Klisz Law Office, A Full Service Law Firm

Estate Planning & Probate Attorney in Livonia, Michigan

Klisz Law Office, PLLC is a Livonia-based full-service law firm handling estate planning, probate, contested estate matters, guardianships, conservatorships, real estate, wrongful death, and other civil and criminal matters. Attorney Timothy Klisz has longstanding ties to Livonia and serves clients throughout Wayne County and communities across Metro Detroit and Southeast Michigan.

Estate planning and probate form a significant part of the firm's broader practice. Klisz prepares wills, trusts, healthcare and financial powers of attorney, and other estate documents while also representing families after a death when property must be administered through probate. His experience in real estate and wrongful-death matters can also become relevant when those issues overlap with an estate.

When a Parent Dies and the House Is Still in Their Name

One of the practical problems families can encounter after a death is discovering that a parent's house or other real estate remains titled solely in the deceased person's name. Before the family can sell, transfer, or otherwise deal with the property, it may first be necessary to determine what legal process is required to establish authority over it.

Klisz handles probate matters involving property that remains in a deceased person's estate. His separate real-estate practice can also be relevant when administration of the estate ultimately requires property to be transferred or sold.

For families, this situation illustrates why probate is often about more than interpreting a will. Someone must have legal authority to act for the estate, and property ownership may have to be addressed before the family's plans for the house can move forward.

You've Been Named Personal Representative—What Happens Next?

Being named personal representative in someone's estate plan does not necessarily prepare a person for the responsibilities that begin after the death.

Probate administration can involve identifying estate property, dealing with claims and interested parties, completing court procedures, and ultimately distributing assets. The personal representative is responsible for carrying out those duties appropriately rather than simply dividing property among relatives.

Klisz handles both informal and formal probate proceedings. Some estates can proceed through a relatively straightforward administration, while others require greater court involvement because of the assets, interested parties, or disagreements involved.

For someone administering an estate for the first time, understanding which type of proceeding is necessary and what responsibilities accompany the role can be an important first step.

Who Would Raise Your Children—and Who Would Manage Their Inheritance?

Parents with minor children have estate-planning decisions that extend beyond determining who eventually receives their property.

One question is who should care for the children if both parents die. Another is who should be responsible for managing property intended for those children while they are still too young to handle an inheritance themselves.

These responsibilities do not necessarily have to fall to the same person. Estate planning gives parents an opportunity to consider whom they trust to care for their children and whom they trust to manage assets on the children's behalf.

Klisz prepares wills and trusts that can incorporate these decisions while addressing the family's broader plans for property and inheritance.

Does Your Family Actually Need a Living Trust?

Living trusts are frequently promoted as an essential part of estate planning, but they are not necessarily the appropriate solution for every family.

Klisz prepares living trusts as well as wills and testamentary trusts, allowing the planning structure to reflect the client's circumstances rather than assuming everyone needs the same arrangement.

For some people, avoiding probate for particular assets may be an important objective. Others may have relatively straightforward circumstances for which a different planning structure makes sense. Family relationships, property ownership, beneficiaries, and the client's goals can all affect the decision.

The useful question is therefore not simply whether trusts are beneficial in general, but whether a particular family has a reason to incorporate one into its estate plan.

When a Parent or Spouse Can No Longer Manage Their Affairs

Estate planning also needs to account for the possibility that someone will become unable to make important decisions during life.

Klisz prepares durable financial powers of attorney and healthcare powers of attorney that allow clients to designate people to handle specified responsibilities if they become unable to act independently.

When sufficient advance arrangements are not available, guardianship or conservatorship proceedings may become necessary. Klisz handles both as part of his probate-related practice.

For families dealing with a parent's declining capacity or another unexpected incapacity, the legal issue can quickly become practical: who has authority to make necessary decisions, manage property, or otherwise act on behalf of the person who now needs assistance?

When Family Members Disagree During Probate

Some probate estates involve more than completing paperwork and transferring property. Family members or other interested parties may disagree about estate assets, competing claims, the identity or rights of heirs, or other issues that require court involvement.

Klisz represents clients in contested probate matters in addition to ordinary estate administration. When an estate cannot proceed by agreement, the probate court may need to resolve the disputed issue before administration can be completed.

These disputes can also make the personal representative's responsibilities more difficult. The estate still needs to be administered while competing interests are being addressed, making a contested proceeding substantially different from an uncomplicated probate.

When a Wrongful-Death Claim and Probate Overlap

Some families face probate because the circumstances surrounding the person's death have created a separate legal claim.

Klisz handles both wrongful-death cases and probate estates. A wrongful-death matter can require involvement of the probate court and a properly appointed personal representative who has authority to act for the deceased person's estate.

For a grieving family, that can mean dealing simultaneously with the administration of an estate and litigation arising from the death itself. The overlap between Klisz's probate and wrongful-death practices allows him to address both types of legal issues when they arise in the same matter.

A Livonia Attorney With a Broad Local Practice

Timothy Klisz has longstanding connections to Livonia. He graduated from Churchill High School before attending the University of Michigan-Dearborn and the University of Detroit Mercy School of Law. He has served as President of the Livonia Bar Association and on the Livonia Zoning Board of Appeals.

His practice extends considerably beyond estates. Klisz Law Office also handles real estate, personal injury and wrongful death, criminal matters, collections, and zoning issues.

That broader practice can become relevant when an estate problem overlaps with another legal issue. Real estate may need to be transferred after a death, for example, or a probate estate may need to be established in connection with a wrongful-death claim.

Serving Livonia & Communities Across Metro Detroit

Klisz Law Office is based on West Six Mile Road in Livonia and serves clients throughout Wayne, Oakland, Washtenaw, Livingston, and Macomb counties.

The firm's service area includes communities such as Westland, Farmington, Farmington Hills, Novi, Southfield, Bloomfield Hills, Brighton, Howell, Milford, Royal Oak, Troy, and Warren, in addition to Livonia. Klisz also makes satellite or executive-office meeting locations available by appointment in Novi, Troy, the Southfield/Franklin area, and Bloomfield Hills.

Practice Areas

• Estate Planning

• Probate Administration

• Contested Probate Matters

• Wills

• Living Trusts

• Testamentary Trusts

• Durable Financial Powers of Attorney

• Healthcare Powers of Attorney

• Guardianships

• Conservatorships

• Real Estate Law

• Wrongful Death