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Above: Steven Victor, the late William Yolles and Norman Katz

LISA FEIN

Special to the Jewish News

areer moves have become more commonplace, but
not for two Oakland County business partners.
They have stayed together for 50 years.

Steven Victor of Bloomfield Township and Norman Katz of
Bloomfield Hills are partners at Katz, Victor & Yolles, a
Birmingham law firm now specializing in real estate invest-
ment and management.
Victor, 75, and Katz, 76, met as undergraduates and frater-
nity, brothers at Wayne University's Pi Tau Sigma (now Sigma
Alpha Mu).
Victor graduated from the Wayne law school in Detroit in
1950. Katz graduated from Harvard Law School the year
before.
"After graduating," Victor says, "I was walking down the
street and ran into Norm. He said he had a good job but was
not happy. He mentioned the idea of opening a practice
together. We started as associates, just sharing a secretary and
an office. We later became partners."
Victor wasn't able to practice when the firm opened
"because I was waiting for my bar exam results." When they
opened, "neither of us had clients. It cost me $2 a day to go to
work — to buy lunch, pay for parking and a clean shirt
and I wasn't making money yet. I worked at my brother's store
on the weekends to make ends meet."
Katz, 76, says, "We never had a written contract. Just a

handshake confirmed the relationship." Adds Victor, "In our
50 years of working together, we've never had a harsh word or
an argument."
"Steve [Victor] is very business oriented and is good with
short-term, more immediate results. He started in negligence
cases. I am more historically oriented. I look more at the long-
term results. I've handled business cases. We pursued the areas
we liked the most and it proved mutually beneficial."
Arlene Victor, Steve's wife, says there's "not a hint of ten-
sion" between the partners. "Norm is less intense than Steve,
although Steve is mellower than in the past. They both enjoy
life and their families."
Katz and his wife, Ann, have been married 47 years. They
have four children and 11 grandchildren. Victor and his wife,
Arlene, have three children and two grandchildren.
William Yolles was a partner in the firm for 37 years until
his death in 1998. Richard Lenter, a Southfield attorney who
worked for the firm from 1977 to 1986, recalls Yolles as "a
gentle giant. He was about 6'3" — a bright, quiet man. He
had a very subtle sense of humor. He was a real gentleman. All
three were fine lawyers."
He adds, "I loved the work environment. I especially loved
going out to lunch because of the intellectually stimulating
conversation. We discussed history; politics and current events,
not necessarily law or our work. I still keep in touch."
Both Victor and Katz enjoy their work too much to retire.
If you ask either of them, they describe their business relation-
ship the same way:
"We have a happy ship."

Jerry Ross-Michael Brock inffi

Call for a free
consultation

Lorio Ross
Entertainment inc

Call (248)398-9711

505 S. Lafayette • Royal Oak
www.lorioross.com

12/7
2001

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