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Hiring a Estate Planning Attorney in Michigan

A basic revocable living trust in Michigan costs roughly $3,460–$5,190 when drafted by an attorney, based on the typical 10-15 hours of attorney work at $346 per hourClio Legal Trends Report 2025Verified Jan 1, 2025. Online services offer trust packages for $300–$700, though they generally don't include attorney advice or review of your specific situation. See the Michigan trust cost calculator for a detailed breakdown.

Even if you create a revocable trust in Michigan, you generally still need a will — most commonly a "pour-over" will that captures any assets you forgot to retitle into the trust. Whether a trust adds enough value over a will-only plan depends on your situation: real property, blended families, and out-of-state assets are the most common reasons. The trust-or-will tool walks through the decision.

Estate planning attorneys in Michigan average $305 per hourClio Legal Trends Report 2025Verified Jan 1, 2025 for wills and estates work. Flat-fee packages run roughly $915–$1,830 for a simple individual will and $3,460–$5,190 for a basic revocable trust. Online and DIY services cost $30–$300 for the same documents — see the will cost calculator for a side-by-side comparison.

Michigan allows estates under $53,000 to use a simplified Affidavit of Decedent's Successor procedure, which is a form rather than a court case and typically doesn't require an attorney. For larger estates, formal probate is involved enough that retaining counsel is usually practical — the procedural work is what they're there for. Use the Michigan probate calculator to estimate the costs.

In Michigan, the situations where retaining counsel is typically worth the cost are: blended families with children from prior relationships; ownership of a business, rental property, or significant investment assets; special-needs dependents who need a special-needs trust to preserve benefits; substantial property held in multiple states. If none of these describe your situation, the simpler online and DIY tools are often enough.

Estate Planning Attorneys in Michigan

Estate planning attorneys focused on trusts in Michigan charge $346Clio Legal Trends Report 2025Verified Apr 1, 2026 per hour for trusts work. A basic revocable trust runs $3,460Clio Legal Trends Report 2025Verified Apr 1, 2026–$5,190Clio Legal Trends Report 2025Verified Apr 1, 2026 when drafted by counsel. Trusts make the most sense in Michigan when you own real property, have a blended family, or want to avoid probate court entirely.

Estate planning attorneys in Michigan charge $305Clio Legal Trends Report 2025Verified Apr 1, 2026 per hour for wills work. A simple will done through an attorney typically runs $915Clio Legal Trends Report 2025Verified Apr 1, 2026–$1,830Clio Legal Trends Report 2025Verified Apr 1, 2026; online services cost $30–$300 for the same document.

Michigan runs a conventional probate system, so the decision to hire an attorney usually comes down to general factors: blended families, business ownership, special-needs dependents, or property in multiple states. If none of those apply, simpler tools are often enough.

Estates under $53,000MCL 700.3982, 700.3983 (small estateVerified May 31, 2026 in Michigan can use a simplified affidavit instead of formal probate. Most families in that range can handle it without retaining counsel.

SimplyTrustSimplyTrust Editorial·Updated May 31, 2026

Legal Sources

  • Clio Legal Trends Report 2025
  • MCL 700.3982, 700.3983 (small estate

Data sourced from Michigan statutes and official state code. How we research.

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Home→Estate Law Firms→Michigan

Estate Planning Attorneys in Michigan

Search 3,941 estate law firms across 51 states.

Firm listings are for informational purposes only. SimplyTrust does not endorse or recommend any specific firm or attorney. Contact firms directly to discuss your situation and verify their current practice areas and availability.

66 firms

Akeel & Valentine, PLC

Firm

Boutique Troy firm helping metro Detroit families in Oakland, Wayne, and Macomb Counties establish wills, trusts, financial and health care powers of attorney, living wills, and advance health care directives.

Location

888 W Big Beaver Road, Suite 350Troy, MI 48084

Phone

(248) 918-4542

Service Area

3 counties

Estate PlanningWills TrustsProbate AdministrationPowers Of Attorney
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Carlos Alvarado Law PC

Solo Practice

Ludington solo law firm offering estate planning (wills, trusts, probate administration, powers of attorney, guardianship for minor children), real estate, business, and immigration law to clients in Mason County and surrounding West Michigan shoreline communities.

Location

202 S Harrison StreetLudington, MI 49431

Phone

(231) 425-4444

Service Area

4 counties

Estate PlanningProbate AdministrationWills TrustsReal EstateBusiness Law
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Great Lakes Bay Law Group: Birchler, Fitzhugh, Purtell & Brissette, PLC

Firm

Downtown Bay City firm serving the Great Lakes Bay Region (Bay, Saginaw, Midland) since 1945. Handles estate planning, probate administration, and trust administration, alongside contested estate proceedings and general civil litigation. Long-established Tri-Cities practice with attorneys active in the Bay County Bar Association.

Location

703 Washington Avenue, Suite 200Bay City, MI 48708

Phone

(989) 892-0591

Service Area

4 counties

Estate PlanningProbate AdministrationWills TrustsTrust Administration
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Burkhart, Lewandowski, Miller & Nastoff, P.C.

Firm

Long-established Escanaba firm founded in 1941, among the oldest in Michigan's Upper Peninsula. Handles probate, wills and trusts, and trust administration alongside civil litigation, real estate, and corporate work for Delta County and surrounding UP communities.

Location

816 Ludington StreetEscanaba, MI 49829

Phone

(906) 786-4422

Established

1941

Service Area

4 counties

Estate PlanningProbate AdministrationWills TrustsTrust Administration
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Biddinger, Schrot & Rolando, PC

Firm

Cass City estate planning and elder law firm serving the Thumb of Michigan -- Tuscola, Huron, and Sanilac Counties -- since 1989. Handles Medicaid eligibility planning, disability planning, asset protection, estate settlement, and guardianship for minors and seniors.

Location

4415 S Seeger StreetCass City, MI 48726

Phone

(989) 872-5601

Established

1989

Service Area

3 counties

Estate PlanningElder LawMedicaid PlanningGuardianshipProbate Administration
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Banyon Fette Law

Firm

Southwest Michigan law firm providing counsel regarding estate planning, estate and trust administration, adult guardianship and conservatorship, and business law in Berrien County.

Location

1211 E Napier AvenueBenton Harbor, MI 49022

Phone

(269) 926-6135

Service Area

3 counties

Estate PlanningTrust AdministrationGuardianshipConservatorshipProbate Administration
Free consultationVisit site →

Barron, Rosenberg, Mayoras & Mayoras, P.C.

Firm

Troy estate planning and probate firm serving Southeast Michigan (Oakland, Wayne, Macomb) since 1970. Handles probate and estate administration, trust administration, probate litigation, special-needs planning, and elder law. Two generations of the Mayoras family lead the practice.

Location

1301 W Long Lake Road, Suite 340Troy, MI 48098

Phone

(248) 213-9514

Established

1970

Service Area

3 counties

Estate PlanningProbate AdministrationElder LawTrust AdministrationProbate LitigationSpecial Needs Planning
Free consultationVisit site →

Bingham Legal Group, P.C.

Firm

Bingham Farms estate planning and probate firm serving Oakland County and metro Detroit since 1991. Handles probate administration, trust administration, and probate and trust litigation -- filing initial petitions, inventorying assets, resolving creditor claims, and defending contested estate plans.

Location

30100 Telegraph Road, Suite 360Bingham Farms, MI 48025

Phone

(248) 594-1919

Established

1991

Service Area

3 counties

Estate PlanningProbate AdministrationTrust AdministrationProbate LitigationElder Law
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Brandon S. Dornbusch, PLC

Solo Practice

Traverse City-based elder law, probate, estate planning, and special needs planning firm serving Northern Michigan. One of few Northern Michigan practitioners with resources for high-net-worth estate and tax planning, having drafted several hundred estate plans for clients with net worth from $100K to $100 million.

Location

107 Cass Street, Suite HTraverse City, MI 49684

Phone

(231) 714-9392

Service Area

5 counties

Elder LawEstate PlanningProbate AdministrationSpecial Needs PlanningTax Planning
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David E Bulson LLC Attorney at Law

Solo Practice

Sault Ste. Marie and Marquette law office practicing trust and estate law since 1985. Handles wills, trusts, probate administration, formal accounting of estates and trusts, probate appeals, and trust and estate litigation including will contests, undue influence challenges, fiduciary misconduct, and creditor claims throughout Michigan's Upper Peninsula.

Location

402 Ashmun StreetSault Ste. Marie, MI 49783

Phone

(906) 632-1118

Established

1985

Service Area

5 counties

Estate PlanningProbate AdministrationProbate LitigationTrust AdministrationWills TrustsReal EstateBusiness Law
Visit site →
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