Andrew Byers, Attorney and Counselor At Law

Elder Law, Estate Planning & Probate Attorney in Troy, Michigan

Few families begin thinking about elder law until something changes. A parent receives a dementia diagnosis. A spouse suddenly needs nursing home care. An adult child realizes Mom can no longer manage her finances. Questions about Medicaid, powers of attorney, long-term care, and estate planning often arrive all at once, leaving families unsure where to begin.

Andrew Byers has built his practice around helping people through those moments. His work combines elder law, estate planning, Medicaid planning, probate, and trust administration, allowing clients to receive guidance before a crisis occurs, during one, and after the death of a loved one. Rather than treating each issue separately, he helps families understand how healthcare decisions, financial planning, public benefits, and estate administration often affect one another.

Planning Before a Crisis Becomes a Crisis

Many people wait until a serious illness or nursing home admission forces difficult decisions. By then, some planning opportunities may already be limited.

Andrew Byers works with clients who want to prepare in advance, helping them create estate plans that address not only what happens after death, but also who can make financial and medical decisions if they become unable to do so themselves. Depending on a client's circumstances, that planning may include wills, trusts, financial powers of attorney, healthcare directives, and other documents designed to help families avoid unnecessary court involvement during periods of incapacity.

Estate-planning needs can change with marriage, retirement, declining health, the loss of a spouse or changes in family support. Reviewing an existing plan allows clients to determine whether the documents and decision-makers they previously selected still fit their circumstances.

Helping Families Navigate Long-Term Care

One of the firm's strongest areas of concentration is helping families prepare for the cost of long-term care.

Whether a loved one is still living independently, beginning to need assistance, or already entering a nursing home, Andrew Byers helps clients understand Michigan Medicaid eligibility rules and the legal options available to them. He assists with advance planning as well as Medicaid crisis planning for families who are already facing urgent decisions.

The goal is not simply completing an application. It is helping families understand what choices are available, how those decisions may affect their finances, and what steps can be taken under Michigan law to protect assets whenever possible.

Exploring Alternatives to Nursing Home Care

Not every family hopes to move a loved one into a nursing home. Many want to keep parents or spouses at home for as long as it is safe and practical.

Andrew Byers also advises clients regarding community-based Medicaid programs, including PACE and the MI Choice Waiver Program, which may help qualifying individuals receive care while remaining in their homes or communities. For families trying to balance independence, healthcare needs, and financial realities, these programs can become an important part of an overall long-term care plan.

Planning for People Who Don't Have Someone to Step In

Older adults who do not have a spouse, adult children or nearby relatives may need to make especially deliberate arrangements for future financial management, healthcare decisions and estate administration.

For these individuals, estate planning often involves more than preparing a will. It means deciding who will handle financial matters, communicate with healthcare providers, manage future care, and eventually administer an estate or trust. Andrew Byers helps clients think through those decisions before an emergency leaves others trying to determine what should happen next.

Protecting Loved Ones With Special Needs

Families caring for a person with disabilities often have concerns that extend well beyond traditional estate planning.

Andrew Byers helps parents, grandparents, and other family members develop plans that provide financial support while preserving eligibility for important public benefit programs when appropriate. Because these situations involve both estate planning and public benefits, careful planning can make a significant difference in protecting a beneficiary's long-term security.

Guiding Families After the Death of a Loved One

Planning is only part of the firm's work. Andrew Byers also assists personal representatives, trustees, and family members after someone has died.

Whether an estate requires probate or assets are being distributed through a trust, he helps clients understand their responsibilities, navigate the legal process, and complete the administration of an estate. For many families, having guidance during this unfamiliar process can make settling an estate more manageable while ensuring legal responsibilities are carried out properly.

Serving Troy and Southeast Michigan

Located in Troy, Andrew Byers assists individuals and families with estate planning, elder law, Medicaid and long-term-care planning, probate, and trust administration. The practice addresses both advance planning and situations that require more immediate action, including an approaching nursing-home admission, a decline in a family member’s ability to manage personal affairs or the administration of an estate after a death.

Practice Areas

• Elder Law

• Estate Planning

• Wills

• Trusts

• Medicaid Planning

• Medicaid Crisis Planning

• Long-Term Care Planning

• Community-Based Medicaid Planning

• PACE & MI Choice Waiver Planning

• Special Needs Planning

• Financial Powers of Attorney

• Healthcare Directives

• Guardianships

• Conservatorships

• Probate Administration

• Estate Administration

• Trust Administration