Hamilton, London & Davis

Estate Planning, Probate & Guardianship Attorneys in Ann Arbor, Michigan

Estate planning often starts with a practical concern. You may want to make sure your children receive the family home, name someone to handle your finances if you become ill, or give a trusted person authority to make medical decisions.

After a death, the questions become more immediate. Someone may need to open a probate estate, locate property, follow a will, resolve debts, and distribute assets. If family members disagree, the matter may require negotiation or court involvement.

Hamilton, London & Davis, PLC assists Ann Arbor-area families with wills, living trusts, powers of attorney, healthcare directives, probate proceedings, guardianships, conservatorships, and disputes involving wills or trusts.

I Need a Will

A will allows you to state who should receive property passing through your probate estate and name the person who should carry out your instructions.

Without a valid will, Michigan law determines which relatives inherit probate property. Those rules may not reflect your wishes, particularly when your family includes children from an earlier relationship, unmarried partners, stepchildren, or relatives with different needs.

Parents can also use a will to nominate the person they would want to care for minor children. Making that choice in advance gives relatives and the probate court clear evidence of the parents’ wishes.

Hamilton, London & Davis prepares wills based on each client’s family, property, and goals.

Would a Living Trust Help Us Avoid Probate?

A living trust can hold property during your lifetime and direct how that property should be handled after your death.

The person creating the trust usually manages the assets while able to do so and names a successor trustee to take over after death or incapacity. Property properly transferred into the trust may pass without going through the ordinary probate process.

Creating the document is only part of the work. Accounts, real estate, and other assets may need to be retitled or otherwise coordinated with the trust. Hamilton, London & Davis expressly assists clients with both drafting living trusts and funding them.

Good planning may reduce or eliminate the need for probate, but the result depends on how property is owned and whether the plan has been properly completed.

What Is the Best Way to Leave My Home to My Children?

A home is often a family’s largest and most emotionally important asset.

There are several possible ways to transfer it. A will can leave the home to children, but the property generally must pass through probate. A living trust can own the home and direct the successor trustee to transfer it after death. Joint ownership may permit an automatic transfer, but it can also give the children present ownership rights and require their cooperation if the parent later wants to sell.

Another option may be a Lady Bird deed. This type of deed can name beneficiaries who will receive the property after the owner’s death while allowing the owner to retain control during life.

Each method has different consequences involving control, probate, taxes, and future transactions. Because Hamilton, London & Davis practices in both estate planning and real estate law, the firm can help homeowners compare those options rather than treating the deed and estate plan as separate matters.

Who Will Handle My Finances If I Cannot?

A serious illness, injury, or cognitive condition may prevent someone from paying bills, managing accounts, signing documents, or handling property.

A power of attorney allows a chosen agent to perform authorized financial or legal tasks. Preparing the document before incapacity can give the family a clear way to manage necessary affairs without immediately seeking authority from the Probate Court.

The person appointed may receive substantial responsibility, so clients should consider trustworthiness, availability, and financial judgment when making the choice.

Hamilton, London & Davis prepares powers of attorney as part of its estate-planning services.

Who Will Make Healthcare Decisions for Me?

Medical emergencies can leave relatives uncertain about who has authority to speak for an unconscious or incapacitated patient.

The firm prepares living wills and documents appointing healthcare advocates. These arrangements allow clients to identify a trusted decision-maker and provide direction about future medical care.

Discussing those decisions in advance can reduce conflict during a crisis and help the appointed person understand what the patient would want.

Healthcare planning should also be reviewed after divorce, remarriage, or another major relationship change. A person named years earlier may no longer be the right choice.

Our Family Situation Has Changed

Estate plans should reflect the family as it exists now, not as it looked many years ago.

Divorce, remarriage, the birth of a child, a new relationship, a death in the family, or a major property purchase may all create reasons to review existing documents.

Kym London practices in both family law and estate planning, while Kristin Davis combines estate and probate work with real estate, business law, and litigation. Those overlapping practice areas may be useful when a planning decision is connected to divorce, custody, property ownership, or another broader legal issue.

Dad Died and I Have to Probate the Estate

Probate is the court-supervised process used to handle certain property owned by a person who has died.

The personal representative may need to file documents with the Probate Court, identify and safeguard assets, notify interested parties, address creditor claims, pay valid expenses, and distribute property under the will or Michigan law.

Hamilton, London & Davis handles probate proceedings from beginning to end. Its attorneys have experience practicing in the Washtenaw County Probate Court and can guide personal representatives through the required steps.

That assistance may be particularly valuable when the estate includes real estate, a business interest, uncertain debts, or beneficiaries who do not agree about what should happen.

Our Family Is Fighting Over a Will or Trust

A disagreement may arise over whether a will is valid, what a trust provision means, who should control estate property, or whether a fiduciary has properly performed their duties.

Some disputes can be resolved through negotiation. Others may benefit from mediation or arbitration. When no agreement is possible, litigation may be necessary.

Hamilton, London & Davis handles litigation involving wills and trusts and has broader experience representing both plaintiffs and defendants in civil cases. The firm works through negotiation, mediation, arbitration, and courtroom proceedings depending on the circumstances.

Having estate-planning, probate, and litigation experience within the same practice may help when a family matter moves from administration into a contested case.

My Relative Needs a Guardian or Conservator

An adult who can no longer make informed personal or financial decisions may need court-appointed assistance.

A guardian generally receives authority over personal-care decisions. A conservator generally manages money and property. Similar court involvement may also be needed when a minor has no parent available to provide care or manage assets.

Hamilton, London & Davis handles guardianship and conservatorship matters through the Probate Court.

These proceedings can significantly affect an individual’s independence and property rights. Families should understand what authority is actually necessary and whether an existing estate-planning document may provide a less restrictive solution.

Practical Legal Guidance in Ann Arbor

Hamilton, London & Davis describes its work as a collaborative process. The attorneys gather information, identify the client’s goals, explain the available options and likely costs, and then proceed according to the client’s decisions.

The firm has extensive experience in Washtenaw County courts and represents individuals, families, businesses, and fiduciaries throughout the Greater Ann Arbor area.

Its office is located on Hogback Road in Ann Arbor, near the Briarwood area, with free parking.

Practice Areas

• Estate Planning

• Will Preparation

• Living Trusts

• Trust Funding

• Powers of Attorney

• Living Wills

• Healthcare Advocate Appointments

• Probate Proceedings

• Will Litigation

• Trust Litigation

• Guardianships

• Conservatorships