Kelly Law Firm

Estate Planning, Probate & Elder Law Attorneys in Port Huron, Michigan

Families often need legal help at very different stages of life. Parents may want to create wills and trusts while their children are young. An older adult may become concerned about the cost of long-term care or the possibility of needing a nursing home. After a death, family members may find themselves responsible for administering an estate or trust, sometimes while dealing with disagreements among beneficiaries.

Kelly Law Firm provides estate planning, probate, elder law, Medicaid planning, guardianship and conservatorship services from its Port Huron office. The firm's estate-related attorneys include John D. Adair, Janal L. Mossett, and Kellen Lynch Elliott. Their work ranges from preparing estate plans to administering estates and trusts and handling probate disputes.

Creating an Estate Plan for Your Family

Kelly Law Firm assists clients with wills, trusts, powers of attorney, and other estate-planning matters. John Adair's practice includes wills and trusts, while Janal Mossett and Kellen Elliott also practice extensively in estate planning.

The appropriate plan can depend on a family's circumstances rather than following the same formula for everyone. Someone creating an estate plan may need to decide who should receive property, who should be responsible for carrying out their wishes, and who should have authority to act if illness or incapacity makes assistance necessary.

Estate planning can also change over time. Marriage, children, retirement, changes in property, or the growth of a family business can create reasons to revisit arrangements made years earlier.

Preparing for Incapacity

Some families need legal help because a loved one can no longer independently manage personal or financial matters.

Kelly Law Firm handles guardianships and conservatorships, including proceedings intended to protect individuals who are no longer able to manage on their own. John Adair and Kellen Elliott both include guardianships and conservatorships among their areas of practice.

These issues can arise after declining health or another change in someone's ability to make decisions. Addressing incapacity through advance estate planning when possible, or through guardianship and conservatorship proceedings when necessary, can establish who has legal authority to handle important responsibilities.

Long-Term Care and Medicaid Planning

The cost of nursing-home and other long-term care can create difficult financial decisions for older adults and their families.

Kelly Law Firm's elder-law practice includes Medicaid planning for nursing-home care, asset preservation, and assistance with Medicaid applications. John Adair works with individuals and families concerned about preserving assets before nursing-home care becomes necessary and assists with the Medicaid application process.

This planning can become particularly important when a spouse or parent is approaching the point where care at home may no longer be practical. Families may need to understand how long-term-care expenses, available assets, and Medicaid eligibility interact before making major financial decisions.

Administering an Estate or Trust After a Death

Being named a personal representative or successor trustee can place substantial responsibilities on someone who has never handled an estate before.

Kelly Law Firm assists with probate administration and trust administration. John Adair has experience with administration of wills and trusts, Janal Mossett's work includes estate and trust administration, and Kellen Elliott devotes a significant part of her practice to estate administration and settlement.

Administration can require a fiduciary to work through legal and financial responsibilities while family members are also dealing with the loss of a loved one. Legal assistance can help personal representatives and trustees understand the process and carry out the responsibilities associated with settling an estate or administering a trust.

Resolving Disputes Over Wills, Trusts and Estates

Not every estate proceeds without disagreement.

Questions can develop over a will or trust, the handling of an estate, or competing interests among family members and beneficiaries. Kelly Law Firm handles probate litigation involving wills, trusts, estates, and inheritance disputes. John Adair represents clients when estate disputes arise, while Kellen Elliott's practice includes probate litigation as well as administration and settlement.

Having attorneys who work in both estate administration and probate litigation can be relevant when an otherwise routine administration develops into a contested matter.

Planning for the Future of a Family Business

For a family that owns a closely held business, estate planning may involve more than deciding who receives personal property.

Kellen Elliott advises closely held businesses and individuals on family-business succession planning, entity formation, and related business matters. John Adair's business practice also includes succession planning as well as the purchase and sale of businesses.

Succession planning can address what happens when an owner retires, dies, or wants ownership and management responsibilities to pass to another generation. Making those decisions in advance can be particularly important when some family members participate in the business while others do not.

Estate-Related Attorneys at Kelly Law Firm

Several Kelly Law Firm attorneys concentrate substantial portions of their practices on estate-related matters.

John D. Adair handles estate planning, probate administration and litigation, elder law, Medicaid planning for nursing-home care, guardianships, conservatorships, and business succession matters.

Janal L. Mossett practices in estate planning and probate, elder law, and estate and trust administration. She is also a member of the Port Huron Estate Planning Council.

Kellen Lynch Elliott focuses a substantial part of her practice on estate planning, estate administration and settlement, guardianships and conservatorships, and probate litigation. She has earned a Probate and Estate Planning Certificate through the Michigan Institute of Continuing Legal Education and has contributed to the Michigan Estate Planning Handbook.

Serving Port Huron and the Blue Water Area

Kelly Law Firm is located at 627 Fort Street in Port Huron and has provided legal services in the Port Huron area since 1889. The firm serves individuals, families, and businesses throughout the Blue Water area, identifying a service area extending from Algonac and New Baltimore to Port Sanilac and Bad Axe.

Practice Areas

• Estate Planning

• Wills

• Trusts

• Powers of Attorney

• Elder Law

• Medicaid Planning for Nursing-Home Care

• Asset Preservation Planning

• Probate Administration

• Trust Administration

• Probate Litigation

• Guardianships

• Conservatorships

• Family-Business Succession Planning