Dean & Fulkerson

Estate Planning Attorneys in Troy, Michigan

Estate planning is one of several legal services offered by Dean & Fulkerson, P.C. The firm's estate planning practice helps individuals, families, fiduciaries, and business owners prepare for the transfer of assets, protect loved ones during periods of incapacity, and address legal issues that may arise after a death.

Whether someone is creating an estate plan for the first time or updating older documents to reflect changing family circumstances, careful planning can help ensure that financial and personal decisions are carried out according to their wishes.

Building an Estate Plan That Reflects Life Changes

An estate plan should evolve as life changes. Marriage, divorce, the birth of children or grandchildren, retirement, disability, or the loss of a family member can all create reasons to review existing documents.

Dean & Fulkerson prepares wills, trusts, durable financial powers of attorney, medical powers of attorney, and living wills. The firm's attorneys work with clients to create estate plans that address both the management of assets during life and the transfer of property after death.

Guiding Families Through Probate and Trust Administration

After a person dies, the responsibility for administering an estate or trust often falls to a family member or another trusted individual who has never served in that role before. Personal representatives and trustees may be responsible for collecting assets, paying debts, communicating with beneficiaries, and completing court filings or tax obligations.

Dean & Fulkerson advises executors, trustees, personal representatives, and other fiduciaries throughout probate and trust administration, helping them understand and fulfill their legal responsibilities under Michigan law.

Planning for Businesses and Complex Estates

Estate planning sometimes involves more than preparing wills and trusts. Business owners may need a succession plan to address what happens if an owner retires, becomes incapacitated, or dies. Other families may have concerns about estate taxes, charitable giving, or preserving assets for future generations.

Dean & Fulkerson assists with business succession planning, family limited partnerships, estate and gift tax planning, and charitable planning strategies that can be coordinated with an overall estate plan.

Guardianships and Estate Disputes

Some legal matters arise because a family member can no longer manage personal or financial affairs independently. Others develop after a death when beneficiaries disagree about the administration of an estate or the validity of estate planning documents.

Dean & Fulkerson represents clients in guardianship and conservatorship proceedings and also handles litigation involving wills, trusts, fiduciary responsibilities, and related estate disputes when conflicts cannot be resolved informally.

Estate Planning Services from Troy

From its Troy office, Dean & Fulkerson provides estate planning and related legal services for clients throughout southeastern Michigan. Because the firm also advises fiduciaries, business owners, and families facing probate or trust disputes, clients can continue working with the same firm as their legal needs change over time.

Practice Areas

• Estate Planning

• Wills

• Trusts

• Durable Financial Powers of Attorney

• Medical Powers of Attorney

• Living Wills

• Probate Administration

• Trust Administration

• Fiduciary Representation

• Guardianships

• Conservatorships

• Estate and Gift Tax Planning

• Business Succession Planning

• Family Limited Partnerships

• Charitable Planning

• Will Contests

• Trust Litigation

• Fiduciary Litigation