Christopher Tomaszycki, Esq. – Attorney and Certified Public Accountant
Born in 1952 in Detroit, Christopher Tomaszycki, J.D., C.P.A. (“Tom-uh-zik-ee”) is a graduate of Wayne State University – having earned degrees in Liberal Arts, cum laude, 1974 and Law in 1979.
He has been a member of the Board of Directors of the Advocates Bar Association and is currently a member of four different sections of the State Bar of Michigan (P30631) – Real Estate Property Law, Probate, Business Law and Entertainment Law. He attended Walsh College of Business and Accountancy in Troy, Michigan, from which he graduated in 2000 with a Masters Degree in Accounting.
He earned licensure as a Certified Public Accountant in 2001. He
continues to attend forty hours of Continuing Professional Education
classes on a yearly basis, as required under the State Board of
Accountancy rules. Though he is licensed as a C.P.A. in Michigan, he
continues to appear in court on behalf of the firm’s clients on a
regular basis.
Mr. Tomaszycki had been heavily involved in
litigation – and has actually tried cases (for example, trying six
cases to juries in his first nine months of practice) -- from his
admission to the State Bar in 1979 through 1994. It was at that time
that a decision was made to return to accountancy school. This was not
done in an effort to change careers. Rather, it was done to enhance his
skills and capabilities in and out of court. It took considerable
sacrifice on his and his family’s part to return to school, but he now
considers it one of the best decisions he ever made. It offers the
firm’s clients the opportunity to go to court with a Certified Public Accountant/Attorney who has actual trial experience and still enjoys going to court.
Mr.
Tomaszycki attended St. Hyacinth Grade School and St. Florian High
School when growing up in Detroit. He and Nancy Ann live in Sterling
Heights with their two children.
William R. VanderKloot, Esq. – “Of Counsel”
The firm of Christopher Tomaszycki, PC, utilizes Michigan
attorney-at-law William R. VanderKloot, Esq., who is “Of Counsel” to
the firm.
Mr. VanderKloot was born in Detroit, received his B.A.
from the University of Michigan (1958), and his law degree from the
University of Virginia law school (1961). He had the
Martindale-Hubbell’s highest (“AV”) rating, and was listed in Who’s Who
in American Law. He is a member of the State Bar of Michigan (P21724)
and the bar of the Sixth United States Circuit Court of Appeals. He was
also admitted to the Illinois Bar, and is currently on retired status
there.
Mr. VanderKloot, as an army lieutenant, was a
counterintelligence special-agent (1961-1963); and thereafter an
Oakland County (Michigan) assistant prosecuting attorney (1964-1966).
He then engaged in private law practice in Birmingham and Bloomfield
Hills in Oakland County, immediately north of Detroit, until retiring
from full-time practice in 1999, where he was principally involved in
business transactions and litigation
. He chaired the State Bar of Michigan’s Civil Procedure Committee
(1986) and co-chaired the Oakland County Bar Association’s Public
Advisory Committee, evaluating judicial candidates (1989-1996), for
which he was co-recipient of that Association’s prestigious annual
Distinguished Service Award (1991).
He wrote two carefully-researched articles:
“Bar Association Judicial Evaluation Panels: Liability and Confidentiality Issues,” 72 Mich Bar J 184 (1993); and “
Divorce Judgment Property Awards to Children,” 54 Mich State Bar J 875 (1975), the latter quoted in Kasper v Metropolitan L Ins Co, 412 Mich 232, 251; 313 NW2d 904 (1981).
His amicus brief to the Michigan Supreme Court for the Michigan
Trial Lawyer’s Association was considered by counsel for the appealing
party as instrumental in the reversal of that party’s unfavorable
Michigan Court of Appeals decision in re Thurston, 226 Mich App 205;
574 NW2d 374 (1997), by the Supreme Court at 459 Mich 918 (1998).
His other appellate briefing includes:
Jaikins v Jaikins, 12 Mich App 115; 162 NW2d 712 (1968) (distinction between civil and criminal contempt);
People v Tucker, 19 Mich App 320; 172 NW2d 712 (1969), aff’d, 385 Mich 594; 189 NW2d 212 (1972) (appointed case, constitutional confession issues reviewed by the United States Supreme Court in Michigan v Tucker, 417 US 433 (1974));
Churchill v Palmer, 47 Mich App 210; 226 NW2d 60 (1974) (Uniform Fraudulent Conveyance Act issues);
Jaffa v Shacket, 114 Mich App 626; 319 NW2d 810 (1983) (real estate partnership accounting dispute);
Compton Sand & Gravel Co v Dryden Township, 125 Mich App 383; 336 NW2d 810 (1983) (denial of substantial gravel mining operation by zoning authorities);
Disner v Westinghouse Electric Corp, 726 F2d 1106 (6th Cir 1984) (commission dispute).
Mr.
VanderKloot performs research and drafting for the firm and also
consults with clients in conjunction with Mr. Tomaszycki. In both ways
he has greatly assisted counsel and clients in resolving difficult
legal issues.
Christina Castellana – Attorney at Law
Christina Castellana is the bilingual attorney working for Christopher Tomaszycki, P.C. She graduated from Wayne State University with her J.D. in May 2005 and is licensed to practice law in the State of Michigan. She received her B.A. from Oberlin College and her B.M. from the Oberlin Conservatory of Music in 2002.Ms. Castellana is fluent in both written and oral Spanish. While an Oberlin College student, she spent four months living in Cordoba, Spain, and spent two months in Buenos Aires, Argentina, and has also traveled to Mexico several times. Furthermore, Ms. Castellana has given English as a Second Language classes to Spanish-speakers. Ms. Castellana is also an accomplished trumpet player.
Ms. Castellana specializes in immigration law. She represents clients in removal proceedings before the Immigration Court and deals with immigrants who are currently in detention. She also specializes in all types of family-based immigration and has a handful of employment-based immigration cases as well.
