James P. Spica

James Spica focuses his practice on estate planning, trust law, and trust banking. He provides estate and tax planning services for private clients requiring sophisticated wealth management; he advises private trust companies and their owners on governance structures and securities filings in respect of fiduciary accounts holding concentrated positions in publicly traded securities; he counsels grant-making organizations, including company-sponsored foundations, with respect to formation, governance, and regulatory compliance; and he represents public charities in contested proceedings concerning charitable gifts under trust instruments and wills. Mr. Spica is a Commissioner (appointed by the Michigan Legislative Council) to the Uniform Law Commission and a Fellow of the American College of Trust and Estate Counsel. He is the principal author of the Michigan Personal Property Trust Perpetuities Act of 2008, the multi-statute Michigan “trust decanting” regime enacted in 2012, and the “divided trusteeship” provisions added to the Michigan Trust Code in 2018.