Bruce R. Nichols, Attorney at Law

Estate Planning, Probate & Elder Law Lawyer in Grosse Pointe Farms, Michigan

Estate planning may involve deciding who receives property after death, but it can also address concerns that arise years earlier. Parents may want an inheritance managed for their children rather than distributed immediately. An older adult may need to prepare for possible incapacity or long-term care. A homeowner may want to determine how real estate should pass, while a family dealing with a death may need help administering an estate or resolving a disagreement among relatives.

Bruce R. Nichols, Attorney at Law, provides estate planning, probate, elder law, real estate, and mediation services from his Grosse Pointe Farms office. His estate work includes wills, living and testamentary trusts, powers of attorney, healthcare directives, Lady Bird deeds, probate and estate administration, guardianships, conservatorships, and planning involving Medicaid, Medicare, and nursing-home care.

Nichols has practiced law since 1976 and has completed ICLE's Certificate of Completion in Probate and Estate Planning.

A Will That Still Reflects Your Family and Property

A will provides an opportunity to establish how probate property should be distributed and who should be responsible for administering the estate.

Nichols prepares wills and advises clients on updating existing estate plans. Reviewing an older will can become important after changes involving marriage, divorce, children, beneficiaries, property, or the people originally chosen to carry out important responsibilities.

An estate plan created many years ago may continue to be legally significant even though the person's family or financial circumstances have changed considerably.

Revisiting the plan provides an opportunity to determine whether earlier decisions still make sense and whether the documents continue to reflect the person's current intentions.

Managing an Inheritance for Children or Grandchildren

Leaving property to a child does not necessarily mean the inheritance must be distributed outright.

Nichols prepares testamentary trusts that can be established through a will to manage inherited property for beneficiaries. This can be useful for parents with minor children as well as families who do not want an older child or other beneficiary receiving an entire inheritance immediately.

Parents can consider the ages or circumstances under which property should become available rather than relying on a single unrestricted distribution.

This allows estate planning to address both who should ultimately benefit from property and how that property should be managed in the meantime.

For families with younger beneficiaries, that distinction can be an important part of creating a plan that continues to operate for years after a parent's death.

Creating a Living Trust Is Only Part of the Job

Nichols also prepares revocable living trusts.

A living trust can allow the person creating it to continue managing trust property during life while naming a successor trustee to assume responsibility when necessary. Properly transferred trust assets can then be administered under the trust after death rather than through routine probate.

The transfer of property into the trust is an important part of this arrangement. A trust document by itself does not place assets into the trust, making trust funding a practical component of implementing the plan.

Living trusts can also provide continued management when property should remain in trust for beneficiaries rather than being distributed immediately.

Nichols' trust planning includes situations involving real estate outside Michigan and circumstances in which an inheritance may need to be structured with a beneficiary's government benefits in mind.

Preparing for Incapacity During Your Lifetime

Estate planning also determines who can act if someone becomes unable to handle important matters personally.

Nichols prepares financial powers of attorney and healthcare directives as part of his planning services. These documents can establish authority for trusted individuals to address financial or medical matters under the circumstances specified in the documents.

A living trust can provide additional continuity for assets held by the trust because a successor trustee can take responsibility if the original trustee becomes unable to manage them.

These arrangements address a different concern from the distribution of an estate after death. They establish who should have authority while the individual is still living but needs assistance.

Making those selections in advance allows the individual to choose the people entrusted with those responsibilities.

Planning for a Home With a Lady Bird Deed

Real estate can require particular attention because a home may represent one of the largest assets in an estate.

Nichols handles real estate law in addition to estate planning and prepares Lady Bird deeds for clients when appropriate. These deeds can provide a way to arrange for Michigan real estate to pass to designated beneficiaries at the owner's death while the owner retains specified rights during life.

A home can also be incorporated into trust planning.

The appropriate arrangement depends on how the owner wants the property handled and how that transfer fits with the rest of the estate plan. Nichols' combination of real estate and estate-planning work allows ownership and future transfer of the property to be considered together.

Taking Responsibility for an Estate After a Death

Nichols represents people responsible for administering estates after someone dies.

A person named to handle an estate may encounter responsibilities involving probate property, debts, beneficiaries, and the eventual transfer of assets. Even with a valid will, the individual responsible for administration may need to complete legal and practical steps before property can be distributed and the estate concluded.

For someone serving in this role for the first time, the responsibilities can be unfamiliar and may arise while the family is simultaneously dealing with a death.

Nichols guides executors and other estate representatives through probate and estate administration and the responsibilities associated with settling the deceased person's affairs.

Planning for Nursing-Home and Long-Term-Care Concerns

Nichols' elder-law work includes Medicaid and Medicare issues and planning related to nursing-home care.

For an older adult and family, long-term care can raise questions that overlap with existing estate plans and financial arrangements. The individual may need to consider potential care needs alongside property ownership, decision-making authority, and plans for beneficiaries.

Addressing these issues before a crisis can provide more opportunity to evaluate the person's circumstances and available planning options.

Nichols also handles guardianships and conservatorships, which can become relevant when someone is unable to manage personal or financial affairs and court-established authority is required.

An Inheritance That Could Affect Government Benefits

Additional planning may be appropriate when an intended beneficiary receives needs-based government assistance.

Nichols addresses trust planning for situations in which receiving an inheritance outright could affect a beneficiary's Medicaid or Social Security benefits.

Rather than treating the beneficiary like every other person named in an estate plan, the family can consider how inherited property should be structured and managed in light of those benefits.

This can be particularly important for parents or relatives who want to provide additional financial resources without overlooking the programs on which the beneficiary relies.

Resolving Family Estate Disputes Through Mediation

Estate disagreements do not always have to begin with an adversarial court proceeding.

Nichols is a court-certified mediator in Michigan and provides mediation involving estate and family disputes. His work includes helping families in Wayne and Macomb counties address disagreements arising after a death.

Disputes involving inheritance or estate administration can be especially difficult because legal and financial questions may be intertwined with longstanding family relationships.

Mediation gives the parties an opportunity to work toward a negotiated resolution with the assistance of a neutral mediator. Nichols' probate and estate-planning background complements this work by providing experience with the legal issues underlying estate-related disagreements.

Decades of Estate and Probate Experience

Bruce R. Nichols has practiced law since 1976. He is a member of the State Bar of Michigan's Probate and Estate Planning Section as well as the Wayne County and Macomb County Probate Bar Associations.

He has also completed ICLE's Certificate of Completion in Probate and Estate Planning.

His practice combines estate planning and probate with elder law, real estate, and mediation. For estate clients, that work ranges from preparing wills and trusts to planning for incapacity and long-term care, administering estates after death, and mediating disputes among family members.

Serving Grosse Pointe Farms and the Detroit Area

Bruce R. Nichols' office is located at 18430 Mack Avenue in Grosse Pointe Farms. He serves estate-planning and probate clients in the Detroit area and elsewhere in Michigan, with estate-dispute mediation serving families in Wayne and Macomb counties.

Practice Areas

• Estate Planning

• Wills

• Revocable Living Trusts

• Testamentary Trusts

• Financial Powers of Attorney

• Healthcare Directives and Living Wills

• Lady Bird Deeds

• Probate

• Estate Administration

• Guardianships

• Conservatorships

• Elder Law

• Medicaid and Medicare Planning

• Nursing-Home Planning

• Estate and Family Mediation