© 2026 SimplyTrust Software Inc.
Michigan follows the "reasonable compensation" standard for trusteesMich. Comp. Laws § 700.7708Verified May 31, 2026. Courts decide what's reasonable on a case-by-case basis, looking at trust size, complexity, and the trustee's actual work. Family-member trustees often waive the fee entirely. Professional trustees (banks, trust companies, attorneys) typically charge between 0.5% and 1.5% of trust assets per year, with corporate fiduciaries usually applying minimum annual fees. The Michigan trustee compensation calculator breaks it down by trust situation.
Trust administration in Michigan is typically faster than probate because trusts don't require court supervision. The main floor is the creditor claim period — 4 months in Michigan — during which the trustee can't safely make final distributions. Simple trusts often wrap up in 6-9 months; trusts that hold business interests, real property in multiple states, or that need to file estate tax returns can take longer. See the Michigan trustee checklist for the full process.
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.
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.
45 firms
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
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
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
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
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
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
Leading law firm established in 1854 providing expert estate planning and probate counsel throughout Michigan. Handles estate tax audits, fiduciary matters, probate litigation, and complex estates in excess of $100 million. Services include revocable living trusts, life insurance trusts, generation-skipping trusts, GRATs, charitable planning, and international estate plans.
Location
150 W Jefferson Avenue, Suite 100Detroit, MI 48226
Phone
(313) 225-7000
Established
1854
Service Area
Statewide
Holland law firm serving West Michigan with estate planning, probate, trust administration, and elder law services in Ottawa and Allegan Counties.
Location
321 Settlers RoadHolland, MI 49423
Phone
(616) 392-1821
Service Area
3 counties
Flint attorneys providing probate law, estate planning, and trust administration services to families in Genesee County and surrounding areas. Established 2006, rebranded in 2021.
Location
302 E Court StreetFlint, MI 48502
Phone
(810) 232-1112
Established
2006
Service Area
3 counties
Huntington Woods estate-and-probate firm serving Metro Detroit's Oakland, Wayne, and Macomb County probate courts. Handles contested and uncontested estate and trust administration, guardianships, conservatorships, and probate litigation including will contests, trust disputes, and breach-of-fiduciary-duty claims. Founder Howard Collens has practiced estate law for over 30 years.
Location
26311 Woodward AvenueHuntington Woods, MI 48070
Phone
(248) 545-2500
Established
2003
Service Area
7 counties