Estate Planning Lawyer in Ann Arbor, MI

What's different about planning in Ann Arbor?

Many Ann Arbor families hold much of their wealth in retirement accounts and a valuable home. The median Ann Arbor home is worth about $453,000, according to the U.S. Census Bureau. Retirement accounts pass by beneficiary form, not by will or trust, so those forms have to match the plan.

That's where plans most often go wrong: a careful trust, and an IRA or 403(b) still naming an ex-spouse or a parent who has passed. If your children live out of state, a finished plan, and powers of attorney someone can actually use from a distance, matter even more. Rutkowski Law Firm handles estate planning, living trusts, Lady Bird deeds, powers of attorney, Medicaid and nursing home planning, asset protection and guardianship and conservatorship.

The Asset Shield™ is the complete plan: your trust, deeds, powers of attorney and beneficiary forms, drafted, signed and funded so they work together.

What does "done for you" mean at Rutkowski Law Firm?

It means Ann Arbor families leave with a finished plan, not a to-do list. We move your home and accounts into your trust, record your deed with the county, send the beneficiary-change forms and confirm in writing that your plan is done.

For most Ann Arbor families that means retitling the home and bank accounts into the trust, recording the deed with the Washtenaw County Register of Deeds, and reviewing every retirement-account and life-insurance beneficiary form so it matches the plan.

Most Michigan estate planning attorneys hand Ann Arbor families a binder and leave the bank visits and county filings to them. An unfunded trust doesn't keep anything out of probate court, which is why we treat funding as part of the plan, not an extra. You won't leave with homework.

What if the family is already in a crisis?

Call us. Rutkowski Law Firm has turned around emergency powers of attorney by the next day, with a notary sent to wherever the parent is, such as a hospital room at Michigan Medicine or Trinity Health Ann Arbor.

If a parent can no longer make decisions and there's no power of attorney in place, we handle guardianship and conservatorship. Our guardianship fee includes ongoing guidance and a yearly check-in, so the family isn't left on its own after the court date. If a parent already needs nursing home care, Michigan Medicaid looks back five years at gifts and transfers, so talk to us before moving any money. Crisis planning can often still protect part of the savings.

How does the process work?

Every Ann Arbor plan follows the same four steps, and the Rutkowski Law Firm team stays with you through all of them: a Vision Consultation, a design meeting, the signing, and the funding. Nothing is left for you to finish on your own.

1. Vision Consultation. Chris Pletkovic or Josh Heppner from our Customer Success team asks what you're protecting and who you're protecting it for, then lays out the options that fit, with the price for each, before you decide anything.
2. Design. Our attorneys and paralegals, under founding attorney Michael L. Rutkowski, build the plan around your family, your property and your accounts.
3. Signing. By secure video with a notary, or in person at our Troy office.
4. Funding. We move your assets into the trust, record the deeds and deliver the finished documents.

You'll have a client portal for your matter, so you can see where things stand at any point. And we keep improving the process: Michael Rutkowski builds the firm's client management system himself, and the team keeps refining each step.

Schedule your Vision Consultation.

Do I have to come to an office?

No. Most Ann Arbor families work with us entirely by secure video, including the signing. To meet face to face, we'll see you at our Troy office at 801 W. Big Beaver Road or our Rochester office at 312 East Street.

Phones are answered 24 hours a day; the offices are open weekdays, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Video also lets adult children who live elsewhere join the same meeting, so the whole family hears the plan together.

Which communities do you serve near Ann Arbor?

We serve Ann Arbor, Ypsilanti, Saline, Dexter, Chelsea and Pittsfield Township, and families anywhere in Michigan by video. Estates in this area are handled by the Washtenaw County Probate Court in Ann Arbor.

Rutkowski Law Firm meets clients in person at its Troy and Rochester offices and works with families anywhere in Michigan by secure video.

See every area Rutkowski Law Firm serves.