Probate
Veteran Michigan Probate Attorney
Not sure where to start? Call Jon Frank
Probate Overview
When most people discuss “probate”, they are usually thinking about someone who died, meaning there is a need for a deceased estate. They might be thinking about a vulnerable person in their life, who needs the Court’s protection, and so they might be thinking about a guardianship, or a conservatorship, which we will explain later.
They might be thinking about “trusts”, which are legal arrangements transferring legal title to someone else, for someone else’s benefit, and for certain reasons (one of which might be to avoid Probate Court, at the time the trust author dies)
They might be thinking about Powers of Attorney, which are documents by which one person gives another the authority to act on their behalf, in certain situations.
Not everyone means the same thing, when they discuss “probate”, so let me tell you what I mean. I use the one word “probate” to refer to different services I provide clients in the following areas:
Whatever the probate issue, you need the experience of a Michigan attorney, who knows how and when to avoid Probate Courts, when to use them, and how to use Probate Court procedures to your advantage. Give Jon Frank a call/text today, 877-FRANK-LAW (372-6552).
- Decedents’ Estates & Probate Court Avoidance at Death (through Lady Bird Deeds, Trusts)
- Guardianship
- Conservatorship
- Powers of Attorney (“Financial” and “Medical”)
Frequently Asked Questions. Honest Answers.
This is an anxious time for you, or you would not be calling a lawyer. You are calling a lawyer, only because you have to. Therefore, you need to be able to figure out if the lawyer knows what they are doing, and if so, whether they can help you.
You are going to have to rely on this lawyer, so yes, you will need to develop some trust, and hopefully, some level of comfort, talking with this lawyer. Thus, the lawyer is going to ask you about the facts of your case, and you should be ready to answer his/her questions, even though they seem intrusive, or even irrelevant.
You also want to know about price and terms (is it hourly? How much? How much down, initially? Contingent fee, etc). However, you also want to know if you can work with this lawyer. In short, you are “feeling out” the situation, and indeed, the lawyer, to see if he/she is the one to hire.
Most times, it is best for both lawyer and client, to hire locally. Therefore, for most probate matters, I usually work within a 100-mile radius of my home/office in Richmond MI.
That usually means SE Michigan: Macomb County, St. Clair County, Wayne County, Oakland County, Lapeer County, Tuscola County, Livingston County, Genesee County & Washtenaw County.
However, sometimes, the client specifically does not want to hire locally; in other matters, the cases involve significant or unusual issues. In the right cases, I make exceptions.
