Apex Law

Estate Planning, Probate & Business Succession Attorneys in Livonia, Michigan

Apex Law is a multi-office firm handling estate planning, probate and estate administration, business succession planning, and related legal matters from its Livonia, Michigan and Scottsdale, Arizona offices. Its broader practice includes corporate and business law, mergers and acquisitions, real estate, litigation, healthcare law, and tax matters.

In Michigan, the firm's estate-related work encompasses planning before death as well as the responsibilities that arise afterward. Apex assists with estate planning and succession concerns, represents executors and successor trustees administering estates and trusts, handles contested probate matters, and assists with guardianships and conservatorships. For business owners, the firm's corporate and transactional experience also provides a framework for addressing what happens to a company when an owner retires, dies, or can no longer manage it.

When You Suddenly Become Responsible for Someone's Estate

The death of a family member can create an immediate list of practical responsibilities at the same time relatives are dealing with the loss itself. Funeral arrangements and other immediate concerns may be followed by questions about property, financial accounts, creditors, taxes, court filings, and ultimately the distribution of an estate.

Apex represents executors and other fiduciaries responsible for settling estates. Administration can involve identifying and valuing property, addressing creditor obligations, meeting applicable filing and accounting requirements, and transferring assets to beneficiaries.

For someone serving in this role for the first time, the responsibility can be considerable. Administering an estate is not simply a matter of following a will and distributing property. The person in charge must work through the legal and financial obligations that come before the estate can be closed.

When Being Named Successor Trustee Becomes a Real Job

A trust may change how property is administered after death, but it does not eliminate the need for someone to take responsibility for the assets. A successor trustee who may have agreed to the role years earlier can suddenly find themselves responsible for carrying out the trust's instructions.

Apex assists successor trustees with the administration process, including identifying and valuing assets, addressing creditors and other obligations, completing required accounting and administrative work, and ultimately transferring property according to the trust.

Trustees may also have to communicate with beneficiaries who have questions or competing expectations about the administration. Legal guidance can be particularly important when the trustee is managing substantial or complicated property or when disagreements develop among the people who have an interest in the trust.

When Heirs or Beneficiaries Disagree

The death of a family member does not always result in an uncontested administration. Questions may arise about a will or trust, how property is being managed, what beneficiaries should receive, or how an estate or trust should ultimately be resolved.

Apex handles contested wills and trusts, probate litigation, and dispute resolution in addition to routine administration. This allows the firm to continue representing clients when an estate matter develops into an adversarial proceeding rather than ending its involvement when disagreement begins.

These disputes can also complicate the work of an executor or trustee who is trying to complete an administration while responding to conflicting demands from family members or beneficiaries. Resolving the underlying disagreement may therefore become an important part of moving the estate or trust toward completion.

When a Family Member Can No Longer Manage Their Affairs

Estate-related legal issues can arise during someone's lifetime as well. An older adult or another vulnerable person may reach a point where they can no longer adequately manage important personal or financial decisions.

Apex handles guardianship and conservatorship matters in connection with its probate practice. These proceedings can establish legal authority for someone to make personal decisions or manage financial affairs when another individual is unable to do so independently.

Attorney Christopher N. Boloven's practice also includes elder law along with estate planning, probate, estate administration, and related litigation. The firm's documented elder-law work does not center on Medicaid or nursing-home planning, but it does provide another avenue for addressing legal problems involving incapacity and the management of another person's affairs.

What Happens to the Business If the Owner Can No Longer Run It?

For a closely held business, an owner's retirement, incapacity, or death can affect far more than the owner's personal estate. Other owners, family members, employees, customers, and the continuing operation of the company may all have an interest in what happens next.

Apex helps business owners evaluate succession alternatives for the point when they no longer want to—or can no longer—own or manage the company. That planning can be coordinated with the firm's estate-planning work so that decisions about personal property and business ownership are not made independently of one another.

The firm's broader corporate practice is particularly relevant in these situations. Apex handles business formation, ownership and transactional matters, acquisitions and sales, financing, negotiations, and other corporate issues, while its attorneys also advise businesses through succession or dissolution.

For families whose wealth includes a substantial ownership interest in a company, planning for the future of that business can therefore become an integral part of the broader estate and succession plan.

When Estate, Business & Tax Issues Overlap

Estate planning can become more complicated when the assets involved include closely held businesses, substantial investments, real estate, or other property with tax and transactional considerations.

Apex's practice extends into tax planning and tax controversy as well as corporate and estate matters. Christopher N. Boloven's work includes tax planning, business taxation, estate planning, probate, succession planning, and estate administration and litigation.

That combination is particularly relevant when a planning decision cannot be evaluated solely as an estate question. The ownership or transfer of a business interest, for example, may need to be considered alongside corporate documents, succession objectives, and potential tax consequences.

Not every family requires complex tax or business planning. For those whose estates involve these issues, however, Apex's practice encompasses the overlapping areas rather than limiting its work to preparation of basic estate documents.

Estate Planning Before Administration Becomes Necessary

The administration work that follows a death is only one side of the firm's estate practice. Apex also works with individuals and families on estate planning before those responsibilities arise.

Planning can establish how property should be handled, who should have responsibility for carrying out a client's intentions, and how business and succession concerns fit into the larger picture. For clients with closely held companies or other complex assets, estate planning can also be coordinated with the firm's corporate, transactional, real-estate, and tax capabilities.

The objective is to address these questions while the individual is able to make deliberate choices rather than leaving family members, business partners, or other interested parties to resolve as much as possible after a death or incapacity.

Offices in Livonia, Michigan & Scottsdale, Arizona

Apex Law maintains its Michigan office on Five Mile Road in Livonia. The firm also has an office in Scottsdale, Arizona, giving it a presence in both states.

From its Livonia office, the firm's estate and probate capabilities are complemented by a broader legal practice involving corporate and business law, business planning, mergers and acquisitions, litigation, real estate, healthcare law, and tax controversy. This broader structure can be particularly relevant when an estate or succession matter involves a business, real property, taxation, or a dispute that extends beyond preparation of estate-planning documents.

Practice Areas

• Estate Planning

• Probate

• Estate Administration

• Trust Administration

• Probate Litigation

• Contested Wills and Trusts

• Guardianships

• Conservatorships

• Elder Law

• Business Succession Planning

• Business Planning

• Corporate Law

• Mergers and Acquisitions

• Tax Planning

• Tax Controversy

• Real Estate