Huntington Woods, MI Estate Planning and Administration Attorneys
At Galloway and Collens, PLLC, we have a great deal of experience helping people translate their goals and values into comprehensive estate plans. It can bring great peace of mind to know that your wishes will be carried out. Contact our estate planning lawyer to schedule a consultation. The relaxed atmosphere of our office and our common-sense approach can make this process easier.
Estate Planning Goals and Tools
An estate plan can include a variety of instruments, such as a will, one or more types of trusts (revocable and irrevocable trusts, insurance trusts, special needs trusts, or charitable trusts), and other documents. At a minimum, your estate plan should include an expression of who is to receive your property and when that distribution should take place. You can also provide protection for your minor children, make charitable gifts, and seek to avoid probate and minimize or eliminate inheritance tax.
Our estate planning attorney has the knowledge and experience to ask the right questions so your family and beneficiaries will have the direction to carry out your wishes.
Elder Law
Many people find they need help as they age - help managing financial affairs, help around the house, and sometimes, daily medical help such as that provided by a nursing home. At Galloway and Collens, PLLC, we help families plan for the long-term care of elderly family members while always keeping your values at the forefront.
We can advise you on ways to successfully navigate Social Security, Medicaid and Medicare. If your loved one is incapacitated, we can assist you in establishing guardianship or conservatorship through probate court. If you have any concern that a family member is being abused or neglected at their nursing home, we can demand an immediate investigation.
End-of-Life Planning
Families face a stressful burden when they must make medical or financial decisions for a relative who cannot communicate their wishes because of illness or injury. You can remove the burden from your family by preparing advance directives specifying your wishes for medical care and designating a patient advocate to carry out your end of life decisions.
Business Succession Planning
If you own or are a shareholder in a closely-held business, succession planning can bring certainty and long-term stability to your company. Knowing who will make decisions for you if you are unable to do so can ensure your company a secure financial outlook.
Probate and Estate Administration
When the death of a loved one arrives, we offer compassionate assistance in probating or administering the estate. Whether the estate involves a last will and testament, a trust, or no written document at all, the assets of the estate will need to be gathered, creditors' claims paid, and bequests distributed. We can assist you in completing the probate process or help with estate or trust administration.
Ancillary Administration: If the deceased lived in another state but owned property in Michigan, we can assist executors and administrators from other states with the administration of a Michigan estate. With our extensive real estate law experience, we can assist with the sale of property in Michigan, often without opening a full-blown estate proceeding. For smaller estates without property, we can assist your family members in getting assets transitioned.
Contested estates arise from a variety of circumstances. We offer confident representation to assert or defend your claims, with our goal always to help reduce hostility, be efficient and effective, and preserve the bulk of the estate. We represent clients in Michigan as well as out-of-state personal representatives, trustees, heirs and beneficiaries.
If you need assistance with any of these issues, call our office at 248.545.2500 or contact a Detroit trusts and estates lawyer by e-mail.
