Frederick & Frederick, Attorneys at Law

Probate & Estate Planning Attorneys in Livonia, Michigan

Frederick & Frederick, Attorneys at Law is a Livonia firm focused on probate and estate planning. Formed in Livonia in 1991, the firm includes attorneys James P. Frederick and Paul J. Frederick and serves individuals and families in Livonia and the surrounding metropolitan Detroit area.

The firm's work covers both sides of the estate process. It helps clients put plans in place through wills and trusts while also representing families after a death, when property must be administered through probate. Its probate practice extends from routine estate administration to contested proceedings and more complicated estate matters involving litigation.

When You Become Responsible for Settling an Estate

A family member's death can leave someone with legal responsibilities they have never handled before. Property must be identified, the deceased person's estate plan located, and a determination made about whether probate is necessary before assets can ultimately be transferred to the appropriate people.

Frederick & Frederick represents clients through the Michigan probate process. For a personal representative, legal guidance can help clarify what must be done to administer the estate and complete the court proceedings associated with transferring probate property.

Even an estate without family conflict can require a formal process. The responsibilities involved in probate are separate from the grief and other practical matters a family may already be handling after a death, making it important for the person administering the estate to understand the steps that must be completed.

Does Having a Will Keep an Estate Out of Probate?

A common estate-planning misconception is that preparing a will automatically prevents probate. A will provides instructions for property subject to the document, but the existence of a will does not by itself eliminate the probate process.

Whether property requires probate depends in part on how the property is owned and how it is arranged to transfer at death. Estate planning therefore involves more than writing down who should inherit particular assets.

Frederick & Frederick helps clients prepare wills while also addressing probate avoidance through other planning arrangements. For someone whose goal is to simplify the eventual transfer of property, understanding the relationship between a will, ownership of assets, and probate can be an important part of creating the plan.

Using a Revocable Trust When Avoiding Probate Is a Goal

A revocable living trust can provide another way to hold and eventually transfer property. Unlike a will alone, properly structured trust planning can allow assets held through the trust to pass without those particular assets being administered through probate.

A revocable trust can also allow the person creating it to retain control over the property during life while establishing instructions for how the assets should later be managed and distributed.

Frederick & Frederick assists clients with revocable trust planning as part of its estate practice. Whether a trust makes sense depends on the client's circumstances and objectives rather than simply on a desire to have more estate-planning documents. For families particularly concerned about probate, the distinction between property passing through a will and property properly held in a trust can be especially important.

When an Ordinary Probate Becomes a Dispute

Some estates are administered without significant disagreement. Others become contested when family members, beneficiaries, fiduciaries, or other interested parties cannot agree about issues arising during the probate process.

Frederick & Frederick handles contested probate litigation in addition to routine estate administration. This allows the firm to represent clients when a probate matter moves beyond completing the ordinary procedural requirements of settling an estate.

Contested proceedings can make administration substantially more complicated. The person responsible for the estate may have to continue fulfilling probate responsibilities while the underlying dispute is being addressed through the court.

The firm's combination of probate administration and probate litigation is particularly relevant in these circumstances because the legal problem is no longer simply how to settle the estate, but how to move the administration forward while a contested issue remains unresolved.

When an Estate Involves a Wrongful-Death Matter

Some probate estates involve legal issues arising directly from the circumstances of the person's death. Frederick & Frederick includes wrongful-death matters among the more complicated probate cases it handles.

These situations can add another dimension to estate administration because the personal representative may be responsible for an estate while legal proceedings connected with the death are also underway.

The firm's experience with probate and litigation allows it to handle estate matters that extend beyond an uncontested transfer of property, including circumstances in which the probate estate is connected to a wrongful-death matter.

Planning Before Probate Becomes a Family Responsibility

Probate work gives Frederick & Frederick experience with what happens after an estate plan reaches the point when it must actually be carried out. Its estate-planning practice addresses the earlier stage: deciding how property should pass and putting appropriate documents and arrangements in place while the client is alive.

The firm prepares wills and establishes trusts for clients with different estate-planning needs. For someone considering a revocable trust, planning can also involve deciding which property should be incorporated into the trust structure so the eventual transfer works as intended.

For families, these decisions can affect how much work remains after a death. Estate planning cannot eliminate every responsibility associated with settling someone's affairs, but it can establish clearer instructions and determine how particular assets will be transferred.

A Practice Focused on Estate Planning & Probate

Frederick & Frederick differs from a general-practice firm that handles occasional estate matters alongside numerous unrelated services. Probate and estate planning form the central focus of the firm's practice.

James P. Frederick has concentrated his legal work in estate planning and probate since beginning practice in 1989. Together with Paul J. Frederick, he represents clients ranging from individuals putting wills or trusts in place to families dealing with probate proceedings and contested estate matters after a death.

That concentration also shapes the firm's educational approach to estate planning. Rather than treating preparation of a will as the end of the process, the firm's work addresses how different planning arrangements affect what ultimately happens when an estate must be settled.

Serving Livonia & the Metropolitan Detroit Area

Frederick & Frederick is located on North Laurel Park Drive in Livonia, where the firm has been based since its formation in 1991. From its Livonia office, the attorneys provide probate and estate-planning representation to clients in the surrounding metropolitan Detroit area.

For families already facing a death, the firm's work ranges from ordinary probate administration to contested and more complicated proceedings. For clients planning ahead, its services include wills and trusts and consideration of how property can be arranged to accomplish the client's estate-planning objectives.

Practice Areas

• Estate Planning

• Probate

• Probate Administration

• Probate Litigation

• Contested Probate Matters

• Wills

• Revocable Living Trusts

• Probate Avoidance Planning

• Wrongful-Death Probate Matters