Northern Michigan firm, opened in Petoskey in 2001, with offices in Gaylord, Petoskey, Alpena, Rogers City, and Southfield. Handles probate of simple and complex decedent estates, guardianships, and conservatorships in the Otsego, Crawford, and Montmorency County probate courts. Drafts wills, trusts, powers of attorney, and special needs trusts.
Probate in Charlevoix County
Probate Court Record
Charlevoix County Probate Court
Charlevoix County · 7th Probate District
Phone
Hours
Office
Website
Self-represented filing
Self-help forms
How to file probate in Charlevoix County →
Verified October 15, 2026 · Source
Do I need a lawyer for probate in Charlevoix County? →Settling an estate in Charlevoix County →
Estate Law Firms Serving Charlevoix County
Ann Arbor firm serving Washtenaw County families for more than 30 years, with an appointment-only office in Petoskey. Handles probate and estate administration, guides trustees through trust administration duties, and litigates will contests, trust disputes and contested guardianships. Elder law work includes guardianship and conservatorship petitions, Medicaid planning and special needs trusts.
Estate planning and elder law firm in the Thumb of Michigan, with offices in Cass City, Caro, Reese, Bad Axe and Sandusky and an appointment office in Traverse City. Guides executors through probate, supports trustees administering a trust, and petitions for guardians and conservators for incapacitated adults. Medicaid and long-term care planning is a core part of the practice.
Kalamazoo firm with offices in Battle Creek, Ann Arbor, Birmingham, Detroit, Grand Rapids, Lansing, and Traverse City. Handles probate and estate administration, trust administration, and guardianship and conservatorship petitions, alongside wills, living trusts, and Medicaid planning. Publishes flat fees, including a set price for an uncontested probate case.
Big Rapids elder law firm with further offices in Cadillac, Gaylord and Traverse City, and homebound appointments on request. Takes families through probate and trust administration after a death, from debts and taxes to transferring title to the heirs, and obtains court approval for guardians and conservators with the required accountings. Medicaid and veterans benefits planning sit beside it.
Lansing firm tracing its origins to 1902, with a Trusts and Estates group in Lansing, Grand Rapids, Holland, Southfield and Detroit serving families, family businesses and fiduciaries throughout Michigan. The group handles trust and estate administration and trust and estate litigation, alongside gift tax, business succession, and Medicaid and elder law planning.
All 13 Michigan estate law firms serving Charlevoix County →
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.
Revocable Living Trust
Create a revocable living trust to avoid probate, protect privacy, and control asset distribution.
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.
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.
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.
Pour-Over Will
In Michigan, a pour-over will is signed before 2MCL 700.2502Verified Oct 18, 2026View source witnesses and moves anything left outside the trust into it through probate.
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.
Trust or Will: Which Costs Less?
In Michigan, a will-based plan pays probate attorney fees of typically 1.7%Modeled estimate under MCR 5.313(A) (attorney entitled to reasonable compensation; MRPC 1.5(a) factors); MCL 700.3721 (court reviews reasonableness of attorney compensation; no statutory percentage): the hours the statutory fee schedules imply, at the state's surveyed hourly rateVerified Sep 8, 2026View source to 2.7%Modeled estimate under MCR 5.313(A) (attorney entitled to reasonable compensation; MRPC 1.5(a) factors); MCL 700.3721 (court reviews reasonableness of attorney compensation; no statutory percentage): the hours the statutory fee schedules imply, at the state's surveyed hourly rateVerified Sep 8, 2026View source of the estate; a funded revocable trust keeps those assets out of probate and off that fee.
Do I Need a Revocable Trust?
Probate in Michigan takes 5 months to 7 months for a simple estate and charges attorney fees of typically 1.7%Modeled estimate under MCR 5.313(A) (attorney entitled to reasonable compensation; MRPC 1.5(a) factors); MCL 700.3721 (court reviews reasonableness of attorney compensation; no statutory percentage): the hours the statutory fee schedules imply, at the state's surveyed hourly rateVerified Sep 8, 2026View source to 2.7%Modeled estimate under MCR 5.313(A) (attorney entitled to reasonable compensation; MRPC 1.5(a) factors); MCL 700.3721 (court reviews reasonableness of attorney compensation; no statutory percentage): the hours the statutory fee schedules imply, at the state's surveyed hourly rateVerified Sep 8, 2026View source of the estate; assets held in a revocable trust skip both.
How Much Does Probate Cost?
Probate on a $500,000 estate in Michigan costs an estimated $25,430MCR 5.313(A) (attorney entitled to reasonable compensation; MRPC 1.5(a) factors); MCL 700.3721 (court reviews reasonableness of attorney compensation; no statutory percentage)Verified Sep 8, 2026View source. Attorney fees run 1.7%Modeled estimate under MCR 5.313(A) (attorney entitled to reasonable compensation; MRPC 1.5(a) factors); MCL 700.3721 (court reviews reasonableness of attorney compensation; no statutory percentage): the hours the statutory fee schedules imply, at the state's surveyed hourly rateVerified Sep 8, 2026View source to 2.7%Modeled estimate under MCR 5.313(A) (attorney entitled to reasonable compensation; MRPC 1.5(a) factors); MCL 700.3721 (court reviews reasonableness of attorney compensation; no statutory percentage): the hours the statutory fee schedules imply, at the state's surveyed hourly rateVerified Sep 8, 2026View source of the estate under a reasonable-compensation standard.
What Are the Estate Laws in My State?
Probate on a $500,000 estate in Michigan costs an estimated $25,430MCR 5.313(A) (attorney entitled to reasonable compensation; MRPC 1.5(a) factors); MCL 700.3721 (court reviews reasonableness of attorney compensation; no statutory percentage)Verified Sep 8, 2026View source and takes 5 months to 7 months for a simple estate, with attorney fees of typically 1.7%Modeled estimate under MCR 5.313(A) (attorney entitled to reasonable compensation; MRPC 1.5(a) factors); MCL 700.3721 (court reviews reasonableness of attorney compensation; no statutory percentage): the hours the statutory fee schedules imply, at the state's surveyed hourly rateVerified Sep 8, 2026View source to 2.7%Modeled estimate under MCR 5.313(A) (attorney entitled to reasonable compensation; MRPC 1.5(a) factors); MCL 700.3721 (court reviews reasonableness of attorney compensation; no statutory percentage): the hours the statutory fee schedules imply, at the state's surveyed hourly rateVerified Sep 8, 2026View source of the estate. Estates under $53,000MCL 700.3983Verified Sep 8, 2026View source can use a small-estate procedure instead.
How Do I Settle an Estate?
Settling an estate in Michigan: the personal representative files the estate inventory within 91 daysMCL 700.3706, 700.3707, 700.3708Verified Sep 15, 2026View source of appointment; creditors have 4 monthsMCL 700.3801, 700.3803, 700.3804, 700.3805, 700.3806; MCR 5.208, MCR 5.106Verified Oct 18, 2026View source to present claims; a simple estate closes in 5 months to 7 months.
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.
