Founder, The Private Firm
Reese Serra
Attorney and Counselor
Since The Age Of Twelve.
He Has Lived The Problems His Clients Face
Reese Serra, founder of The Private Firm, built his practice on a simple truth: he has lived the problems his clients face. He has been a business owner since he was twelve years old. An entrepreneur to his core, Reese has owned dozens of businesses across his career and has personally confronted nearly every challenge a business owner can encounter. He did not learn about HR and employment disputes, funding, investment, tax matters, payroll, partnerships, and cash flow from a textbook. He lived them, day in and day out.
That lived experience shapes how Reese practices law. When a client sits across from him wrestling with a hiring decision gone wrong, a financing deal that has stalled, an unexpected tax exposure, or a partner who has become an adversary, Reese has almost certainly stood in the same place himself, with his own capital and his own name on the line. He does not offer his clients theory. He offers judgment earned the hard way.
Counsel For Owners And Leadership.
Advising Businesses Through Conflict, Growth, and Transition
Complex Disputes & Litigation
Reese has significant experience handling and resolving complex disputes. As a business and litigation attorney in Rochester, he has consistently achieved favorable outcomes in court, securing victories across a wide range of civil matters through skilled advocacy and a deep command of legal detail. He represents clients in high-stakes commercial litigation, including breach of contract actions, partnership disputes, shareholder litigation, and other contentious business conflicts. Whether a matter is resolved through hard-fought negotiation or tried to a result, Reese approaches every dispute with a clear objective: protect his client’s reputation, financial position, and long-term interests. Clients who face their most difficult conflicts turn to Reese because he knows how to bring them to resolution.
Estate, Succession & Tax Planning
Reese also assists clients in comprehensive estate planning, business succession, and tax planning. He helps business owners structure their affairs to preserve wealth, minimize tax exposure, and transition their enterprises to the next generation or to new ownership on their own terms. Because Reese has built and owned businesses himself, he understands that succession and estate planning are not abstract exercises. They are the means by which an owner protects everything he has spent a lifetime building.
Corporate Counsel Across Industries
Throughout his career, Reese has provided counsel to businesses across a wide range of industries, from promising startups to established publicly traded companies. He currently handles corporate functions for hundreds of businesses, with significant experience drafting, preparing, and interpreting Bylaws, Corporate Minutes, Shareholder Agreements, Operating Agreements, Buy-Sell Agreements, Profits Interest Agreements, Warrants, Articles of Organization, and Articles of Incorporation, for both domestic and foreign for-profit corporations and non-profits. He regularly handles disputes and litigation involving small businesses, major corporations, telecommunications providers, real estate developers, lending institutions, insurance agencies, manufacturers, software and technology companies, construction trades, and investment firms.
Public Advocacy
As a negotiator, advocate, and lobbyist, Reese has appeared before the Michigan Public Service Commission, the Governor of Michigan, numerous Michigan state senators, and the Michigan House of Representatives. He has also advocated on behalf of tens of thousands of Michigan residents on issues facing Michigan families, parents, and children.
Where Clients Turn To Him.
Representative Experience
Complex Commercial Litigation
Representation in high-stakes disputes, including breach of contract, partnership disputes, and shareholder litigation, with strategic litigation and negotiation aimed at protecting clients’ reputations and financial well-being.
Mergers and Acquisitions
Representing high-net-worth individuals and businesses in complex acquisitions, negotiating favorable terms, protecting client interests throughout the transaction, and identifying growth opportunities.
Business Organization, Incorporation, Restructuring, and Reorganization
New business formation and planning, comprehensive counsel to companies undergoing significant restructuring, debt negotiations, operational streamlining, and compliance with legal requirements.
Estate Planning, Business Succession, and Tax Planning
Comprehensive planning to preserve wealth, minimize tax exposure, and transition businesses to the next generation or to new ownership.
Intellectual Property Protection and Enforcement
Trademark and copyright registrations, IP licensing, infringement matters, and trade secret protection.
Corporate Governance and Compliance
Guidance on governance best practices, drafting and negotiating commercial agreements, shareholder agreements, and corporate bylaws, internal investigations, and compliance programs that mitigate legal risk.
Beyond The Legal Brief.
Built On Trusted Relationships
What truly sets Reese apart is his dedication to building strong, trusted relationships. He takes the time to understand each client’s aspirations and challenges, then delivers tailored solutions aligned to their goals. With Reese as their advocate, business owners gain a partner who has not only mastered the legal intricacies of their world but has run businesses of his own and knows firsthand what is at stake.
Outside The Firm.
Husband. Father. Advocate.
Outside the firm, Reese is a devoted husband and the father of six children. He credits his success, without reservation, to his wife. The same values that drive him at home, namely unwavering loyalty, relentless perseverance, and an absolute commitment to the people who depend on him, are the values he brings to every client he serves.