Sikorski Law

Wills & Trusts for Garden City Families

Estate planning can answer practical questions that otherwise may be left unresolved until a death or serious illness. Who should receive a person's property? Who should carry out those wishes? Who should care for minor children? And who should be able to handle financial or healthcare matters if the individual becomes unable to do so?

Sikorski Law Firm, PLLC provides wills, trusts, and related estate planning services from offices in Garden City, Livonia, and Taylor. The firm's estate planning work includes wills, trusts, financial and healthcare powers of attorney, and planning concerning guardians for minor children.

Sikorski Law is a broader legal practice rather than an estate-planning-only firm. Attorneys Lukas Sikorski and Katherine Sikorski focus primarily on bankruptcy and family law while the firm also provides estate planning services to individuals and families.

Deciding Who Should Receive Your Property

A central part of estate planning is establishing what should happen to property after death rather than leaving those decisions unresolved.

Sikorski Law assists clients with wills and trusts that can provide instructions concerning assets and intended beneficiaries. The firm's estate planning materials encourage clients to consider not only who should receive property, but also who should be responsible for carrying out their wishes.

Those decisions can matter even when someone does not consider their estate particularly complicated. A home, savings, vehicles, personal belongings, and other property may all need to be addressed.

Putting instructions in place provides an opportunity to make those choices deliberately while the individual is able to decide what they want their estate plan to accomplish.

What Happens If You Die Without a Will or Trust?

Without an estate plan, property may be distributed according to intestacy laws rather than according to wishes the deceased person personally established.

Sikorski Law specifically identifies this as a reason to consider preparing a will or trust. State law provides rules governing inheritance when someone dies without an effective plan, which means the resulting distribution may not necessarily match what that individual would have chosen.

Estate planning allows a person to make those decisions rather than relying entirely on the legal default.

The firm works with clients to determine how they want assets distributed and to prepare documents reflecting those intentions.

Making Plans for Minor Children

For parents, deciding who receives property may be only one part of estate planning.

Sikorski Law specifically addresses the importance of choosing guardians for minor children. Parents can use estate planning to identify the people they would want to care for their children if the parents are no longer able to do so.

This can be one of the most consequential decisions in a family's plan. Without advance instructions, parents lose the opportunity to make their preferences clear before a court must address guardianship after their deaths.

Planning also allows parents to consider their children's financial interests alongside their care. Sikorski Law includes trusts among its estate planning services, giving families an option to consider when determining how property should be handled for beneficiaries rather than focusing exclusively on a will.

Making Sure Pets Aren't Overlooked

Estate planning can also address family responsibilities that do not fit neatly into a traditional discussion of beneficiaries.

Sikorski Law specifically encourages clients to consider who will care for their pets if something happens to them.

For someone whose animals are an important part of the household, simply deciding who receives financial assets does not answer that question. Planning ahead gives the owner an opportunity to consider who would be willing and able to assume responsibility for a pet rather than leaving family members to make arrangements after a death.

This is one of the more specific concerns identified in the firm's estate planning materials and illustrates why a plan can involve personal responsibilities as well as the distribution of property.

Who Can Handle Your Finances If You Can't?

A serious illness or incapacity can create legal problems while someone is still alive.

Sikorski Law prepares financial powers of attorney as part of its estate planning services. These documents can give another person authority to handle financial matters when the individual is unable to manage them personally.

The firm's estate planning materials specifically discuss the possibility of physical or mental incapacity and the importance of determining who should be able to act under those circumstances.

That makes lifetime planning an important counterpart to a will or trust. A will addresses what happens after death, while a power of attorney can establish authority that may be needed during the person's lifetime.

Choosing Someone to Make Healthcare Decisions

Sikorski Law also assists clients with healthcare powers of attorney.

An accident, illness, or decline in capacity can leave someone unable to make or communicate healthcare decisions. Advance planning provides an opportunity to select a trusted person to act when that situation arises.

The firm's approach therefore asks clients to consider two different forms of lifetime responsibility: who should handle financial matters and who should have authority concerning healthcare.

Making those selections before incapacity occurs can provide clearer direction about whom the individual wants making important decisions on their behalf.

A Garden City Firm With Additional Downriver Offices

Sikorski Law Firm was founded by Lukas Sikorski, whose practice focuses primarily on bankruptcy and family law. Katherine Sikorski also concentrates primarily on bankruptcy and family law and holds an LL.M. in taxation.

Estate planning is one component of the firm's broader legal practice. Its current estate services focus on wills, trusts, powers of attorney, and planning involving minor children and incapacity rather than the more specialized wealth-transfer and tax-planning services offered by some estate-focused practices.

Garden City, Livonia & Taylor Locations

Sikorski Law Firm's Garden City office is located at 29211 Ford Road. The firm also maintains offices in Livonia and Taylor, giving clients access to its legal services from three locations in Wayne County.

Practice Areas

• Estate Planning

• Wills

• Trusts

• Financial Powers of Attorney

• Healthcare Powers of Attorney

• Guardianship Planning for Minor Children