by Rachel Schreiber
It is said people change careers seven times during their lifetime. Christopher Juillet’s second career was his transition from technical writer to lawyer. He says, “I had that skill set (as technical writer) and just thought it was time to make changes. As a writer, I was conducting seminars as a consultant for non-profit businesses. I touched on legal topics, and couldn’t give legal advice.”
He graduated from UM and attended Detroit College of Law at MSU, where he earned a law degree in 1999. His work focuses on estate planning and advance medical directive (an advocate for someone who can’t make medical decisions for themselves). Chris also does probate administration, which focuses on people who pass away and don’t have a trust mechanism in place. Included in his practice is legal work for small business formation He also does work for non-profits and bankruptcy litigation.
“I like estate planning the best because it helps people. The judicial system we have is good, but it is time consuming and complex and expensive. Before I attended law school I had a legal issue. The entire incident cost me dearly to be right. I prefer to help my clients stay out of court. Estate planning is very satisfying, it’s the best work I do,” Chris says.
His family is from Flint. His grandfather was a shopkeeper during the Depression. Chris says, “He carried a lot of people through the depression. My mother’s father was a revenue agent during the probation. They chased the notorious Purple Gang (bootleggers) back across the river in Marine City. He worked for the federal government,” Chris says. His parents worked for the auto industry. His mother left the auto industry to stay home and take care of the family.
Chris would like to see his business grow with additional estate planning and probate work. He’s working on a bankruptcy case with other lawyers now. He says, “In my practice there’s not as much courtroom work as you’d think there might be. The criminal side of law is not my interest. Those people need to be defended. It’s the attorney’s job is to make sure everybody who’s in the system gets a fair deal. The system is huge and it has enormous resources. An individual is one person, maybe they did something, and maybe they didn’t do anything. It’s up to the state to prove every step, and up to the defending attorney to make the state prove every step, and to go by the letter of law. We are a nation of laws not individuals and that’s how the systems works best.”
“In Ann Arbor, we have the Institute for Continuing Legal Education. They have great publications, seminars and books and that’s how I keep informed and up to date. The institute is funded by all the law schools,” he says. Chris is an ICLE partner. He says, “I pay a cost for being a partner and then I can show up at seminars and get a discounted price for their books. And it’s way for me to keep up on the legal issues. Michigan is not a continuing legal state; you don’t’ have to do anything to keep your credentials. It’s up to each of us to stay current.”
If you have found this story, interesting, informative or inspiring, please let Chris know! His law practice can be found at 2860 Carpenter Road, Suite 100B, Ann Arbor, 48108. He can be reached at 734-827-9450, www.juilletlaw.com or chris@juilletlaw.com.