Lisa grew up in Ft. Wayne, Indiana and continues to root for the Hoosiers in college basketball (while begrudgingly accepting the prowess of both MSU and U of M in basketball). Lisa attended Yale University and graduated with a B.A. in cultural anthropology and a minor in Russian studies. She was a co-founder of the Yale Forensics Speech Team and was a member of the Yale Equestrian Team. Lisa received her J.D. from Wayne State University Law School in 1995 and graduated cum laude. While at Wayne State, she participated in moot court and was later involved in drafting the questions for Moot Court participants.
Lisa began at Schroeder DeGraw, PLLC in 1995. Schroeder DeGraw is a general practice firm, and as a result, Lisa has practiced in various areas of the law, but now concentrates her practice primarily in the areas of family law, mediation, civil litigation and municipal law.
Examples of Lisa’s representative experience include:
• Divorces, child custody, paternity, child support, parenting time, adoptions and spousal support;
• Drafting pre-nuptial agreements and engaging in pre-marital planning;
• Abuse and neglect matters and juvenile delinquent matters, including custody litigation involving serious abuse allegations, such as child sexual abuse;
• Appeals primarily in the area of child custody;
• Mediation of family law and civil cases;
• Defending a pre-nuptial agreement in federal court due to ERISA (federal statute) implications;
• Co-counsel for complex litigation matters, including mass torts and federal whistleblower matters;
• Litigation on behalf of and against municipalities, primarily regarding zoning issues and non-compliance.
Lisa is a member of the Michigan Bar Association, Calhoun County Bar Association, and is licensed to practice in the State of Michigan, Western District Court for the State of Michigan, Sixth Circuit Court of Appeals, and the Nottawaseppi Huron Band of the Potawatomi Indians Tribal Court. Lisa is a member of the Family Law, Alternative Dispute Resolution and Children’s Law sections of the State Bar of Michigan.
Lisa holds a Certificate of Completion in the area of family law issued by the Institute of Continuing Legal Education and the Family Law Section of the State Bar of Michigan. She finished forty hours of mediation training in 2001 and regularly mediates family law cases.
Lisa has devoted her time to volunteer work in the surrounding community. Lisa has provided pro bono services for Legal Services for family law cases. She has served on the executive Board for S.A.F.E. Place (domestic violence shelter) and the Calhoun County Child Abuse & Neglect Prevention Council. She was treasurer for the Marshall Lion’s Club. She is a past chair for the Calhoun County Family Law Committee and past Calhoun County Bar President. She also serves on the Marshall Planning Commission.
In her free time, Lisa enjoys traveling and attending blues, jazz, rock and jam band concerts with her husband. Lisa is committed to the inclusion and equitable legal care of people of all backgrounds, races, and sexual orientation/identity.