Trusts and Estates Law

Chair: Susan Gell Meyers

We have more experience with sophisticated estate planning than any other law firm in Michigan. Our high level of integrity, experience and commitment to T&E law is evidenced by the fact that five Warner attorneys have been honored as fellows in the American College of Trust and Estate Counsel – that’s among the highest number at any Michigan law firm.

Warner attorneys work with you to protect the assets you have earned during your lifetime and to see that they are transferred to your heirs in a manner that minimizes tax consequences — and maximizes the value of your hard work.

We have special understanding of the estate-planning needs of family-owned or closely held businesses, and routinely handle asset transfers, buy-sell agreements and employment contracts. We manage or advise family offices and have extensive experience in creating and working with private foundations and tax-exempt organizations.

Warner can partner with your financial planners, accountants, trust officers and other family counselors to ensure the best and broadest circle of advisors develops an estate plan that meets your goals.


 

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Warner Norcross & Judd offers a full range of estate-planning services to individuals, families and related closely held businesses in estate planning. Our team of estate planners has extensive experience in dealing with all types of planning opportunities and challenges. Such planning includes both planning for the transfer of property at death as well as lifetime transfers when appropriate to meet our clients' objectives. A special area of concentration relates to the estate and succession planning for closely held business, both small and large.

We have had extensive opportunity to use such planning tools as wills, testamentary trusts, revocable and irrevocable living trusts, charitable trusts, insurance trusts, living wills, patient advocate designations, durable powers of attorney, educational trusts and some of the more exotic planning devices that become available and advisable under the tax laws from time to time. Our work in planning for the closely held business includes split-dollar insurance agreements, buy and sell agreements and related employment or consulting agreements. We regularly consult on and prepare premarriage and post-marriage agreements. Our work for clients includes analyzing and giving recommendations for minimizing income, gift, estate and inheritance taxes.

We regularly work alone with individual clients, or in conjunction with accountants, trust officers, financial planners, insurance agents and other family counselors to best develop a plan to meet specific client objectives. In many circumstances this team approach best meets the client's individual needs.

Areas Of Focus

Trust & Estate Administration

Related Links

Warner Norcross and Judd offers our list of links to other useful Estate Planning information resources on the Web.

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