utility companies. Her problem-solving skills paid off as literally overnight DTE Energy decided to bypass their “Restoration Process” (which would have added almost two weeks to the project.) Then, on the evening of January 14, 2019, a DTE Energy crew restored the gas connection at the Fraternite Notre Dame’s Detroit campus.
Many law firms talk about the concept of providing great client service. We’re different. Our commitment to client service is embedded in our culture and we have many examples of going over-and-above. Like what Megan Fisher did; that’s impressive.
Contact: Steve Malach | 248-593-5000 | SMalach@lipsonneilson.com