B. Andrew Rifkin
Attorney Profile
Top Rated Family Law Attorney in Birmingham, MI
As a family law attorney with 30 years of experience, I have helped many clients make life-altering decisions and have guided them through the most challenging periods of their lives. My goal always is to serve as a problem-solver for my clients, who routinely come to me with difficult issues surrounding divorce, property valuation and division, child custody, financial support, and many other family law concerns. I offer all of my clients a place where they can be heard, receive practical advice based on their goals and objectives, and develop a sound plan for moving through their divorces and forward with the next phases of their lives.
I realize that every family and every case is unique, and I tailor my approach accordingly. My overarching belief is that busy family court judges do not have time to fully understand and creatively solve complex problems, making public courtroom litigation often a poor choice for resolving difficult issues. Since litigation also is acrimonious and expensive, it rarely leads to a lasting peace or a thorough, cost-effective result. For that reason, I frequently work with my clients (and often one or more other specialists from our team of carefully-selected professionals) to resolve their disputes privately and confidentially, outside of the courtroom. Sometimes, for example, I am able to work with an experienced counselor to put a couple on a path to reconciliation; other times, I use private negotiation or mediation to help resolve difficult issues. In those cases where courtroom litigation is unavoidable, I use my experience and expertise to advocate zealously on behalf of my clients. I have tried cases to judges and juries in federal and state courts throughout Michigan, and I successfully have represented clients in proceedings in Michigan, Illinois, California, and Colorado.
My approach has won the trust and confidence of my clients as well as my peers. I am a Fellow of the American Academy of Matrimonial Lawyers, and for each of the last 15 years, I have received the highest possible rating of legal ability and ethical standards, the Martindale-Hubbell Peer Review Rating AV Preeminent™ 5.0 out of 5. I also have been recognized as one of the premier family law attorneys in Michigan: I again was named to Best Lawyers in America, as a Top Lawyer by dBusiness Magazine, and as a Michigan Super Lawyer.
I graduated with Distinction from the University of Michigan with a Bachelor of Arts degree in Economics and as a member of the Honors College. After attending the University of Michigan Medical School for a year, I went on to the University of Michigan Law School, where I won the Henry M. Campbell Moot Court Competition and taught legal research and writing. I am also an adjunct professor of law at Michigan State University College of Law, and I previously taught at the University of Detroit Mercy School of Law.
My additional credentials are available at www.BankRifkinLaw.com.
Certificates and Credentials
Top Lists
About B. Andrew Rifkin
First Admitted: 1992, Michigan
Professional Webpage: http://www.andrewrifkinattorney.com/about-bar/
Educational Background
- University of Michigan Law School - University of Michigan. Honors: Winner of the Henry M. Campbell Moot Court Competition, 1990-91 Outstanding Legal Writing Instructor Award, 1991 Book Award: Legal Research and Writing, 1990., 1991
- University of Michigan - Ann Arbor. B.A. Economics. Honors: Bachelor of Arts with Distinction and Honors in Economics, May 1987 Honors Thesis: Medical Malpractice Insurance Prices: A Study of Rate Variance Diploma with Distinction, 1987 Honors in Economics, 1987 College Honors Program in Economics, 1986 University of Michigan Class Honors, 1985, 1987
Special Licenses/Certifications
- State Bar of Michigan, 1992
- Fellow of the American Academy of Matrimonial Lawyers
- State Bar of Colorado, 1993
Scholarly Lectures/Writings
- Rifkin, Rifkin and Cooper, Liability of the Physician in Charge MICH. BAR J., Dec. 1994, Volume 73 No. 12 at 1296 [also in MICHIGAN TRIAL LAWYERS ASSOCIATION QUARTERLY, Spring 1994, at 25], Liability of the Physician in Charge, MICH. BAR J., 1994
- Rifkin and Rifkin, When Doctors Go Bare: Compensation Beyond the Underinsured Physician, MICH. BAR J., Oct. 1994, Volume 73 No. 10 at 1080 [also MICHIGAN TRIAL LAWYERS ASSOCIATION QUARTERLY, Winter 1994, at 26; and in PODIATRIC PROFILES, February/March 1995, at 8], When Doctors Go Bare: Compensation Beyond the Underinsured Physician, MICH. BAR J., 1994
- Making a Spousal Support Claim Based on Net Cash Flow Analysis, AAML Annual Michigan Advanced Family Law Seminar, 2013
- Successfully Offering Real Evidence at Trial, AAML Annual Michigan Family Law Seminar, 2012
- Fundamentals of Divorce Practice & Procedure, Discovery in Divorce Cases, ICLE, 2013
- Double Dipping: What is the Right Approach? Family Law Institute, 12th Annual, 2013
- From Vodvarka to Shade and Everything In Between, American Academy Of Matrimonial Lawyers Annual Michigan Advanced Family Law Seminar, 2014
- The Ultimate Evidence Refresher, ICLE Family Law Institute, 2014
- Prenupital and Postnuptial Marital Agreements at the University of Michigan Law School, Nuts and Bolts of Estate Planning, Guest Lecturer, 2015
- Divorce Discovery, Fundamentals of Divorce Practice & Procedure, 2015
- Michigan Property Division Statutes, American Academy of Matrimonial Lawyers Annual Michigan Advanced Family Law Seminar, 2015
- Running Your Family Law Practice, Institute of Continuing Legal Education Webinar, 2015
- Tax Aspects of Divorce, Institute of Continuing Legal Education Webinar, 2015
- Technology, Social Media, and Family Law, Oakland County Bar Association Bench-Bar Conference, 2015
- Rifkin, ICLE Michigan Family Law Practice, Chapter 1 Update, Family Law Practice Issues, 2002 Supplement, § 1.35, Author, Chapter 1 Update, Family Law Practice Issues, ICLE Michigan Family Law Practice, 2002
- Schaefer, Bank, and Rifkin, Beyond Rinvelt, Where Do Prenuptial Agreements Go from Here?, Beyond Rinvelt: Where Do Prenuptial Agreements Go from Here?, LACHES, 2001
- Rifkin, Full Protection for the Injured Ward: Ensuring That Guardian and Conservator Fees Are Paid by the PIP Insurance Carrier, MICH. BAR J., July 2000, Volume 79 No. 7 at ____ [also in LACHES, September 1999, No. 404 at 16], Full Protection for the Injured Ward: Ensuring That Guardian and Conservator Fees Are Paid by the PIP Insurance Carrier, MICH. BAR J., July 2000, Volume 79 No.7, 2000
- Rifkin and Rifkin, Shop with Care: Choosing a Forum in Recreational Accident Cases, LACHES, January 1999, No. 396 at 8 [also in EMMET-CHARLEVOIX BAR ASSOCIATION NEWSLETTER, Vol. 2, No. 4, at 1], Shop with Care: Choosing a Forum in Recreational Accident Cases, LACHES, 1999
Bar/Professional Activity
- Court-Appointed Mediator in Oakland and Wayne County Circuit Courts, 1999
- Oakland County Bench-Bar Conference Family Law Committee: Served as committee member organizing meeting, preparing issues for discussion and written materials, and moderating annual family law conference between Oakland County attorneys and judges., 2007
- Invited Judge - Detroit College of Law. Freshman Moot Court Oral Argument Competition, 1994
- Invited Judge - University of Michigan Law School. First Year Moot Court Oral Argument Competitions Annual Client Counseling Competitions, 1996
Honors/Awards
- Michigan Super Lawyer, Michigan Super Lawyers, 2013
- Best Lawyers in America, 2014
- Peer Review Rating AV Preeminent™ 5.0 out of 5, Martindale-Hubbell, 2014
- Top Lawyers, Crain’s Detroit Business, 2015
- Best Lawyers in America, Best Lawyers in America, 2016
- Top Lawyers, dbusiness, 2016
- Outstanding Legal Writing Instructor Award, University of Michigan, 1991
- Super Lawyer, Michigan Super Lawyers, 2008
- Super Lawyer, Michigan Super Lawyers, 2010
- Michigan Super Lawyer, Michigan Super Lawyers, 2012
- Best Lawyers in America, 2013
- Top Lawyers, dBusiness, 2014
- Best Lawyers in America, Best Lawyers in America, 2015
- Super Lawyer, Michigan Super Lawyers, 2015
- Super Lawyer, SuperLawyers, 2016
- Book Award: Legal Research and Writing, University of Michigan, 1990
- Super Lawyer, Michigan Super Lawyers, 2009
- Super Lawyer, Michigan Super Lawyers, 2011
- Peer Review Rating AV Preeminent™ 5.0 out of 5, Martindale-Hubbell, 2013
- Top Lawyers 2013, dBusiness, 2013
- Super Lawyer, SuperLawyers, 2014
- Top Lawyers, dBusiness, 2015
- Preeminent 5.0 out of 5, 2015
- Preeminent 5.0 out of 5, Martindale-Hubbell, 2016
- Winner of the Henry M. Campbell Moot Court Competition, University of Michigan, 1990
- Honors: Bachelor of Arts with Distinction and Honors in Economics, May 1987 Honors Thesis: Medical Malpractice Insurance Prices: A Study of Rate Variance Diploma with Distinction, 1987 Honors in Economics, 1987 College Honors Program in Economics, 1986 University of Michigan Class Honors, 1985., University of Michigan, 1987
- Top Lawyers 2010, DBusiness, 2009
- Fellow, American Academy of Matrimonial Lawyers, 2011
Additional Sources of Information About B. Andrew Rifkin
Visit my FindLaw® profile
Last Updated: 5/15/2022