Nick Reister is an attorney who serves clients, families, and businesses throughout Michigan. He is chair of Smith Haughey’s private client services group, serves as managing partner of the firm’s Holland office, and is on the firm’s board of directors serving as the firm’s treasurer. He previously led the firm’s agricultural and agribusiness industry team. His practice focuses on business, tax, and estate planning to help his clients protect, grow and smoothly transition their wealth and businesses to future generations.

For business clients, Nick leans on his extensive business leadership training and experience to counsel on the specialized legal, business, and emotional issues of succession, exit, and continuity planning to help business owners effectively transition out of their businesses. He resolves real property issues; drafts corporate documents such as buy-sell agreements, contracts, leases, and other legal documents; and advises on entity formation. His clients include startups, small to mid-size businesses, family-owned businesses, family offices, farms, and agribusinesses.

Nick helps individuals, couples, and families plan for end-of-life decisions; pass wealth, wisdom, and values to younger generations; and establish charitable giving. He drafts estate plans that include wills, trusts, durable powers of attorney, healthcare powers of attorney and patient advocate designations, special needs trusts, and other related documents such as dynasty trusts, family limited liability companies or partnerships, charitable trusts, irrevocable grantor trusts, intentionally defective trusts, and tax-qualified trusts. In addition, Nick guides clients through probate court, including trust disputes and trust reformation, guardianships, conservatorships, and contested estate proceedings.

While earning his law degree, Nick also earned a Master of Business Administration through a joint program between Michigan State University College of Law and Grand Valley State University. He has studied in Tokyo, Japan, and Innsbruck, Austria. Nick has served as an adjunct professor at Grand Valley State University, where he taught entrepreneurship classes on business plan development, management and marketing, finance, and accounting. He has volunteered as an instructor and advisor for Hope College’s Center for Faithful Leadership and Hope’s Entrepreneurship Initiative where he taught entrepreneurial leadership and encouraged students to practice business as a mission.

Nick is active in the community, having served as president of the ODC Network’s board of directors; elder, deacon, and treasurer for Haven Reformed Church in Hamilton, Michigan; president of the Western Michigan Estate Planning Council; trustee of the Porter Hills Foundation; development committee member of the Community Foundation of the Holland/Zeeland Area; director of Benjamin’s Hope; member of the professional advisory committee for the Grand Rapids Community Foundation; member of the steering committee of the GRBA’s probate and estate planning section; and director for Youth for Christ of Ottawa and Allegan Counties. He coaches youth sports, is a youth group leader, and is a past member of Holland Young Professionals. He is a frequent speaker and author sharing his expertise with fellow attorneys and the community.