Norton Shores

Estate Planning & Elder Law

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Our experienced Norton Shores probate legal team is fully prepared to take care of the legal process. If you have any questions about probate in Michigan, please do not hesitate to contact our office today

(616) 361-8400

Probate Lawyers

No one enjoys going through the probate process. After the passing of a loved one, it feels like probate can drag on forever. At the Law Offices of David L. Carrier, P.C. we understand how to get your loved one’s estate through Michigan probate in an efficient and effective manner. Small mistakes or oversights during probate can really come back to haunt you. We have extensive experience dealing with the process and we know how to protect our clients interests. Please do not hesitate to contact our experienced Norton Shores probate lawyer to learn more about what we can do for you.

Probate refers to the court-supervised process that a decedent’s estate must pass through after a person has died.

The process involves notifying the heirs, beneficiaries, and creditors of the decedent of his or her passing, inventorying and valuing the assets of the decedent that must pass through probate, satisfying the qualifying claims of creditors, distributing the remaining assets of the decedent to the heirs and/or beneficiaries according to the wishes of the decedent, and providing an accounting of the management of the estate to the court and all interested parties.

Probate in Michigan

After someone passes away, the probate process will soon begin to determine how their remaining assets will be divided. In Michigan, the steps of the probate process will generally include:

  • The executor of the will filing the required paperwork with a Norton Shores probate court. If no will exists, or no executor has been appointed, one will be appointed by the court;
  • If there is a will, the executor will then need prove to the court that the will is valid;
  • All relevant parties must be notified of the process;
  • The executor must then provide a complete list of all assets and debts;
  • The executor will specify the inheritance interests of all parties; and finally assuming all goes smoothly;
  • The assets will be distributed to the heirs in accordance with the wishes of the deceased.

How Things Can Go Wrong

With proper planning and management, the probate process will be painless. However, there is significant potential for things to go wrong. The process can slow down to a frustrating stop, disputes can arises, and sometimes lawsuits might even be filed. It is important that your estate is administered by an experienced probate lawyer who can proactively work to eliminate issues and also understands how to handle them once they arise.
Common complications include:

  • A creditor filing a claim against the estate;
  • The failure to adequately notify all relevant parties;
  • One of the probate documents containing inaccurate information or one document is missing required information;
  • A dispute arises between beneficiaries;
  • A lawsuit arises due to a mistake made during the probate process.
Small mistakes during probate can compound into much larger issues. At our firm we pride ourselves on being detail orientated to ensure that the process proceeds without issues.

It is never too soon to start thinking about the future and how you will provide for those closest to you.

Contact us

The probate process is notoriously complex, and it has the potential to be both very slow and very messy.

It needs to be handled by an experienced professional. Our experienced Norton Shores probate legal team is fully prepared to take care of the legal process.

We want to help you take your attention away from the legal issues so that you can focus it on your friends and family.

Ultimately, the passing of a close friend or family member is always difficult. The last thing you need is a legal dispute arising because of a small mistake during probate.

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Client Success Stories…

We were very happy with the information at the workshop on Estate Planning [LifePlan workshop]. Amanda was very helpful in explaining the options we could choose from to protect our assets from excessive taxes.

All questions were answered in depth and in a manner that was very understandable. I left feeling confident that we can contact them at any time for help navigating the system.

The staff are incredibly professional. My mother was treated with utmost respect. Her paperwork was organized and concise. I dealt with David and Jim and they spoke in terms my mother and I could understand.

I was totally lost when my husband’s dementia got bad. David and his group helped me feel in control again. They are there to help me whenever I need them. I should have done this sooner.

Perfect balance of pleasant and professional. Starting with workshops with targeted info, to chit chat with David (and all the staff we met) – great experience. Thank you!

My husband and I just returned from your workshop in Portage…We are so pleased we attended and came away with so much information and insight. The workshop was well organized, well presented and your staff was wonderful. Patrick made things fun, and as he promised, the time flew by. Thanks you again for 2 very well spent hours.

Donna & Stephanie are extremely professional, on top of everything, friendly and just a joy to work with. Very prompt on phone calls, emails, etc. I am very thankful for these two people!

We have been extremely pleased with the professional service of David and the staff. It has been a pleasure working with everyone to make sure our future is secure. David was also very helpful finding an out of state attorney to help our parent’s address their Elder law needs.

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“The Law Offices of David L. Carrier is an estate planning and elder law firm located in Western Michigan. Our main office is in Grand Rapids, and we have 3 other conveniently located offices in West Michigan. We specialize in medicaid crisis planning, estate planning, elder law, probate, wills and trusts.

Our Office Locations

Grand Rapids, MI

Norton Shores, MI

Holland, MI

Portage, MI

Practice Areas

Medicaid Crisis Lawyers

Estate Planning Lawyers

Elder Law Lawyers

Family Trust

Probate Lawyers

Trust Funding Center

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