Ralph A. Castelli, Jr.

Practice Areas - Business and Corporate Planning, Commercial and Mortgage Financing, Corporate and Limited Liability Company Law, Estate Planning, Exit Planning, Family Business Planning, Mergers and Acquisitions, Real Estate

His practice involves him in a wide variety of business planning/structuring situations, exit planning, shareholder/partner separations and the entire gamut of real estate and business transactions.

Mr. Castelli represents a number of closely held businesses, resulting in his diverse corporate law background. In addition, he has developed an expertise in transactions involving business expansion or reduction, loan transactions, acquisitions and sales, and reorganizations.

As a result of the nature of his practice and clientele, he has become adept at representing family businesses and addressing the complex issues that the intertwining of family and business often entails.

On November 12, 2013, Mr. Castelli retired from the office of Mayor of the City of Pleasant Ridge, Michigan, which he held for over 20 years. As Mayor, he served on the City Commission and Zoning Board of Appeals. He served on the Pleasant Ridge Planning Commission from 1985 to 1988, including a term as chair. He was elected to the Pleasant Ridge City Commission in 1988. He was a member (and past president) of the South Oakland County Mayor’s Association and was a past member of the Board of Directors of the Woodward Avenue Action Association.

Mr. Castelli was named to the “Leaders in the Law” Class of 2018 by Michigan Lawyers Weekly. He maintains an “AV” peer review rating with Martindale-Hubbell Law Directory, the highest peer review rating for attorneys. He has also been listed as one of the top 5% of attorneys in Michigan by Michigan Super Lawyers magazine since its inception in 2006, published annually by Law & Politics and is listed in the 2009 Super Lawyers Corporate Counsel Edition and the 2011-2015 Super Lawyers Business Edition. In addition, he has been listed in Who’s Who in American Law since 2005. He has also been selected by his peers for inclusion in The Best Lawyers in America© 2023 in the fields of Corporate Law and Real Estate Law (Copyright 2020 by Woodward/White, Inc., of SC) and was named the Best Lawyers® 2019 Corporate Law “Lawyer of the Year” in Troy. Additionally, he has been designated a “Leading Lawyer” in Closely & Privately Held Business Law, Real Estate Law: Commercial, and Trust, Will & Estate Planning Law for the years 2014 to the present (a distinction granted to the top 1% of attorneys in Michigan).