LoPrete, Lyneis & Carnwath

Bloomfield Hills Estate Planning Attorneys Serving Michigan Families for More Than Four Decades

LoPrete, Lyneis & Carnwath, P.C. is a Bloomfield Hills law firm dedicated to estate planning, probate, trust administration, taxation, elder law, and estate litigation. For more than 40 years, the firm has represented five generations of Michigan families, providing comprehensive legal guidance through every stage of estate planning and estate administration. By maintaining a practice focused almost entirely on probate-related matters, the firm offers clients continuity from the creation of an estate plan through probate, trust administration, and, when necessary, estate and trust litigation.

A Complete Probate Practice

One of the firm's distinguishing characteristics is what it describes as a "complete probate practice." Rather than limiting its work to drafting wills and trusts, LoPrete, Lyneis & Carnwath represents clients in every major area connected with probate and estate planning. This allows individuals, families, fiduciaries, businesses, and nonprofit organizations to work with the same legal team throughout the lifetime of an estate plan and during post-death administration.

The attorneys regularly assist clients with estate planning, estate and trust administration, taxation, probate litigation, elder law, guardianships, conservatorships, and related legal matters, providing consistent representation as clients' needs evolve over time.

Customized Estate Planning and Wealth Preservation

LoPrete, Lyneis & Carnwath believes effective estate planning begins with understanding each client's personal, financial, and family goals rather than applying standardized solutions. The firm's attorneys work closely with individuals, families, and small business owners to develop estate plans designed to preserve family wealth, minimize estate tax exposure, avoid unnecessary probate when appropriate, and provide clear instructions for future generations.

Planning services include the preparation of wills, revocable and irrevocable trusts, financial powers of attorney, patient advocate designations, beneficiary planning, and strategies for transferring assets in a tax-efficient manner.

Experience in Probate, Fiduciary Administration, and Estate Litigation

In addition to estate planning, the firm has substantial experience representing personal representatives, trustees, beneficiaries, guardians, and conservators during probate and trust administration. The attorneys also handle contested probate matters involving allegations of undue influence, breaches of fiduciary duty, will contests, trust disputes, and other estate-related litigation.

Because the firm's practice includes both planning and litigation, its attorneys are able to advise clients on creating estate plans that help reduce the potential for future disputes while also representing clients when conflicts arise after a loved one's death.

Leadership in Michigan Estate Planning

The firm's attorneys have established strong professional credentials within Michigan's estate planning community. Senior attorney James H. LoPrete is a Fellow of the American College of Trust and Estate Counsel (ACTEC) and has served as Chair of the State Bar of Michigan Probate and Estate Planning Section. Mary M. Lyneis, who leads the firm's practice, has worked alongside James LoPrete for more than four decades and advises clients on estate planning, trust and estate administration, tax planning, elder law, and nonprofit organizations. Partners and associates also contribute experience in probate litigation, guardianships, conservatorships, and elder law, allowing the firm to address both straightforward and highly complex estate matters.

Serving Bloomfield Hills and Clients Throughout Michigan

Located in Bloomfield Hills in Oakland County, LoPrete, Lyneis & Carnwath serves individuals, families, businesses, fiduciaries, and nonprofit organizations throughout the Metropolitan Detroit area and across Michigan. The firm's longstanding commitment to estate planning and probate law has enabled it to build long-term relationships with many families, often representing multiple generations as their planning needs change over time.

Practice Areas

• Estate Planning

• Probate & Trust Administration

• Estate Administration

• Wills

• Revocable and Irrevocable Trusts

• Estate & Trust Litigation

• Will & Trust Litigation

• Elder Law

• Guardianships

• Conservatorships

• Tax Planning

• Federal Estate & Gift Tax Planning

• Tax-Exempt Organizations

• Business Formation

• Residential Real Estate Transactions