The Steele Firm

Estate Planning, Probate & Elder Law Attorneys in Livonia, Michigan

The Steele Firm is a Livonia law firm handling estate planning, probate, trust administration, elder law, guardianships and conservatorships, and contested probate proceedings. Attorneys Daniel P. Steele and Daniel P. Steele Jr. combine this estate-related work with substantial backgrounds in civil litigation.

The firm assists families both before and after a crisis. Its work ranges from preparing wills, trusts, powers of attorney, and healthcare documents to helping personal representatives and trustees administer an estate after death. When disagreements prevent an estate from being settled routinely, the firm's litigation experience also extends to contested probate proceedings.

When Settling an Estate Turns Into a Family Dispute

Probate can become substantially more difficult when beneficiaries or other interested parties disagree and an estate can no longer be administered routinely.

The Steele Firm handles contested probate proceedings in addition to ordinary estate administration. This is an important distinction for families whose problems have moved beyond completing probate paperwork and require resolution through the court.

Both Daniel Steele and Daniel Steele Jr. have extensive litigation backgrounds. The elder Steele spent approximately three decades as a trial attorney before establishing his own practice, while Daniel Steele Jr.'s experience includes civil and appellate litigation.

That courtroom background can become particularly relevant when disagreements prevent a family from simply carrying out the deceased person's estate plan.

You've Been Put in Charge of a Parent's Estate—What Happens Next?

Being selected to handle someone's estate can leave an adult child or other family member with responsibilities they have never encountered before.

The Steele Firm handles estate administration for personal representatives responsible for settling probate estates. The firm also assists with trust administration when a successor trustee must take responsibility for property held in trust.

Which process a family encounters depends in part on how the deceased person's property was arranged. Some assets may require probate, while others may be administered through a trust.

Either role can require someone to move from simply knowing that a will or trust exists to actually carrying out the responsibilities imposed by those documents and applicable law.

When a Parent Can No Longer Manage Their Own Affairs

Aging, illness, or another loss of capacity can create an immediate problem when a family member can no longer adequately handle personal or financial decisions.

Planning in advance can help address that possibility. The Steele Firm prepares financial powers of attorney and patient advocate designations so clients can identify trusted people to assume designated responsibilities when necessary.

When adequate authority has not already been established, families may instead need court involvement. The firm handles guardianship and conservatorship proceedings when legal authority is needed to address another person's personal care or financial affairs.

For families, the difference can become apparent during a crisis: either someone already has appropriate authority to act, or relatives may have to determine what court proceedings are necessary to obtain it.

Putting a Plan in Place Before the Family Faces a Crisis

Estate planning gives individuals an opportunity to establish their intentions while they are able to make their own decisions.

The Steele Firm prepares wills and trusts addressing the eventual transfer of property, along with documents addressing financial and healthcare decisions during life.

The appropriate arrangement depends on the individual's family, property, and objectives. The firm's current materials do not identify more specialized techniques such as special-needs trusts, advanced estate-tax planning, or business succession, so its estate-planning practice is best characterized around these established planning services rather than broader strategies.

When Long-Term Care Raises Medicare or Medicaid Questions

The cost and logistics of care can introduce additional concerns as family members age. The Steele Firm includes Medicaid and Medicare planning within its elder-law services.

These issues may become relevant when a family is trying to understand how an older person's care needs interact with available resources and public programs.

Medicaid and Medicare considerations can become part of a family's planning as an older adult's health and care needs change. Addressing these issues before decisions become urgent can help families better understand the legal and financial considerations involved and prepare for the next stage of care.

Probate Work Backed by Litigation Experience

What particularly distinguishes The Steele Firm's estate practice is the combination of planning and administration work with litigation experience.

Daniel P. Steele practiced as a trial attorney for approximately 30 years before opening his own practice in 2014, and estate planning and probate are now among the areas on which his work focuses. Daniel P. Steele Jr. also handles estate planning and probate alongside civil and appellate litigation.

That combination allows the firm to assist with conventional planning and administration while also representing clients when a probate proceeding becomes contested. It gives the estate practice a different emphasis from firms devoted primarily to preparing wills and trusts.

A Livonia Practice Serving Michigan Families

The Steele Firm is located on Lyndon Street in Livonia and provides estate planning, elder law, probate, and related services to clients across Michigan.

Its estate practice covers several stages families may encounter: preparing for incapacity and death, taking responsibility for an estate or trust after a loved one dies, seeking guardianship or conservatorship when someone can no longer manage independently, and addressing probate matters that become contested.

Practice Areas

• Estate Planning

• Elder Law

• Wills

• Trusts

• Financial Powers of Attorney

• Patient Advocate Designations

• Living Wills

• Probate Administration

• Contested Probate Proceedings

• Trust Administration

• Guardianships

• Conservatorships

• Medicaid Planning

• Medicare Planning