Law Offices of Miller & Miller

Estate Planning & Probate Attorneys in Dearborn, Michigan

Estate planning often begins with straightforward questions: Who should receive your property? Who should manage your affairs if you become unable to do so? And what can be done to make things easier for your family after death?

The Law Offices of Miller & Miller, P.C. assists individuals and families with estate planning, wills, trusts, probate, and related matters. The firm's estate work includes planning for the transfer of property, preparing for incapacity, and helping families administer estates after a death.

Attorneys Dennis H. Miller and Gordon A. Miller practice together at the firm, which has served clients in Michigan for decades. Their estate planning work is part of a broader practice that also includes real estate and business matters.

Putting an Estate Plan in Place Before It's Needed

A basic estate plan can address both what happens after death and who has authority to act during a person's lifetime.

Miller & Miller prepares wills and trusts based on the client's property, family circumstances, and objectives. A will can establish how probate property should be distributed and identify the person the client wants to handle the estate.

Trusts can provide another method of managing and transferring property. Depending on how the plan is structured and how assets are owned, a trust can also play a role in keeping property outside the probate process.

The firm's planning process addresses more than simply preparing documents. Clients need to consider what property they own, how that property is titled, who should ultimately receive it, and who should be trusted with responsibility for carrying out the plan.

Making Sure Someone Can Act During an Incapacity

An estate plan can become important long before someone dies.

An accident, serious illness, or declining capacity may leave an individual unable to handle financial matters or make important decisions personally. Miller & Miller prepares powers of attorney that allow clients to select trusted people to act on their behalf when authority is needed.

Making that choice in advance can prevent uncertainty about who should manage important affairs during a period of incapacity.

These documents complement wills and trusts by addressing a different stage of planning. A will primarily governs what happens after death, while lifetime planning establishes authority that may be needed while the individual is still living.

When a Family Member Dies and Probate Is Required

Miller & Miller also assists families after a death when an estate must be administered through Michigan probate.

Probate can involve identifying estate property, determining how assets should be transferred, addressing creditors and expenses, and distributing the remaining property to the appropriate beneficiaries or heirs.

The person appointed to administer the estate has responsibilities that extend beyond simply following instructions in a will. Court requirements and estate administration tasks may need to be completed before the estate can be closed.

Miller & Miller assists families through this process, including the paperwork and legal requirements involved in administering a probate estate.

When You're Named Personal Representative

Being selected as personal representative can leave a family member with an unfamiliar legal responsibility at an already difficult time.

The personal representative may need to locate and identify property, determine estate values, address outstanding debts, communicate with beneficiaries, and complete required probate documents.

Miller & Miller provides guidance to personal representatives handling these responsibilities.

The firm's probate materials include practical information intended to help personal representatives understand the steps involved in estate administration rather than treating probate as simply a court filing.

For someone who has never administered an estate before, having guidance through those responsibilities can be particularly useful when the estate contains real property, financial accounts, debts, or multiple beneficiaries.

When Real Estate Is Part of the Estate

A house or other real property can create additional questions during both estate planning and probate.

Miller & Miller's broader real estate practice overlaps naturally with its estate work. Estate planning may need to address how real property is owned and how the client wants it transferred after death.

After a death, real estate may instead need to be handled as part of probate administration. Questions can arise concerning ownership, title, transfer, or sale before the estate can be completed.

Because the firm handles both estate and real estate matters, it can address property issues that arise as part of planning or administration without treating the real estate as entirely separate from the estate.

Reviewing a Plan as Circumstances Change

An estate plan created years ago may not continue to reflect a person's current circumstances.

Family relationships can change. Property may be bought or sold. Beneficiaries and the people originally selected to carry out important responsibilities may no longer be appropriate choices.

Miller & Miller assists clients with estate planning that reflects their current family and financial circumstances rather than assuming that documents prepared years earlier should remain unchanged indefinitely.

A review can also provide an opportunity to look at how property is currently owned and whether those arrangements remain consistent with the overall estate plan.

A Dearborn Firm With Estate, Business & Real Estate Experience

Dennis H. Miller and Gordon A. Miller practice through the Law Offices of Miller & Miller, P.C. The firm's work includes estate planning and probate alongside business and real estate matters.

That broader experience can be relevant when an estate includes a business interest or real property in addition to more traditional assets such as financial accounts and personal property.

For families, the firm's estate services span both advance planning and the legal responsibilities that can arise after someone dies.

Serving Dearborn and the Surrounding Area

The Law Offices of Miller & Miller is based in Dearborn, Michigan and provides estate planning, probate, real estate, and related legal services to clients in the surrounding area.

Practice Areas

• Estate Planning

• Wills

• Trusts

• Powers of Attorney

• Probate

• Estate Administration

• Personal Representative Representation

• Real Estate Matters Related to Estates