Cortney’s creative, individualized approach stems from her years of experience in wealth management, working for a national brokerage firm and a regional banking institution prior to going into private practice. For years, she has provided individuals, institutions, and businesses with the necessary tools to achieve financial and legal peace of mind. The crossover between Cortney’s legal and institutional knowledge leaves her well positioned to advise her clients from several different perspectives, avoiding unanticipated consequences and providing solutions specific to her clients’ needs.
Cortney represents individuals, families, and businesses in the areas of estate and wealth succession planning, including family cottage succession and legacy asset planning. She also provides guidance and counsel for banks, trust companies, and individual fiduciaries in all aspects of trust and probate administration and litigation matters. Cortney’s thoughtful and thorough approach puts clients at ease, ensuring their interests and their intent is protected.
She also provides specialized advice and perspective to her business and agri-business clients on liquor licensing and regulatory compliance, helping clients navigate the intricacies of the Michigan Liquor Control Commission and the Alcohol and Tobacco Tax Trade Bureau across all liquor license tiers, including suppliers, wholesalers, manufacturers, and retailers. Through her comprehensive approach, Cortney identifies each client’s unique challenges and skillfully guides them through the processing, eliminating unnecessary delays.
Cortney complements her specialized practice areas with related transactional real estate and business matters. Her real estate practice includes the preparation of contracts, purchase agreements, and leases, as well as assisting individuals, developers, businesses, and lenders with residential and commercial real estate closings, land contracts, mortgages, purchases, and sales of real property. Cortney’s business practice involves negotiating and preparing buy-sell, service, leasing, commercial loan, and related transactional documents for closely held businesses, financial institutions, and non-profits, as well as coordinating purchases and sales of closely held businesses and assets.
Cortney has been a contributor to Institute of Continuing Legal Education, Traverse Magazine, West Michigan Woman and a speaker at the Institute of Continuing Legal Education’s Annual Probate and Estate Planning Institute, National Business Institute’s Winery and Vineyard Law Seminar, as well as various annual estate planning and property tax seminars. She previously served on the Board of the Grand Traverse Regional Land Conservancy (Vice-Chair and Secretary) and the Impact 100 Global Advisory Council (Secretary), and currently serves on the Board of The Children’s House and Traverse Connect. Cortney is a member of the State Bar of Michigan, the State Bar of Montana, the Grand Traverse-Leelanau-Antrim Bar Association, Women Lawyers Association, and is an SCAO trained general civil mediator.
Raised in Okemos, Michigan, Cortney feels privileged to live and work in northern Michigan. In her spare time, Cortney can be found outside or on the Great Lakes, enjoying the unspoiled beauty of northern Michigan with her husband, Chris, their two sons, and their black lab, Kubota.
EDUCATION
Michigan State University College of Law, J.D., with Honors
Michigan State University – Eli Broad College of Business, B.A., with Honors
Series 7, 63 and 65 – Licensed Securities Representative/Investment Advisor (2006-2012)
General Civil Mediator – Michigan Supreme Court Administrative Office (SCAO)
Member, State Bar of Montana
