Thomas J. Wall, Jr., Esq.
Thomas J. Wall, Jr. has practiced in the trust and estate planning areas since 1994. Prior to founding his firm in 2004, T.J. practiced at a boutique estate planning, business, real estate and banking firm in downtown Detroit. As a Personal Family Lawyer™ with the Family Wealth Planning Institute, he has devoted the last fifteen years to helping thousands of families and businesses in Southeastern Michigan achieve their goals of protecting their wealth through innovative estate and business planning strategies. T.J. likes to think of his firm as a caring, forward-looking, problem solving resource for legally and financially transitioning families, particularly today’s young family with small children.
His practice is focused on guiding clients through the complicated and often confusing process of creating plans that balance family and asset protection, preserve wealth and reflect cherished family values. Through T.J.’s patience and his ability to truly listen to client concerns, he is able to translate his client’s vision into a plan that meets their desires and exceeds their expectations, developing lifelong relationships with not only his clients, but their families as well.
By incorporating the principles of the Personal Family Lawyer™ program into his practice, T.J. utilizes such cutting-edge tools as the Kid’s Protection Plan™ (for client’s with minor children) and Priceless Conversations™ (to pass on so much more than just your financial assets), with the ultimate mission to become an on-going trusted advisor to all of his clients, and assuring that he can be there for your family when you cannot.
T.J. earned his law degree from Wayne State University Law School (1994) and his undergraduate BA degree, with High Honor, in Business Administration from Michigan State University (1991). He is a member of the Michigan State Bar, Estate Planning and Real Property Sections, the Probate and Estate Planning Certification Program, the National Academy of Elder Law Attorneys, Phi Beta Delta Honor Society for International Scholars, Catholic Lawyers Society, and is a Fellow of the SunBridge Legacy Builder Institute, a national nonprofit educational foundation created to promote legacy building. With a genuine enthusiasm for his work, T.J. is also a frequently requested speaker for private and community groups, attorneys, accountants, and other financial professionals. He enjoys and feels it is important to educate and give back to his community.
Most importantly, T.J. is a husband and dad. He and his wife Debbie have two sons, Thomas (8) and Brett (5). They can often be found in their “second home”… the local hockey rink, cheering on their boys.
Trisha Gnyp is the first person you will turn to for any questions you may have before and during the estate planning process. With Trisha's patient and friendly demeanor she can make the seemingly daunting experience of estate planning more understandable and warm. With several years of experience as an estate planning paralegal under her belt, Trisha ensures that the operations side of Wall Law Group runs smoothly so T.J. can focus all of his energy on providing an exceedingly high degree of service to his clients and their families.
Paula Woolley welcomes new clients to our office, educating them about our unique approach to estate planning. She also manages our client database, helps coordinate our calendar, and supports our graphic design and marketing initiatives. A mother of two grown children, Paula is dedicated to helping families protect what they love by doing her part to nurture lifetime relationships with our clients. 
Jennifer Cogswell has almost 10 years of experience in estate planning and real estate law. She is responsible for the initial drafting our clients’ estate planning documents and works with T.J. to make sure our clients’ wishes are translated into accurate, legally-binding documents. 
Bari Vallas was an attorney practicing in civil litigation for 20 years before teaming up with our firm. As Funding Coordinator, Bari assists with the review and organization of asset information for each client, prepares a customized Family Wealth Inventory, and works diligently with our clients and their financial institutions to make sure their assets are properly funded in coordination with their estate plans. 
