Christopher J. Berry, Esq. is a partner with Witzke Berry Carter & Wander, PLLC in Bloomfield Hills, Michigan. Born in southeast Michigan, Mr. Berry has devoted his career to the practice of estate planning and elder law, including Medicaid planning, Veterans Benefits and asset preservation planning. As part of his work with the law firm, Mr. Berry has founded the Michigan Elder Law Center whose mission is to help Michigan seniors, veterans and their families navigate the long-term care legal maze.
Mr. Berry has been rated 10.0/10.0 (Superb) by Avvo, an unbiased national ranking system for attorneys. His attorney peers have selected Mr. Berry as a Top Lawyer for Estate Planning by DBusiness Magazine and Best Lawyers of America. In addition to these honors, he is a recipient of the Spirit of Detroit award for his work and dedication to the Metro-Detroit community.
Mr. Berry serves his community in a variety of ways. First, he is on the Board of Trustees for The Presbyterian Villages of Michigan, Villages of Oakland Woods, and Board of Directors for Easter Seals of Michigan. Additionally, Mr. Berry was a Michigan Medicaid Medicare Program (MMAP) Counselor and volunteer with the Area Agency on Aging 1-B (AAA-1B). Mr. Berry is also a Champion level member of the Alzheimer’s Association’s “Alzheimer’s Early Detection Alliance” (AEDA).
Attorney Berry is a member of the Oakland County Bar Association’s Estate and Probate Committee, as well as the Veterans Committee; the State Bar of Michigan Probate Section and the Elder Law and Disability section; the AARP Legal Services Network; the National Academy of Elder Law Attorneys (NAELA) Tax section, NAELA Government Assistance Planning section; WealthCounsel; ElderCounsel; and the Elder Care Matters Alliance. Mr. Berry has also been appointed to the State Bar of Michigan Unauthorized Practice of Law Committee, which provides guidance concerning matters involving the alleged unauthorized practice of law, as well as educating the public and legal profession about the unauthorized practice of law.
Nationally, Mr. Berry serves on the steering committee of the National Academy of Elder Law Attorneys (NAELA) Governmental Benefits Section and locally is on the Board of Directors for the Michigan National Academy of Elder Law Attorneys (NAELA-MI).
Mr. Berry has earned a Certification of Completion for the Estate Planning and Probate Program co-sponsored by the Probate and Estate Planning Section of the State Bar of Michigan and the Institute of Continued Legal Education, and is in the process of completing his requirements to become a Certified Elder Law Attorney (CELA).
Mr. Berry is an avid writer, presenter and speaker on elder law topics, including long-term care planning with VA benefits and Medicaid planning. He has been a guest blogger for the national Financial Planning Association as well as WealthCounsel. Additionally, he has had an article published by the National Academy of Elder Law Attorneys on Veterans Benefits and Medicaid Planning.