Sara K. MacWilliams
Top rated Business Litigation attorney in Bloomfield Hills, Michigan
Doerr MacWilliams Howard
Practice areas: Business Litigation, Civil Litigation, Closely Held Business; view more
Licensed in Michigan since: 2004
Education: The University of Michigan Law School
Selected to Super Lawyers: 2013 - 2026 
Selected to Rising Stars: 2010 - 2012 
Free Consultation Doerr MacWilliams Howard
3883 Telegraph RdSuite 203
Bloomfield Hills, MI 48302 Phone: 248-432-1586 Email: Sara K. MacWilliams Visit website
Details 
Sara MacWilliams has been litigating and trying high-stakes business disputes for over 22 years, with many of her multi-million dollar verdicts and settlements featured in legal and industry publications. She enjoys working closely with clients to turn difficult situations into winning results and especially enjoys taking high-risk, complex cases to trial. With her leadership, her team accepts several business contingency and alternative billing arrangement cases each year.
Ms. MacWilliams' recent victories include membership disputes and business lockouts, cannabis lending disputes, financial whistleblower disputes, and software fraud in ERP and CRM installations. Rather than focusing on a particular industry, her focus is private business and the legal pitfalls entrepreneurs and executives face daily. Her clients enjoy a highly personalized experience with frequent communication and collaboration, as well an aggressive, results-oriented approach. She fights tirelessly and ensures her clients are in the best possible position for each juncture of the legal experience.
After several years of only litigating, Ms. MacWilliams began advising clients on how to avoid litigation and thus routinely also serves as outside general counsel for various small and midsize businesses, providing guidance for legal concerns that impact business owners and helping to find specialists for best case results as well as managing important business transactions. This experience gives her a unique perspective in both the business and litigation sides of business law.
Off the legal field, Ms. MacWilliams is a proud mother of five.
Practice areas
Business Litigation, Civil Litigation: Plaintiff, Closely Held Business, Cannabis LawFirst Admitted: 2004, Michigan
Professional Webpage: https://www.dmhlawyers.com/sara-macwilliams
Bar / Professional Activity
- Women Lawyers Association
- State of Oregon
- United States Bankruptcy Court, Eastern District of Michigan
- Oakland County Real Estate Law Committee, Member
- State of Michigan
- United States District Court, Western District of Michigan
- United States Federal Circuit Court of Appeals
- Oakland County Bar Association
- Oakland County Inns of Court
- United States District Court, Eastern District of Michigan
- United States District Court, Southern District of Indiana
- United States Sixth Circuit Court of Appeals
Verdicts / Settlements (Case Results)
- Obtained $8 million settlement in complex consolidated cases involving financial whistleblower executives who were fired and had their equity stripped for reporting financial fraud discovered in the context of an IPO. The case involved multiple cases, an appeal, highly aggressive attempts to punish the firm's clients, and forensic financial analysis to prove the firm's clients were true whistleblowers and not properly fired for cause. , 2025
- In complex shareholder lockout case, achieved $840,000 settlement and a mortgage on the disputed property. , 2025
- Shareholder oppression case spanning 3 states settled favorably with client receiving $875,000 and property rights , 2024
- Local co-counsel for complex securities litigation spanning 7 years and a trip to the Michigan Supreme Court which changed business law in this state; case ultimately settled for $9 million. , 2024
- Obtained $1.3 Million arbitration award in complex business dispute involving cannabis consulting company that marketed specialized consulting services but failed to manage project to completion., 2022
- Obtained $825,000 buyout for shareholder of Delaware company, 2020
- Obtained $3.25 million settlement in business fraud case, 2020
- Settled $1,000,000 in various claims against defunct business and its principal without bankruptcy or protracted litigation., 2019
- Settled dispute representing buyer of business who still owed $100,000 of the purchase price with a walk-away, saving client $100,000., 2019
- Closed on complex real estate transaction involving mulit-family property., 2019
- Settled commercial contract dispute wherein Plaintiff sought $350,000 for $15,000., 2019
- Settled $100,000 shareholder dispute., 2018
- Successfully obtained full payment on multiple claims by large Toyota dealership, 2018
- [Party names withheld] In July of 2016, Ms. MacWilliams was part of a team that negotiated a $3.6 million settlement of a complex litigation involving three interrelated lawsuits and five parties, which was originally filed in 2013. The favorable settlement was paid over six months, with the transaction successfully closing in January of 2017, 2016
- Successfully represented real estate owner against six figure challenge by former partner for damages related to lost opportunity. Obtained order refuting all claims., 2018
- Settled $500,000 shareholder and related contract dispute for corporation at substantial discount and without litigation., 2019
- In April of 2017, Ms. MacWilliams successfully resolved a $60,000 collection suit with the case dismissed and her client receiving legal fees, 2017
- Local counsel in merger and acquisition dispute involving eight law firms around the country and which settled favorably within three months of the original filing, 2018
- On July 22, 2010, a jury in Oakland County Circuit Court awarded $4.5 million to Young & Associates' client, TheraMatrix Physical Therapy. Ms. MacWilliams was second chair counsel throughout the case and trial. The case has since been covered in numerous media outlets. On December 2, 2011, Young & Associates won an aggressively fought commercial contract suit on behalf of Coupled Products, LLC against Navistar, Inc. Navistar counterclaimed for extensive damages, but Coupled Products won all damages claimed plus attorney fees and costs. Ms. MacWilliams was third counsel and responsible for extensive trial preparation, including witness preparation, motions in limine, jury instructions and arguments, verdict form argument, and trial motions, 2010
- In September of 2017, Ms. MacWilliams resolved a $5.5 million foreclosure and related shareholder dispute with a settlement involving the successful sale of six commercial properties and related business, 2017
- Settled and collected full payment on commercial property dispute involving complex machinery, where contractors failed to timely and competently complete a build-out and the ultimately successful business was delayed in opening for six months, 2018
- Represented multi-million dollar company in threatened shareholder litigation, settling case before any pleadings were filed and keeping dispute fully confidential, 2018
- [Names withheld] In January of 2017, Ms. MacWilliams successfully settled a partnership dispute with no written partnership agreement, for $300,000, 2017
- In May of 2017, Ms. MacWilliams was part of the team that successfully resolved two class actions involving breach of fiduciary duties, 2017
- Successfully represented an accounting firm in breach of contractual non-compete case where the business seller breached a non-compete commitment mid-way through the term and the defendant refused in two facilitations to put money on the table, 2018
Representative Clients
- Litigation counsel for large trucking company
- VTS, LLC, SaaS business now owned by publicly traded company , 2024
- Natrabis, LLC, highly successful makers of Society C brand cannabis products , 2024
- General counsel for multi-family housing complex with multiple investor owners
- Macley Auto Group, LLC, 2018
- General counsel for real estate investment group
- Wright Steel
- Page Toyota Imports, Inc., 2018
- ANYI Management Company, LLC
- The Rest Institute, LLC, 2018
- TheraMatrix, Inc. and TheraMatrix Physical Therapy Network, LLC
- Page Toyota and Page Honda of Bloomfield
- GRL Properties, LLC
Transactions
- Represented foreign machinery manufacturer in the process of preparing to do business within Michigan, obtaining an appropriate commercial building, and finalizing a line of credit to fund new operations, 2018
- Settled oppression case filed against client, part owner of commercial real estate company, by selling property on favorable terms for $2.2 million, or $1 million more than alleged value , 2024
- Managed and closed investor round for successful SaaS which eventually led to sale to publicly traded company , 2023
- Closed industrial property transaction involving warring billionaires who each owned or had tenants in building involved in various efforts to block sale and nine tenant in common owners, avoiding repeated threatened litigation and with full shareholder authorization. , 2024
- Managed asset sale of successful SaaS start up to publicly traded company , 2024
- Negotiated and closed sale of franchise, 2017
- Negotiated and finalized sale of commercial property for medical marijuana business, 2018
- Managed and closed commercial property re-finance of mortgage and simultaneous settlement of multiple guaranty obligations, avoiding foreclosure and managing numerous shareholder disputes, 2018
- Negotiated and finalized commercial property sales agreement for international supplier and prepared company for business operations within Michigan, 2018
- Closed settlement of mortgage foreclosure/shareholder/alleged mismanagement dispute with over $15 million net to shareholders, 2018
- Negotiated and closed sale of commercial property portfolio, 2017
- Managed and closed commercial property re-finance and settlement of multiple guaranty obligations in commercial property with mature mortgage and looming foreclosure, 2018
- Negotiated and prepared independent sales representative agreements for mid-sized company with numerous trade secrets and issued patents, managing business interests and the critical protection of valuable company information, 2018
- Negotiated and closed sale of LLC interests in various commercial properties, 2016
- Negotiated and finalized lease of commercial property re-zoned for marijuana use, 2018
- Negotiated and prepared sales representative standard form agreement for medical company with sales nationwide, 2018
Pro bono / Community Service
- Birmingham Covington School Elementary Team Coach, Destination Imagination, 2017
- Inns of Court
- Nominated for and accepted into Fellows of the Michigan State Bar
- Case evaluator for Oakland County Circuit and District Courts
Educational Background
- Kalamazoo College, B.A., History and Chinese, summa cum laude, 2001
- One Year Foreign Student Degree, Beijing Language and Culture University, 2000
Scholarly Lectures / Writings
- Co-authored ICLE publication regarding rules for attorneys moving between law firms, Co-Author, Changing Law Firms Ethically, ICLE, 2017
- Article about how to legally distinguish between two commonly confused commercial claims. , Co-Writer with partner Derek Howard, Distinguishing Breach of Contract and Fraudulent Inducement, 2023
- Panelist on seminar about how to start and run a law firm , Panelist, Considerations for Merging Law Firms and Contemplating Partnership, ICLE, 2024
- "Recovering Attorney Fees and Costs," Michigan Bar Journal, September 2014, Co-Written with Todd Mendel
- Balancing Act: profile of Sara MacWilliams, Macomb County Legal News, 2014
- "Distinguishing Breach of Contract and Fraudulent Inducement," Institute of Continuing Legal Education (ICLE), Co-Written with Derek Howard, March 2021
- "Stuck in a Bad Contract? You May Have Options." Crain's Detroit, Co-Written with Derek Howard, March 15, 2021
- "Protecting Shareholder Rights with Sara MacWilliams," The Litigation War Room Podcast, June 2022
- Together with Todd Mendel of Barris, Sott, Denn and Driker, Ms. MacWilliams published an article in the Michigan Bar Journal addressing how to recover attorney fees pursuant to fee-shifting rules, contract provisions and statutes, Co-Author, Recovering Attorney Fees and Costs: What You Need to Know, 2014
- Sara K. MacWilliams and Jason D. Killips jointly published an article in the Fall 2016 Michigan Business Law Journal entitled Court-Appointed Receivers: Clarification of Powers. The article addressed an appeal that the two attorneys successfully took to the Michigan Court of Appeals in November of 2015, Co-Author, Court-appointed Receivers: Clarification of Powers, 2016
- Article regarding managing disputes between co-owners of commercial property, Author, Shareholder Disputes in the Commercial Property Context
- Co-author (with Anissa Hudy), Choices...Choices...Choices: Who is the Right Receiver, Feb. 16, 2018, 2018
- Co-author (with Anissa Hudy), Placing Control of Your Property with a Receiver: What Business and Property Owners Need to Know, Part I, Feb. 9, 2018
- Co-author, Changing Law Firms—Ethically, Institute of Continuing Legal Education, Sept. 2017
- Author, The Executive’s Testimony: Hot Topics in Litigation, ExecSense, 2015
Honors
- Super Lawyers, Rising Star, 2010-2012
- DBusiness Top Lawyer, Business Litigation, DBusiness, 2024
- Hour Detroit Magazine, Top 50 Women Attorneys in Michigan since 2017
- Michigan Lawyers Weekly, Women in the Law, 2021
- Avvo, Top Rated Attorney
- dBusiness Magazine, Top Woman Lawyer
- Ms. MacWilliams was chosen as one of the 2013 "Michigan Lawyers Weekly Up & Coming Lawyers.", Michigan Lawyers Weekly Up & Coming Lawyers, Michigan Lawyers Weekly, 2013
- Super Lawyer, Business, 2013-2023
- Avvo, Client’s Choice Award, 2017
- Ms MacWilliams has been honored to be selected as a Super Lawyer every year since 2011 and has also been listed as a top Michigan women attorneys in Hour Detroit Magazine for business litigation every year since 2013, Hour Detroit Top Women Attorneys, Hour Detroit
- Super Lawyers, Top 50 Woman Lawyer, 2017-2023
- Fellow, Michigan State Bar
Industry Groups
- Business
- Real Estate
Office location for Sara K. MacWilliams
3883 Telegraph Rd
Suite 203
Bloomfield Hills, MI 48302
Selections
14 Years Super Lawyers
3 Years Rising Stars
- Super Lawyers: 2013 - 2026
- Rising Stars: 2010 - 2012
Top Lists
Top 100: Michigan Super Lawyers: 2023 - 2026- Top 50: 2026 Women Michigan Super Lawyers
- Top 50: 2025 Women Michigan Super Lawyers
- Top 50: 2024 Women Michigan Super Lawyers
- Top 50: 2023 Women Michigan Super Lawyers
- Top 50: 2022 Women Michigan Super Lawyers
- Top 50: 2021 Women Michigan Super Lawyers
- Top 50: 2020 Women Michigan Super Lawyers
- Top 50: 2019 Women Michigan Super Lawyers
- Top 50: 2018 Women Michigan Super Lawyers
- Top 50: 2017 Women Michigan Super Lawyers