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.
Probate in Grand Traverse County
Probate Court Record
Grand Traverse County Probate Court
Grand Traverse County
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How to file probate in Grand Traverse County →
Verified October 15, 2026 · Source
Do I need a lawyer for probate in Grand Traverse County? →Settling an estate in Grand Traverse County →
Special Needs Planning Firms Serving Grand Traverse County
Downtown Traverse City practice serving Grand Traverse and nearby Northern Michigan counties. Handles estate administration with or without a will, trust administration, challenges to wills and trusts, and guardianship and conservatorship proceedings in probate court. Also counsels high net worth clients on gift, estate and generation-skipping tax, with a complimentary consultation.
Elder law firm with offices in Charlevoix, Traverse City and East Jordan, serving 20 Northern Michigan counties and handling estate administration on Mackinac, Beaver and Drummond Islands. Handles probate and trust administration, trust disputes and will or trust contests, and conservatorship and guardianship matters, alongside Medicaid and veterans benefits planning.
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.
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.
Lansing firm in the Boji Tower, tracing its practice to 1883 and the Michigan member of SCG Legal. Its trusts and estates team works with personal representatives and trustees through probate and trust administration, represents beneficiaries and fiduciaries in estate and trust disputes, and handles guardianship and conservatorship petitions and Medicaid planning.
All 8 Michigan special needs planning firms serving Grand Traverse County →
Forms for Planning Your Estate in Michigan
Free forms for planning your estate in Michigan: will, living trust, pour-over will, powers of attorney and TOD deed. Prepare each form for Michigan.
Revocable Living Trust
Create a revocable living trust to avoid probate, protect privacy, and control asset distribution.
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.
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.
Tools for Planning Your Estate in Michigan
Free tools for planning your estate in Michigan: will and trust costs, trust or TOD deed, and the signing rules. Run each tool for Michigan and read its answer.
How Much Does a Revocable Living Trust Cost?
An attorney-prepared revocable living 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 for an individual, against $0 to $549 up front plus a subscription with an online service.
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.
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.
Are My Beneficiary Designations Protected?
Michigan automatically revokes an ex-spouse as beneficiary at divorceMCL 700.2807Verified Sep 15, 2026View source; employer plans under ERISA follow federal rules either way, so a 401(k) beneficiary changes only by a new designation.
