Probate is the Michigan court process for settling a person's estate after death: proving any will, appointing a personal representative, paying valid debts and taxes, and distributing what remains. Trust administration is the parallel private process a successor trustee follows when assets are held in a trust. Our role is to guide the person in charge through either process, one clear step at a time.
When someone dies, a family member is usually asked to take on a job they did not apply for, at the worst possible moment. As personal representative or successor trustee, that person becomes responsible for gathering assets, dealing with creditors, filing with the court or notifying beneficiaries, and eventually distributing the estate correctly. Our work is to lift that weight: to translate the process into plain steps, keep deadlines from becoming emergencies, and let the family grieve without also fearing the mail.
How Michigan probate works
Probate in Michigan runs through the probate court in the county where the person lived. There are two main tracks. Informal, or unsupervised, administration is the more common and less burdensome path, handled largely through the register with limited court involvement. Formal, or supervised, administration involves the judge more directly and is used when there is a dispute, an unclear will, or a reason the estate needs closer oversight. Most estates can proceed informally.
The main steps
- Open the estate and have the personal representative appointed, receiving Letters of Authority that prove the power to act
- Notify heirs, beneficiaries, and known creditors, and publish notice to unknown creditors
- Inventory the estate's assets and their date-of-death values
- Pay valid debts, final expenses, and any taxes, in the priority Michigan law sets
- Account for the administration and distribute what remains to the rightful heirs or beneficiaries
- Close the estate
The creditor period is often the reason probate takes as long as it does. Michigan gives known creditors a set window to present claims after notice, and a separate period runs from published notice to unknown creditors. A personal representative who distributes too early, before that window closes, can be left personally exposed if a valid claim later appears. Part of our job is to keep the timeline honest so the estate closes cleanly.
Smaller estates and simpler paths
Not every estate needs full administration. Michigan offers simplified procedures for smaller estates, and many assets pass entirely outside probate: property held jointly with rights of survivorship, accounts with a named beneficiary, and assets titled in a trust or covered by a Lady Bird deed. One of the first things we do is sort what actually must go through probate from what does not, so no family spends months on a process it did not need.
Trust administration
When a person's assets are held in a revocable living trust, there is usually no probate for those assets. Instead the successor trustee steps in and administers the trust privately, following its terms. That still involves real duties: notifying beneficiaries as Michigan law requires, identifying and valuing trust assets, paying the settlor's debts and expenses, handling any tax filings, and distributing to beneficiaries. Trustees owe fiduciary duties, and a misstep can create personal liability, so guidance matters even though the court is not involved.
A trustee's core duties
- Act in the best interests of the beneficiaries and follow the trust's terms
- Keep trust property separate and keep clear records
- Provide the notices and accountings Michigan's trust code requires
- Treat beneficiaries impartially unless the trust directs otherwise
- Distribute according to the trust, at the times and in the manner it specifies
How we help
We can take on as much or as little as a family needs. For some, we handle the entire administration, preparing every filing and dealing directly with the court and creditors. For others, we coach a capable personal representative or trustee through the steps, reviewing documents and answering questions so they can do much of the work themselves at lower cost. Either way, the goal is the same: a correct, complete administration that closes without surprises, and a family that never felt lost in it.