Beier Howlett, Attorneys and Counselors

Estate Planning & Probate Attorneys in Troy, Michigan

Creating an estate plan is one of the most important steps you can take to protect your family, but many people don't think about it until retirement, the birth of a child, a serious illness, or the loss of a loved one. Others first contact an attorney after someone has already passed away, when they're suddenly responsible for settling an estate or administering a trust.

Beier Howlett helps clients through each of those situations. Whether you're preparing your first estate plan, updating older documents, serving as a personal representative, or administering a trust, the firm's Probate & Estate Planning Practice Group provides guidance designed to help families make informed decisions while navigating Michigan's legal requirements.

As part of a full-service law firm, the estate planning attorneys also work with colleagues in tax, business, real estate, and litigation matters when a client's circumstances extend beyond traditional estate planning.

Planning for the Future While Preparing for the Unexpected

Estate planning is about more than deciding who receives your property after your death. It also gives you an opportunity to choose who will make financial and medical decisions if you're unable to make them yourself, provide for loved ones, and reduce unnecessary complications for the people who will eventually carry out your wishes.

Beier Howlett works with clients to develop estate plans that reflect their individual goals and family circumstances. Depending on a client's needs, those plans may include wills, revocable and irrevocable trusts, testamentary trusts, powers of attorney, and probate avoidance strategies. The firm also advises clients on estate, gift, and income tax considerations that may affect how assets are transferred to future generations.

Rather than relying on one approach for every family, the attorneys tailor planning recommendations to each client's objectives and changing circumstances.

Helping Families Settle Estates and Administer Trusts

Many people discover that administering an estate involves far more than filing paperwork with the probate court.

Personal representatives and trustees are often responsible for gathering assets, notifying interested parties, addressing creditor claims, preparing tax filings, managing trust property, and ultimately distributing assets according to a will or trust. These responsibilities can be unfamiliar, particularly for someone already coping with the loss of a family member.

Beier Howlett guides clients throughout probate and trust administration, helping fiduciaries understand their legal responsibilities while working toward an orderly administration of the estate. The firm also prepares federal estate tax returns, fiduciary income tax returns, and advises clients on post-mortem planning issues that may arise during the administration process.

Because the attorneys regularly assist families after a death as well as during estate planning, they understand how planning decisions affect those responsible for carrying out an estate years later.

Planning for Business Owners and Family Enterprises

For business owners, estate planning often extends beyond personal assets.

Ownership interests, succession planning, buy-sell arrangements, retirement planning, and tax considerations may all influence how a business is transferred to the next generation or new ownership.

Because Beier Howlett maintains an established business and corporate law practice, its estate planning attorneys can work alongside business attorneys to help clients coordinate personal estate planning with broader succession goals. This integrated approach can be particularly valuable for closely held businesses where family and business interests are closely connected.

Making Estate Planning More Understandable

Estate planning can feel intimidating for people who have never worked with an attorney before.

Attorney Matthew T. Haupt contributes to the firm's educational efforts by writing about practical topics that many families encounter, including planning for unmarried individuals, preparing legal documents when a child turns eighteen, digital assets, pet planning, probate, and specialized trust provisions. His goal, as described on the firm's website, is to make estate planning more approachable and help clients feel more comfortable navigating the planning process.

That emphasis on education reflects the firm's broader approach of helping clients understand not only what documents are being prepared, but why those decisions matter.

Serving Troy and Southeast Michigan

Located in Troy, Beier Howlett serves individuals, families, businesses, municipalities, and school districts throughout Southeast Michigan. Its Probate & Estate Planning Practice Group combines estate planning, probate, trust administration, tax planning, and business law experience to help clients prepare for the future while providing practical guidance when important life transitions occur.

Practice Areas

• Estate Planning

• Wills

• Trusts

• Probate Administration

• Estate Administration

• Trust Administration

• Probate Litigation

• Probate Avoidance

• Powers of Attorney

• Guardianships

• Conservatorships

• Elder Law

• Estate, Gift & Income Tax Planning