Mr. Hill was born in Detroit, Michigan and raised in Port Huron. After earning a
B.A. from Michigan State University in 1968, he graduated from the School of Law
at the University of
North Carolina at Chapel Hill in 1971 with a J.D. He was admitted to the practice of law in
Michigan in 1971, including all courts of the State of Michigan and U.S.
District Court, Eastern District of Michigan.
Mr. Hill's practice is concentrated in the areas of tax and estate planning,
probate, estate and trust administration, all aspects of business and real
estate law including condemnation, and litigation involving each of those areas.
His estate planning practice ranges from assisting families and individuals with
the most modest estates to those requiring sophisticated planning to minimize
estate taxes, while keeping in mind the non-tax objectives of individual
clients. Mr. Hill's business law practice includes the planning and formation of business entities, including profit and
non-profit corporations, partnerships, and limited liability companies,
acquisition and sale of businesses, drafting sophisticated business contracts
and litigation involving business disputes.
Throughout his career, Mr. Hill has been involved in all aspects of real estate
law, representing developers, title insurance companies, lenders, and
individuals. He has been involved in subdivision and condominium development and
disputes, handling litigation concerning such diverse matters as claims of
adverse possession and prescriptive easements, trespass, boundary disputes, and
condemnation.
In the highly specialized area of condemnation and the law of eminent domain,
Mr. Hill has represented governments and other condemning agencies, as well as
private businesses and individual property owners. He has successfully prosecuted condemnation
cases for the acquisition of property for public highways, bridges, public water
and sewer projects and airports, including avigation (air space) easements,
airport expansion and facilities, and natural gas pipeline easements. On
behalf of property owners, Mr. Hill has recovered compensation from condemning
authorities and negotiated alternative remedies.
His trial experience includes cases in St. Clair, Sanilac, Huron, Lapeer,
Macomb, Chippewa, Wayne, Oakland and Saginaw counties. He has successfully
handled appeals to the appellate courts of Michigan and prosecuted
administrative matters with state and local agencies.
Mr. Hill is
actively involved in service to his community. He served as a member of the
Board of Directors and President of Child and Family Services of Michigan, Thumb
Area Branch, coached Little League and Babe Ruth baseball for many years, served as a Director and President of the United Way of St. Clair County
and is a Trustee of the Community Foundation of St. Clair County.
Mr. Hill has served as an Assistant Prosecuting Attorney for St. Clair County
and as a Mediator for the St. Clair County Circuit Court. Since his
appointment in 1994 by the Attorney Discipline Board, he has served as a Hearing
Panelist with respect to charges of attorney misconduct and discipline.
He is a member of the State Bar of Michigan, its Sections on Probate and Estate
Planning, Real Property Law and Environmental Law, the St. Clair County Bar
Association and the Port Huron Area Estate Planning Council.