Bingham Farms firm that has guided Detroit and Oakland County families through probate for nearly three decades. Handles each stage of probate from the initial petition and asset inventory to creditor claims and distribution, administers trusts, and litigates will contests and probate and trust disputes. Guardianship, conservatorship and mediation round out the practice.
Probate in Wayne County
Probate Court Record
Wayne County Probate Court
Wayne County
Phone
Hours
Monday-Friday 8:00 AM-12:30 PM and 1:30 PM-4:00 PM
Office
2 Woodward Avenue, Room 1307, Detroit, MI 48226
Website
Self-represented filing
Allowed
Self-help forms
How to file probate in Wayne County →
Verified October 16, 2026 · Source
Do I need a lawyer for probate in Wayne County? →Settling an estate in Wayne County →
Guardianship Firms Serving Wayne County
St. Clair Shores firm on Little Mack Avenue, formed in 1973, serving Macomb, Wayne and Oakland County families. Represents personal representatives defending an estate and relatives challenging a will or trust on grounds of incapacity, undue influence, a later document or an omitted beneficiary, and establishes guardianships and conservatorships. Ronald J. Cherf is the firm's active attorney.
Huntington Woods estate-and-probate firm practicing in the Wayne, Oakland, Macomb, Livingston, Monroe, Washtenaw and St. Clair County probate courts. Handles contested and uncontested probate and trust administration, guardianships and conservatorships, and litigation over wills, trusts and breach of fiduciary duty. Offers a free phone consultation.
Mount Clemens firm founded in 1903, Macomb County's oldest continuous law firm, handling probate court matters primarily in Macomb, Wayne, Oakland and St. Clair Counties. Represents personal representatives and trustees in estate and trust administration and handles guardianships and conservatorships; will and trust contests are referred to local counsel.
Ann Arbor firm at Domino's Farms, open since 1948, handling probate in Washtenaw County and for families in nearby Wayne County communities such as Plymouth and Canton. Opens the estate, files the inventory, pays creditors, transfers assets to beneficiaries and closes the estate, and litigates in probate court when disputes cannot be resolved. Also handles guardianships and conservatorships.
Ann Arbor estate planning and probate firm founded by Terrence Quinn in 2008, serving Ann Arbor, Detroit, Canton, Ypsilanti and Chelsea. Represents clients in probate court for decedent estate administration and guardianship and conservatorship proceedings, helps trustees manage and distribute trust assets, and assists beneficiaries seeking them. Also does special needs and Medicaid planning.
Forms for Planning and Settling an Estate in Michigan
Free Michigan forms to plan or settle an estate: a will, trust, powers of attorney, TOD deed and the probate forms. Prepare each form for Michigan.
Free
Last Will and Testament
In Michigan, a will is signed before 2MCL 700.2502Verified Oct 18, 2026View source witnesses, and a self-proving affidavit signed with it lets the court admit it without witness testimonyMCL 700.2502Verified Oct 18, 2026View source.
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Free
Healthcare Power of Attorney
Michigan requires 2MCL § 700.5506Verified Oct 15, 2026View source witnesses for a healthcare power of attorney; notarization is not requiredMCL § 700.5506Verified Oct 15, 2026View source.
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Free
Financial Power of Attorney
Michigan treats a power of attorney as durable by defaultMCL § 556.201-556.505 (Act 187 of 2023, eff. 7/1/2024; repealed former MCL 700.5501-5505 EPIC durable POA provisions)Verified Sep 18, 2026View source, and it is signed before 2MCL § 556.201-556.505 (Act 187 of 2023, eff. 7/1/2024; repealed former MCL 700.5501-5505 EPIC durable POA provisions)Verified Oct 21, 2026View source witnesses or a notary.
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Tools for Planning and Settling an Estate in Michigan
Free calculators and checklists to plan or settle an estate in Michigan: will and trust costs, probate, executor pay and taxes. Run each tool for Michigan.
How Much Life Insurance Do I Need?
In Michigan, four years at a public university cost about $105,408NCES Digest of Education Statistics 2023, Table 330.20, public 4-year in-state tuition, fees, room and board, academic year 2022-23Verified Oct 17, 2026View source and the cost of living is near the U.S. averageBEA Regional Price Parities, all items, by state, 2024Verified Oct 17, 2026View source; no state estate or inheritance tax appliesNo state estate or inheritance tax on a death today. Michigan's estate tax (MCL 205.232) is not repealed — it is a "pick-up" tax equal to the maximum allowable federal credit for state death taxes, and that federal credit was eliminated for deaths after December 31, 2004 (replaced by the 26 U.S.C. § 2058 deduction; the old IRC § 2011 credit was struck from the Code in 2014), so the Michigan tax computes to $0. Michigan's inheritance tax applies only to decedents who died on or before September 30, 1993 (MCL 205.223; Michigan Treasury Inheritance Tax FAQ). Michigan levies no gift tax.Verified Sep 15, 2026View source.
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What Does Estate Planning Actually Cost?
An attorney-prepared revocable trust in Michigan runs $3,460Estimate: 10 hours at $346, Clio's Michigan Trusts rate; Compare Lawyer Rates, 2025 dataVerified Oct 15, 2026View source to $5,190Estimate: 15 hours at $346, Clio's Michigan Trusts rate; Compare Lawyer Rates, 2025 dataVerified Oct 15, 2026View source and a simple will $915Estimate: 3 hours at $305, Clio's Michigan Wills and Estates rate; Compare Lawyer Rates, 2025 dataVerified Oct 15, 2026View source to $1,830Estimate: 6 hours at $305, Clio's Michigan Wills and Estates rate; Compare Lawyer Rates, 2025 dataVerified Oct 15, 2026View source, against $0 to $549 up front plus a subscription with an online service.
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Who Inherits Without a Will?
Without a will in Michigan, a surviving spouse takes the first $301,000 plus half of the restMCL § 700.2102Verified Oct 21, 2026View source when every child of either spouse is a child of both, and descendants divide what passes to them per capita at each generationMCL § 700.2106Verified Oct 21, 2026View source.
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