Clint Perryman, Attorney at Law

Estate Planning & Trust Attorney in Flint, Michigan

Estate planning gives individuals and families an opportunity to make important decisions before illness, incapacity, or death forces others to make them. Parents may need to choose who would care for minor children, a family may want to protect an inheritance for someone who needs help managing money, and an individual may want to decide who can handle financial or healthcare matters if an accident or illness leaves them unable to act independently.

Clint W. Perryman provides estate planning, trust, business planning, and estate and trust administration services from its Flint office. Attorney Emily Nestor Lippert focuses her practice on estate planning and related matters, helping clients create plans for their families and assisting with the responsibilities that arise after a death.

Creating a Will for Your Family

A will allows someone to put important decisions in writing rather than leaving the disposition of probate property entirely to Michigan law.

The firm's estate-planning services include preparing wills. A will can identify beneficiaries, nominate a personal representative to handle the estate, and allow parents to nominate guardians for minor children.

For parents, choosing a potential guardian can be one of the most important parts of creating an estate plan. It gives them an opportunity to express who they believe should care for their children if neither parent is available to do so.

A will should also be reconsidered as circumstances change. Marriage, children, changes in property, or other significant developments can leave an older estate plan inconsistent with someone's current family situation or wishes.

Using a Trust to Plan an Inheritance

Clint Perryman also assists clients with trusts, including revocable and irrevocable trusts.

A trust can provide greater control over how and when property is managed and distributed. That can be useful when someone does not want a beneficiary to receive an inheritance outright or wants to establish instructions for how assets should be handled over time.

Trust planning can be particularly relevant for parents concerned about leaving substantial property to younger beneficiaries or other family members who may not be ready to manage an inheritance independently.

Providing for a Family Member With Special Needs

Families caring for someone with a disability can face additional estate-planning considerations.

The firm's estate-planning services include special-needs trusts. These trusts can provide a way to leave resources for a disabled beneficiary while taking into account eligibility for government assistance.

For parents or other relatives, the concern may extend well beyond deciding who inherits property. They may also need to consider how a disabled loved one will receive financial support after the people currently providing care and assistance are no longer available.

Preparing for Financial Incapacity

An estate plan can address circumstances that occur during someone's lifetime as well as what happens after death.

The firm prepares durable financial powers of attorney, allowing clients to designate someone to handle financial matters if assistance becomes necessary.

This can become important after an accident, serious illness, or decline in capacity. Establishing authority in advance allows someone to choose the person they trust to act rather than waiting until a family is dealing with an unexpected crisis.

Making Plans for Healthcare Decisions

Medical incapacity can create a different set of concerns. A person may be unable to communicate with doctors or make healthcare decisions even though important choices still need to be made.

Clint Perryman assists with medical powers of attorney and patient advocate designations, as well as advance directives or living wills and HIPAA authorizations.

These documents can establish who should participate in healthcare decisions and help provide direction concerning a person's wishes if they become unable to communicate those decisions themselves.

Coordinating Beneficiary Designations With an Estate Plan

Not every asset necessarily passes according to the terms of a will.

The firm's estate-planning work includes reviewing beneficiary designations for assets such as retirement accounts, life insurance policies, and bank accounts. Those designations can play an important role in determining who receives property after an owner's death.

Reviewing them as part of the broader estate-planning process can help identify whether existing beneficiary arrangements still reflect someone's current intentions.

Helping Business Owners Plan Ahead

Business ownership can complicate estate planning because the business itself may represent an important financial asset as well as a source of income for the owner and family.

Emily Nestor Lippert's practice includes business planning and organization in addition to estate planning. Coordinating these areas can be particularly useful for small-business owners who need to consider how their ownership interests fit within their broader plans for themselves and their families.

Changes involving a business can also provide a reason to revisit an existing estate plan rather than treating business and personal planning as entirely separate matters.

Administering an Estate or Trust After a Death

Creating an estate plan is only part of the process. Eventually, someone may become responsible for carrying out that plan.

Emily Lippert's practice includes estate and trust administration. A person named to administer an estate or serve as trustee may suddenly assume responsibilities they have never handled before, often shortly after the death of a family member.

Legal assistance can help fiduciaries understand their responsibilities as they work through the administration of an estate or trust.

Attorney Emily Nestor Lippert

Emily Nestor Lippert focuses her practice on estate planning, business planning and organization, and estate and trust administration.

Her work with estates, trusts, and businesses began before she became an attorney, including experience as a legal assistant and law clerk. She earned her law degree cum laude in 2022 with a concentration in Business and Estate Planning for Small Business.

Lippert has also earned an ICLE Certificate of Completion in Probate and Estate Planning.

Her combination of estate-planning and business work provides a useful connection for individuals whose family finances include ownership of a small or closely held business.

Clint W. Perryman in Flint

Clint W. Perryman PC is located at 601 S. Saginaw Street, Suite 300, Flint, Michigan 48502.

While Clint Perryman's own practice is concentrated on criminal defense, the firm's estate-planning, trust, business-planning, and administration services are handled by Emily Nestor Lippert.

Practice Areas

• Estate Planning

• Wills

• Revocable Trusts

• Irrevocable Trusts

• Special-Needs Trusts

• Durable Financial Powers of Attorney

• Medical Powers of Attorney

• Patient Advocate Designations

• Advance Directives and Living Wills

• HIPAA Authorizations

• Beneficiary-Designation Review

• Estate Administration

• Trust Administration

• Business Planning and Organization