Halm & Prine

Estate Planning & Probate Attorneys in Howell, Michigan

Estate planning gives families an opportunity to make important decisions before illness, incapacity or death makes those decisions more urgent. A person may want to establish who receives property, choose someone who can act on their behalf if necessary, or make arrangements that will make settling an estate easier for surviving family members.

Halm & Prine PC provides estate planning and probate services from its Howell office. The firm's estate practice includes wills, trusts, powers of attorney, probate and estate administration. Its broader work in business law also includes business succession matters.

Deciding What Should Happen to Your Property

For many people, estate planning begins with a basic question: what should happen to the property they have accumulated during their lifetime?

Halm & Prine prepares wills and trusts to help clients establish plans for their assets. The appropriate arrangement depends on the client's property, family circumstances and objectives.

Making these decisions in advance can provide clearer direction for the people who eventually have to handle someone's affairs. It also gives the individual creating the plan an opportunity to consider potential family issues before relatives are dealing with them after a death.

A family's circumstances can change considerably over time, making estate planning relevant at different stages of life rather than only after someone reaches old age.

Giving Someone Authority to Act for You

Estate planning is also about preparing for events that occur during life.

An illness or injury can make it difficult or impossible for someone to continue handling important affairs independently. Family members may be willing to step in, but a close relationship by itself does not necessarily provide the legal authority needed to act for another adult.

Halm & Prine prepares powers of attorney as part of its estate-planning practice. These documents allow a person to designate someone to act on their behalf under the authority established in the document.

Choosing that person ahead of time can provide greater certainty for both the client and the family if assistance eventually becomes necessary.

When a Family Has to Go Through Probate

After someone dies, surviving relatives may face legal responsibilities in addition to dealing with the loss itself.

Halm & Prine handles probate and estate administration. These services can become important when a deceased person's property must be administered and ultimately transferred to the appropriate beneficiaries.

For the person responsible for an estate, the process may be unfamiliar. That individual can find themselves dealing with legal and financial responsibilities involving someone else's property while also communicating with relatives and trying to understand what needs to happen next.

Probate provides a legal process for administering an estate. Legal assistance can help the person handling the estate understand the responsibilities involved and move the administration toward completion.

Estate Administration Is More Than Dividing Property

Family members sometimes think settling an estate simply means determining who receives the deceased person's belongings.

Estate administration can involve broader responsibilities. The person handling the estate must deal with the deceased person's affairs before the remaining property can ultimately pass to beneficiaries.

That distinction can be important when an estate contains a home, financial assets, personal property or other interests that cannot simply be divided immediately after death.

Halm & Prine's practice includes both probate and estate administration, providing assistance to families responsible for carrying out this process.

When a Family Member Needs a Guardian

Sometimes a family reaches a point when another person needs legal authority to make decisions for someone who cannot adequately make those decisions independently.

Halm & Prine handles guardianship matters as part of its broader family-law practice.

Guardianship can involve deeply personal questions because the proceeding concerns another person's ability to make important decisions. Families may find themselves addressing the issue after a significant change in a loved one's circumstances or abilities.

This is also one reason planning ahead can matter. Powers of attorney and other advance arrangements allow individuals to make choices about future assistance while they are able to participate directly in those decisions.

When a Business Is Part of the Family's Future

Business owners have planning concerns that extend beyond their personal property.

A closely held business may represent years of work and a significant portion of the owner's financial resources. Its future can also affect family members, co-owners and employees.

Halm & Prine handles business succession as part of its business-law practice. Succession planning allows owners to consider what happens when leadership or ownership needs to change rather than waiting until an unexpected event forces the issue.

For a family business, these questions can become particularly important when relatives have different levels of involvement in the company. Some family members may work in the business while others have pursued entirely different careers.

Considering the future of the business in advance can help an owner address these issues as part of broader planning for the family and its assets.

Estate and Probate Services in Howell

Halm & Prine is located on West Grand River Avenue in Howell and also serves clients in surrounding Livingston County communities, including Brighton, Hartland, Hamburg and Pinckney.

The firm's estate work addresses both sides of planning: making arrangements before problems occur and helping families deal with legal responsibilities after a death. For one client, that may involve creating a will or trust or establishing authority through a power of attorney. For another family, the immediate concern may be probate and administering the estate of someone who has died.

The firm's related guardianship and business succession work can also become relevant when family responsibilities or business ownership make the situation more complicated.

Practice Areas

• Estate Planning

• Wills

• Trusts

• Powers of Attorney

• Probate

• Estate Administration

• Guardianship

• Business Succession Planning