Education
J.D., University of Detroit School of Law, 1980
B.B.A., University of Michigan, 1976

Richard A. Sundquist is a member in the firm’s Detroit office where he practices in the Business Practice Group. He practices primarily in the areas of real estate, bankruptcy, general business and real estate related environmental law. In addition to providing transactional services in these areas, he has significant litigation experience (bench and jury trials) in state and federal courts, including the bankruptcy courts.

He has a broad range of experience in reviewing, negotiating and drafting purchase and sale, loan, construction, lease and other real estate documentation. He has extensive experience representing owners and institutional lenders in connection with permanent financing and workout documentation, as well as documentation for commercial, industrial and residential projects. 

Richard also counsels clients in connection with general business matters, including contract review and negotiation, litigation matters and routine business issues. He has also represented clients in the acquisition and disposition of businesses.

In addition, Richard's real estate litigation practice has included land contract forfeitures, mortgage foreclosures (judicial and non judicial) and waste claims, as well as condemnation, commission disputes, partition, adverse possession, specific performance, eviction, premises liability, construction lien litigation, environmental, slander of title, fraud, tax appeal and quiet title actions. He has represented developers and landowners in various zoning matters, including rezonings, variances, site plan approvals, special use permits, nonconforming uses and site selection. He has had numerous appearances before zoning boards of appeals, planning commissions, city councils and township boards and has handled appeals to circuit court. Richard has substantial experience in landlord representation and management issues and has represented local homeowner associations in significant deed restriction litigation.

Richard also has considerable experience in creditor representation in Chapter 11, 7 and 13 bankruptcy matters. Matters handled by Richard include adequate protection and lift stay proceedings, plan negotiations and objections to confirmation, proof of claim preparation and defense of objections to claims, including administrative expense claims, defense of pre-petition preference claims and objections to dischargeability of debts and discharge of debtor. In addition, he has been involved in lease assumptions and rejections, the purchase of assets in bankruptcy, filing of involuntary bankruptcy petitions and has served as a member on various creditors committees.

From 1979 to 1980, Richard served as Managing Editor of the Michigan Corporation, Finance & Business Law Section Journal and served on its editorial board until 1984. He authored the 1988-1989 Wayne Law Review Annual Survey of Michigan Real Property Law. Richard also served as a contributor to the 1995 American Bar Association publication “Foreclosure and Related Remedies, a State by State Digest,” and compiled the Michigan summary for that publication. He has also prepared materials for and lectured on foreclosure law for the Michigan Institute of Continuing Legal Education. In addition, he lectured on commercial leasing issues in 1996 for the Real Property Law Section of the State Bar of Michigan. In April of 2000, he served as an ICLE co-lecturer on insurance issues related to leasing. The article “Tenant’s Contractual Obligation to Surrender Leased Premises in a Prescribed Condition After Termination or Expiration of Lease Term: Rights and Remedies of the Parties,” also written by Richard, appeared in the Spring 1998 issue of the Michigan Real Property Review. 

Richard has been a Tri-County Hearing Panelist for the State Bar of Michigan Attorney Discipline Board since 1988. He was a case evaluator for the Sixth Judicial Circuit Court in Oakland County, Michigan, and has acted as arbitrator in a real estate related Federal District Court matter.

Richard has been a Member-at-Large of the Board of Directors of the Girl Scouts of Metropolitan Detroit since May of 2002.  He was recently selected to chair the Strategic Planning Committee for the Girl Scouts and recently elected to its Executive Committee.