Flat Rock Probate Lawyer

Flat Rock, Michigan, is a proud little city forty minutes from Detroit, known as the home of the Ford Mustang. If you have a probate administration issue in Flat Rock, you need the help of an experienced lawyer familiar with the Wayne County probate courts and Michigan law.

A death in the family is never easy to deal with. There are so many things you have to do, and you have to do all of them while you’re grieving. Having the help of a probate lawyer can make a big difference in this difficult time.

Bingham Legal Group is a law firm serving Flat Rock and other communities in Detroit. We’ve been helping our clients with their estate law issues for over 20 years, and we can take much of the stress you’re dealing with away. If you need a probate lawyer serving Flat Rock, Michigan, call Bingham Legal Group today at (248) 594-1919.

First Steps After a Death in Your Flat Rock Family

When a family member dies, it can be a shock to realize that you don’t know what to do. You may find the process a little easier with a to-do list like this:

• Make funeral arrangements for the deceased, keeping a record of all expenses.
• Get several copies of the death certificate.
• Find the will if there is one.
• Find any other important papers, especially those related to assets, trusts, and estate planning.
• Make a list of everyone named in the will, and make sure you have everyone’s name, address, and Social Security number.
• Make a list of all property owned by the estate.
• Contact the Social Security Administration to tell them about the death and inquire about survivor benefits.
• Meet with a probate lawyer.
• Determine whether the estate needs to go through probate.
• File a petition to have a Personal Representative appointed and request probate if necessary.

Your probate lawyer will help you complete these tasks on time and without any errors.

Help with Estate Administration in Flat Rock

Probate is the process of verifying a will after someone passes. The county probate court then oversees the administration of the estate. The person who administers the estate is called the Personal Representative or PR and is often a family member of the deceased. Personal Representatives are legally obligated to carry out their duties in the best interest of the estate, and they often seek the assistance of a probate law firm to help them do so.

Duties of a Personal Representative

The duties of the Personal Representative include:

• Marshaling of assets or gathering and determining the value of all the estate’s property
• Payment of charges, including all debts, medical bills, funeral expenses, taxes, and administration expenses
• Distribution of all remaining assets to the beneficiaries of the estate

Sometimes, a person dies intestate, meaning that they did not leave a will. When that happens, the estate is distributed according to Michigan’s intestate succession laws. A probate attorney can help in either situation. If there is a will or an estate plan, your lawyer can help you take all the steps to administer the estate correctly. If there is no will, the lawyer can help you ensure that state laws are applied and the beneficiaries receive what they are entitled to.

Responsibilities of a Personal Representative

Serving as a Personal Representative is a serious responsibility, as the PR must manage the estate responsibly while avoiding self-interested behavior. After a court appoints you as the Personal Representative of the estate, you will need to undertake the following duties:

• Accurately record all transactions.
• Create an inventory of all safe deposit boxes.
• Collect all rents, dividends, or interest owed to the estate.
• Determine what benefits the estate is entitled to, including social security and any pensions.
• Give notice to creditors.
• Take possession of all the estate’s assets.
• Have all antiques, art, or other collectibles appraised to determine their value.
• Pay all the estate’s debts.
• Distribute all property exempt from probate.
• Invest the estate’s money prudently, avoiding overly risky investments as well as investments with no significant return.

The duties of a Personal Representative are many, and sometimes they can be complicated. Make sure to get the help of an experienced probate lawyer to help you meet all your obligations successfully.

Types of Probate Administration

There is more than one type of probate administration, and which one you use depends on the size of the estate and the actions of other interested parties. Probate is relatively simple for smaller estates, but you must decide whether to request unsupervised or supervised administration for a larger estate. Unsupervised administration is often preferred because it protects the family’s privacy better, but if an interested party requests supervised administration, then the court will need to approve most decisions the PR makes when administering the estate.

What If Someone Contests the Will?

If someone decides to contest the will, the help of a probate lawyer is essential. Reasons for contesting a will include:

• Accusations that the Personal Representative is administering the estate improperly or is in breach of their fiduciary duty.
• Disagreements between family members about ambiguities in the estate plan. For instance, it is sometimes the case that the documents included in the estate plan may contradict each other.
• Accusations that the decedent was under undue influence or otherwise not of sound mind when they made a change to the will.

Whichever side of the dispute you’re on, you don’t want to be involved in litigation over a will without the help of a skilled probate lawyer. A lawyer can stand up for your rights, represent you in negotiations or in court, and help ensure that the law is followed. A probate lawyer can help you avoid getting caught up in emotionally intense disputes with a family member when the two of you don’t see eye to eye on the details of the will.

Contact a Probate Lawyer Today

In the challenging time after a death in the family, having professional help can make your daily life much less stressful. You don’t want to have to do everything yourself, especially not if you’ve never administered an estate before. Still, you want everything to be done correctly and according to the wishes of the deceased.

If the estate includes a variety of properties in Flat Rock, Michigan, whether in The Junction, The Village, Old Town, or Pebblebrook, you want to make sure that they are all administered properly and distributed as intended.

Bingham Legal Group is a probate law firm serving Flat Rock, Michigan, and other communities in the Detroit area. We have more than two decades of experience with probate law, and we are proud of our role in helping grieving families resolve probate issues successfully. For help with any probate or estate law issue, contact Bingham Legal Group today.

To find our offices:

You can reach come visit our offices at 30100 Telegraph Road, Suite 360, Bingham Farms, by using these directions:

From the North:

Take US-24 S/Telegraph Rd toward Bingham Farms. Continue past 13 Mile Rd. The destination will be on your right.

From the South:

Take US-24 N/Telegraph Rd toward Bingham Farms. Continue past 12 Mile Rd. The destination will be on your left.

From the East:

Take I-696 W toward Telegraph Rd. Take Exit 10 for US-24/Telegraph Rd and merge onto Telegraph Rd N. Continue past 12 Mile Rd. The destination will be on your left.

From the West:

Take I-696 E toward Telegraph Rd. Take Exit 10 for US-24/Telegraph Rd and merge onto Telegraph Rd N. Continue past 12 Mile Rd. The destination will be on your left.