Debolski, Debolski & O'Connor

Wills & Estate Planning Attorneys in Garden City, Michigan

Estate planning does not have to involve a large or complicated estate to be important. Someone may simply want to decide who receives property after death, choose another person to handle financial matters if necessary, or make arrangements for a family member who cannot manage personal or financial affairs independently.

Debolski, Debolski & O'Connor provides estate planning services from its Garden City and Ann Arbor offices. The firm's work includes wills, trusts, powers of attorney, guardianships, and conservatorships. Estate planning is one part of a broader legal practice that also includes family law, criminal defense, bankruptcy, traffic matters, and personal injury.

For individuals who have never created an estate plan, the firm's materials place particular emphasis on putting wishes in writing rather than leaving Michigan law to determine what happens to property.

When You Don't Have a Will

Without a valid will, a person's probate property is distributed according to Michigan's intestate succession laws rather than according to instructions the person selected.

Debolski, Debolski & O'Connor assists clients with preparing wills that establish how they want their property handled after death. A will provides an opportunity to identify intended beneficiaries instead of relying exclusively on Michigan's statutory inheritance rules.

This can matter even when someone does not consider themselves wealthy. A house, vehicle, savings, personal belongings, and other property can still leave family members with questions about what the deceased person intended.

Preparing a will allows those decisions to be made while the individual is able to make them rather than leaving the distribution of probate property to the state's default rules.

Don't Wait Until Declining Health Makes Planning More Difficult

The firm's estate planning materials specifically caution against waiting too long to prepare a will.

A valid will requires the person making it to have the necessary mental capacity. That can become an issue when an older adult or someone facing serious health problems postpones planning until cognitive decline has progressed.

This creates a practical reason to address estate planning while someone remains able to consider options and clearly express their wishes.

Planning earlier can also give families time to discuss the individual's intentions and prepare appropriate documents without the pressure that accompanies a sudden health crisis. The objective is not simply to have a document eventually, but to put one in place while the person still has the legal capacity to make those decisions.

When an Old Will No Longer Reflects Your Life

Creating a will is not necessarily a one-time event.

Debolski, Debolski & O'Connor advises clients to review estate planning documents as circumstances change. The firm's materials specifically note that changes in property and other developments may make an existing will outdated.

Someone may acquire or dispose of significant assets, experience changes within the family, or simply realize that decisions made years earlier no longer reflect current wishes.

An old will does not automatically change simply because someone's circumstances have. Reviewing it periodically provides an opportunity to determine whether the beneficiaries and instructions still make sense and whether revisions are appropriate.

For someone who already has estate documents, the relevant question may therefore be less about creating a new plan from scratch and more about whether the existing plan still says what the person wants it to say.

Giving Someone Authority Through a Power of Attorney

Not every estate planning decision concerns what happens after death.

Debolski, Debolski & O'Connor includes powers of attorney among its estate planning services. A power of attorney can provide another person with legal authority to act on someone's behalf in circumstances covered by the document.

This can become important when illness, incapacity, or other circumstances make it difficult for an individual to handle matters personally.

Putting that authority in place beforehand allows the individual to choose who should act rather than waiting until assistance is already needed. It also makes powers of attorney an important complement to wills and trusts: one set of documents addresses future inheritance, while another can address authority needed during the person's lifetime.

When a Loved One Can No Longer Manage Affairs Independently

Sometimes a family reaches the point where advance planning is no longer enough or was never completed.

Debolski, Debolski & O'Connor handles guardianship and conservatorship matters. These proceedings can become relevant when someone is unable to manage important aspects of personal or financial life independently.

Guardianship generally concerns responsibility for personal decisions, while conservatorship concerns the management of property and financial affairs.

These cases can arise in families dealing with aging, declining capacity, disability, or other circumstances in which a loved one needs someone else to assume legal responsibility for particular decisions.

Because guardianships and conservatorships involve court-established authority, they are different from powers of attorney voluntarily created by someone in advance. The firm's practice encompasses both forms of planning and assistance.

Estate Planning Within a Broader Legal Practice

Debolski, Debolski & O'Connor is a general-practice firm rather than a law office devoted exclusively to trusts and estates.

Its estate planning services include wills, trusts, powers of attorney, guardianships, and conservatorships. The firm's broader practice includes family law, criminal defense, bankruptcy, traffic matters, and personal injury.

That distinction is useful for families evaluating the type of estate-planning practice they need. The firm's website supports straightforward planning and lifetime decision-making services, but does not provide enough current information to characterize the practice as one focused on sophisticated tax planning, Medicaid planning, special-needs trusts, or complex wealth-transfer strategies.

Garden City & Ann Arbor Offices

Debolski, Debolski & O'Connor maintains an office at 30551 Ford Road in Garden City. The firm also has an Ann Arbor office at 3003 Washtenaw Avenue, Suite E.

Practice Areas

• Estate Planning

• Wills

• Trusts

• Powers of Attorney

• Guardianships

• Conservatorships