Probate and Trust Administration

Probate of an Estate

There are some circumstances and occasions where probate either cannot be avoided or should not be avoided. That period of time after the loss of a loved one is difficult and the added pressures and responsibilities of making legal decisions do not help. Clients take comfort on relying the expertise that Shinners & Cook offer in guiding them through the probate process.

Ultimately, we assist the opening of a probate action for the purpose of naming a Personal Representative, assisting the Personal Representative, and providing the proper notification to all interested parties/heirs necessary, file the necessary paperwork with the local newspaper and with the Court and, finally, help the Personal Representative make the distributions set forth in the decedent’s Will. A primary responsibility of our probate practice is to protect the Personal Representative and minimize exposure or liability by complying with Michigan’s laws regarding probate procedure.

Trust Administration

As in probate, the period of time after a loved one passes away can be the most difficult. Yet often times decisions must be made, businesses continued to be managed, and obligations paid. With proper planning, we may have avoided the necessity to open a probate proceeding but Shinners & Cook still stands ready to assist clients by helping them manage and administer a trust.

Trusts involved in estate planning may range from being a distribution trust where probate is avoided and the primary goal post-death is to make a smooth distribution to the beneficiary, to a trust that may last for years to ensure that minor children have the opportunity to go to college. Whatever the case, the expertise at Shinners & Cook can help make this process as smooth as can be for the Trustee while protecting his/her liability exposure.