Probate in Livingston County

Probate Court Record

Livingston County Probate Court

Livingston County

Hours

Monday-Friday 8:00 AM-5:00 PM

Office

204 South Highlander Way, Suite 2, Howell, MI 48843

Self-represented filing

Allowed

Self-help forms

How to file probate in Livingston County →

Verified October 15, 2026 · Source

Do I need a lawyer for probate in Livingston County? →Settling an estate in Livingston County →

Probate Firms Serving Livingston County

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.

Serves 7 countiesFree consultationVirtual consultationsEstate PlanningTrust AdministrationProbateProbate LitigationTrust Litigation+5

Okemos estate planning and elder law office of attorney Tara Peterson, meeting clients from Ingham, Clinton, Eaton and six other mid-Michigan counties in person or by Zoom. Handles estate administration in and out of probate court, including formal and informal probate and trust administration. Also plans for Medicaid and VA benefits when a family faces long-term care costs.

Solo PracticeServes 9 countiesVirtual consultationsEstate PlanningTrust AdministrationProbateElder LawMedicaid Planning

Okemos office of attorney Daniel Benson, working most often in the Ingham, Eaton, Clinton, Livingston and Shiawassee probate courts. Takes personal representatives through probate, from inventory and creditor notice to distribution, and litigates will contests, trust disputes and fiduciary removal. Planning consultations are free; probate consultations carry a flat fee quoted in writing.

Solo PracticeServes 5 countiesEstate PlanningProbateProbate LitigationTrust LitigationConservatorshipGuardianship

East Lansing firm with a second office in Mt. Pleasant, practicing in the probate courts of Ingham, Clinton, Eaton, Isabella and other mid-Michigan counties. Represents personal representatives, trustees and beneficiaries in probate and trust administration, from marshalling assets to notice to creditors and estate taxes. Also litigates will contests, trust disputes and undue influence claims.

Serves 10 countiesEstate PlanningTrust AdministrationProbateProbate LitigationTrust Litigation+4

Plymouth practice of attorney Wade Myers, familiar with Wayne County Probate Court procedures and also serving Oakland, Washtenaw and Livingston counties. Guides personal representatives through unsupervised administration, inventories, accountings and estate tax returns, and can serve as personal representative for heirs out of state. Also assists successor trustees and handles will contests.

Solo PracticeServes 4 countiesFree consultationEstate PlanningTrust AdministrationProbateProbate LitigationPowers Of AttorneyWills Trusts

East Lansing elder law and probate firm with offices in Battle Creek, Jackson, Saginaw, Southfield, Ann Arbor, Kalamazoo and Grand Rapids. Helps fiduciaries with inventories, accountings and creditor claims, and its litigation team handles will and trust contests over undue influence, capacity and breach of fiduciary duty, guardianships and elder financial exploitation.

Since 2002Serves 8 countiesVirtual consultationsEstate PlanningTrust AdministrationProbateProbate LitigationTrust Litigation+5

All 19 Michigan probate firms serving Livingston 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.

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Revocable Living Trust

Create a revocable living trust to avoid probate, protect privacy, and control asset distribution.

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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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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 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.

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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.

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How Much Can an Executor Charge?

Michigan pays executors reasonable compensationMCL 700.3719 (reasonable compensation; no statutory percentage)Verified Sep 8, 2026View source, typically 2.2%Estimated from the 16 state statutes that set an executor fee schedule (median and interquartile range at this estate value)Verified Sep 8, 2026View source to 3.8%Estimated from the 16 state statutes that set an executor fee schedule (median and interquartile range at this estate value)Verified Sep 8, 2026View source of the estate.

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Do I Need Probate?

In Michigan, estates with personal property of $53,000MCL 700.3983Verified Sep 8, 2026View source or less skip probate with the Affidavit of Decedent's SuccessorMCL 700.3983Verified Sep 8, 2026View source, 28 daysMCL 700.3983Verified Sep 8, 2026View source after death.

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What Are the Creditor Claim Deadlines?

In Michigan, creditors have 4 monthsMCL 700.3803Verified Sep 8, 2026View source from first publication of the creditor notice to present claims; late claims are barred.

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Can I Self-File Probate?

In Michigan, informal probate is availableMCL 700.3302Verified Sep 8, 2026View source, and a self-represented executor can usually handle it for a simple, uncontested estate.

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