Sumner PC & Associates
Estate Planning Lawyer And Attorneys In Michigan
Our firm has attorneys with over 40 years of experience in creating estate plans. We have successfully assisted hundreds of clients with estate plans. Now is the time to contact our Michigan Estate Planning lawyer if you’re looking to update your estate plan, will or trust.
Who Needs an Estate Planning Attorney?
Many people mistakenly believe that only the very wealthy need an estate attorney. However, almost everyone in Metro Detroit could benefit from a well-prepared estate plan and properly drafted will. When you die, most estates must go through probate – the legal process of identifying your property, debts, tax obligations, and distributing your assets to your heirs.
Unless your estate is very small, probate is typically time intensive and complicated. For this reason, many people use an estate and wills attorney to:
- Create an estate plan with the goal of minimizing or avoiding probate,
- Guide their family through necessary probate proceedings,
- Ensure business continuity (if you are a business owner),
- Designate charitable gifts, and
- Administer their wills and trusts.
At Sumner & Associates, P.C., our estate and wills attorneys handle a wide variety of issues, including:
- Comprehensive estate planning,
- Drafting wills and trust documents,
- Estate and trust administration,
- Guardianships and conservatorships,
- Powers of Attorney,
- Probate proceedings, and
- Special needs planning (if you or a loved one have serious disabilities).
If you have questions about estate planning or an existing will or trust, contact Sumner & Associates, P.C. Unlike some law firms, we pride ourselves on personalized service and estate planning solutions. And we’ll make sure you fully understand your options.
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Understanding the Fundamentals of Estate Planning
While nothing compares to the insight and guidance of an experienced estate planning attorney, you should understand some basic information about the estate planning process. When you die, you typically must go through probate and pay estate taxes. Probate is a formal court process where your assets are itemized, your debts are paid, and your remaining property is distributed to your heirs. Unless your estate is very small, a probate judge will oversee this time-intensive and costly process.
However, a skilled estate and wills lawyer can help avoid probate court proceedings, minimize estate taxes, and still distribute your assets according to your wishes. Your estate plan will vary, depending on your financial situation, family, and long-term goals. For example, the parents of a young child will have very different goals (such as designating a guardian and caring for the child ’s physical and emotional needs) than those of a senior citizen who is concerned about his or her end of life planning and estate tax burden. What Does an Estate Plan Include?
Depending on your goals, your estate plan might include:
- Last Will and Testament: a document that explains how your property will be distributed after your death. Administering a will typically requires probate.
- Living (Inter Vivos) Trusts: a revocable trust that benefits you during your lifetime and transfers your assets to your beneficiaries once you die. A living trust can help you avoid probate.
- Guardianship: if you become incapacitated, a trusted person will make decisions for you. You can also designate a guardian for your children.
- Powers of Attorney: allows a trusted person to make certain decisions on your behalf (if you are incapacitated). For example, health care powers of attorney can guide your medical treatment if you are unable to make your own health care decisions.
- Special Needs Trusts: sometimes called a “supplemental needs trust,” it provides financial support for a severely disabled family member or loved one without risking their eligibility for federal and state benefits.
- Testamentary Trusts: a trust established after your death, based on instructions within your will. Typically, testamentary trusts are created for minor children. Unlike a living trust, they do not help you avoid probate.
- Charitable Trusts: trusts that help fund a non-profit organization or advance a charitable mission.
A Michigan estate planning attorney can also help you understand which assets are excluded from probate. At Sumner & Associates, we will tailor your estate plan to meet your exact needs. We strive to build lifelong attorney-client relationships. As your needs and Michigan’s probate laws change, we can help you revise your estate plan.
Michigan Estate Planning Lawyer Services
When you decide to establish an estate plan, you are not only being proactive but also manifesting your testamentary intent to make decisions on matters beyond your own life. This may include providing income to your children throughout their formative years, to determining who is awarded your personal property and real estate. Should you engage the Michigan estate planning lawyers at Sumner & Associated to assist with designing your estate plan, we will prepare and provide for you a trust including the latest legal statutes enacted by the Michigan Legislature- the Estates and Protected Individuals Code (EPIC).
Trusts and Wills developed by our estate planning Michigan lawyers are also included in the complete estate planning package available from Sumner & Sumner, P.C. Our firm’s estate plan includes Pour- Over wills for you (and your spouse, if applicable), information and documents on: trusts, patient advocate, durable power of attorney, and more. The documents are professionally bound in a handsome estate planning record book.
Michigan Estate Planning Questions & Answers
The following chart summarizes many client benefits of a complete estate plan, versus a simple will, or the potential danger if the deceased should die without a will or trust (“intestacy”).
An Estate Plan Can Also Help Guide Your End-of-Life Decisions
Your estate plan can do more than distribute your property. If you become incapacitated, it can authorize a trusted loved one to make your medical decisions for you — and give this person guidance about your end-of-life priorities. It can also authorize someone to manage your finances, small business, or family farm through powers of attorney. Finally, your estate plan can include your funeral plans — easing your family’s burden during a difficult time.
If you’re interested in end-of-life planning, contact an estate planning lawyer at Sumner & Associates. We’ll take time to understand your personal goals and then help you build a plan that protects your loved ones and clearly expresses your final wishes.
What Happens If You Don’t Have an Estate Plan?
If you die without a will or other estate plan, the probate court will distribute your assets based on Michigan’s inheritance rules. While this sometimes will reflect your wishes, these rules can sometimes have unwanted results. For example, suppose you have children from a previous relationship, but later remarried. If you die without a will, your children might lose their inheritance — since your assets will transfer fully to your new spouse. When you craft a detailed and legally-binding estate plan with help from an estate planning attorney, you can prevent this kind of unfortunate omission.
Can I Just Use an Online Form to Create an Estate Plan?
There are plenty of “free” and “low-cost” estate planning forms online, but it’s important to understand their limitations. First, most of these forms are incredibly general and do not address the specific requirements of Michigan probate law. Second, when you use an online form, you don’t get the kind of personalized advice and long-term planning that you can only get during a one-on-one meeting with an estate planning attorney.
When you create a relationship with an estate planning attorney, you get an ally. At Sumner & Associates, we help our clients articulate their long-term goals, help them modify their estate plans as their lives change, and help them respond to changes in federal and Michigan laws. You’ll never get that kind of personalized attention from a website.
Finally, we too often see poorly-drafted wills from DIY estate planning websites. These problematic documents can lead to disputes, hurt feelings, and wasted time and money. Rather than risk your legacy, it’s best to consult with an estate planning attorney from Day One.
I’m My Loved One’s Personal Representative. Now What?
Are you struggling to administer a loved one’s will or estate plan? An estate planning attorney at Sumner & Associates, P.C. can help. We guide families through probate matters, offering practical and compassionate advice. This might involve inventorying your loved one’s assets, identifying their debts, filing reports with the probate court, and managing the heirs’ expectations.
If disputes arise, an estate planning attorney can also help you resolve a will contest or another probate matter either through alternative dispute resolution or in court. While our goal is to always resolve these matters quickly and fairly, we’re also tireless advocates for our clients and their legal rights. To learn more about our probate practice, contact Sumner & Associates, P.C. today.
Contact a Michigan Estate Planning Lawyer Today
Attorneys at Sumner & Associates, P.C. are always tracking the latest developments in probate and estate planning. Contact our experienced Michigan Estate Planning attorneys if you need an update to your will, trust or estate plan. We also offer free initial consultations and flat-rate fees for some services. Call us today for more information, or to request a free case evaluation. We can conveniently meet either online, via telephone, or by visiting our Rochester Hills, Clarkston, Clinton Township, or Novi law offices.