Foley Law Offices

Estate Planning & Probate Attorneys in Livonia, Michigan

Foley Law Offices, PLLC is a Livonia law firm handling estate planning, probate, probate litigation, guardianships, conservatorships, and related legal matters for individuals and families. The father-and-son practice includes attorneys Raymond I. Foley II and Raymond I. Foley III, whose work also extends into business law, real estate, and other civil matters.

The firm's estate practice addresses planning on both sides of a major life event. Clients can put arrangements in place for property, healthcare decisions, incapacity, minor children, and beneficiaries with special needs, while families can also obtain representation when a loved one has died and an estate must be administered through probate.

When a Spouse or Parent Can No Longer Handle Their Own Affairs

An illness, serious injury, or cognitive decline can create legal problems well before anyone needs to think about distributing an inheritance. Family members may need to pay bills, manage property, communicate with financial institutions, or make healthcare decisions for someone who can no longer act independently.

Foley Law Offices prepares durable financial powers of attorney and medical decision-making documents, including patient advocate designations. These arrangements allow clients to choose trusted individuals to handle specified matters if incapacity occurs.

When advance planning is not sufficient or appropriate arrangements are not already in place, a family may need to pursue a guardianship or conservatorship. Foley handles these proceedings as part of its probate practice, addressing situations in which legal authority is needed to make personal decisions or manage another person's financial affairs.

Deciding Who Would Care for Minor Children

For parents, an estate plan can answer questions that have little to do with the amount of money they own. One of the most important is who should care for their children if both parents die while the children are still minors.

A will can allow parents to nominate the person they would want to serve as guardian rather than leaving that preference unstated. Estate planning can also address how property intended for children should be handled until they are old enough to manage an inheritance themselves.

These decisions can be incorporated into a broader plan that addresses the parents' property, decision-making during incapacity, and the eventual transfer of assets to their children or other beneficiaries.

Providing for a Child or Adult With Special Needs

Leaving property to a family member with a disability can require planning beyond an outright inheritance. Families may need to consider how assets will be managed for someone who may require continuing assistance and whether a specialized trust structure is appropriate.

Foley Law Offices handles special-needs planning for children and adults with disabilities, including special-needs trusts. This allows parents and other family members to consider how resources can be set aside and managed for a beneficiary whose circumstances make a conventional inheritance less suitable.

The firm's trust practice extends beyond special-needs planning and includes revocable trusts and more specialized trust arrangements for clients whose family, financial, or tax circumstances call for additional planning.

Settling an Estate After a Loved One Dies

After a death, someone may become responsible for handling property and completing the legal process necessary to settle the estate. Even when relatives agree about what should happen, probate can involve unfamiliar responsibilities and court procedures.

Foley Law Offices represents families in probate matters and assists with the process of administering estates. The firm's estate-planning practice also allows clients to consider in advance how property will transfer and whether trusts or other arrangements make sense for their circumstances.

For families already dealing with a death, the focus shifts from creating the plan to determining what documents and assets exist, what probate procedures are necessary, and what must be done before property can ultimately pass to the appropriate beneficiaries.

When Family Members Disagree During Probate

Not every estate proceeds with the family in agreement. Questions can arise about how an estate is being handled, what beneficiaries are entitled to receive, or how competing interests should be resolved during the probate process.

Foley Law Offices handles probate litigation in addition to routine probate matters. This allows the firm to represent clients when estate administration becomes contested rather than limiting its probate practice to situations in which everyone agrees.

These disputes can add another layer of difficulty to an already challenging family situation. When litigation becomes necessary, the issues surrounding administration of the estate may need to be addressed alongside the underlying disagreement among beneficiaries, fiduciaries, or other interested parties.

Planning When a Family Owns a Business

A closely held business presents estate-planning questions that an ordinary personal asset does not. An owner may need to consider what happens if death or incapacity suddenly prevents that person from operating the company, who could eventually take ownership, and how a transition could affect family members or other owners.

Business succession planning is part of Foley Law Offices' broader business practice. The firm also handles business organizations, shareholder matters, contracts, and buy-sell agreements, allowing succession issues to be considered in connection with the legal structure and ownership of the company.

Raymond I. Foley II's practice has included extensive work with closely held corporations in addition to trusts, real estate, and estate-related matters. For a business owner, that overlap can be relevant when personal estate planning cannot realistically be separated from what happens to the company.

Estate Planning Beyond a Basic Will

Foley Law Offices prepares wills and revocable trusts while also handling more specialized trust and estate-planning arrangements when appropriate. The firm's work includes financial and medical powers of attorney, patient advocate designations, estate-tax planning, and several forms of trust planning.

The appropriate plan depends on the assets involved and the problems a family is trying to address. Someone with young children may have different priorities from a business owner, a family caring for a person with disabilities, or an older adult concerned about future incapacity.

Considering those circumstances together allows estate planning to address more than the eventual distribution of property. It can also establish who should act during incapacity, how particular beneficiaries should be provided for, and how more complicated assets fit into the family's overall plan.

Serving Livonia, Westland, Novi, Northville & Southeast Michigan

Foley Law Offices is based on Middlebelt Road in Livonia and serves individuals, families, and businesses throughout Metro Detroit and Southeast Michigan. The firm specifically identifies Livonia, Westland, Novi, and Northville among the communities where its attorneys practice.

The firm has also indicated that it maintains two locations, although its current website prominently identifies the Livonia office. From its Livonia practice, Foley provides estate planning, probate, probate litigation, guardianship and conservatorship services alongside its broader business, real estate, and civil practice.

Practice Areas

• Estate Planning

• Wills

• Revocable Trusts

• Specialized Trust Planning

• Special Needs Trusts

• Special Needs Planning

• Durable Powers of Attorney

• Patient Advocate Designations

• Probate Administration

• Probate Litigation

• Guardianships

• Conservatorships

• Estate Tax Planning

• Business Succession Planning

• Business Law