Estate Planning Lawyer in Marquette, MI

Why plan now if you live in the U.P.?

Because families here are older on average, and distance makes a crisis harder. Nearly one in four Marquette County residents is 65 or older, according to the U.S. Census Bureau. When something happens, the family is often hours away, and paperwork that isn't finished becomes the problem.

Many Upper Peninsula families own more than one piece of property: the house, a camp, a cottage on the lake, family land. Each one needs its deed handled, or it can end up in probate. Holding them in a funded trust also lets you decide in advance how the family shares them. 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, all by video.

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 Marquette families leave with a finished plan, not a to-do list. We fund your trust, record your Lady Bird deed or trust deed, complete and deliver your powers of attorney, send the beneficiary-change forms, and confirm in writing that everything is in place.

For most U.P. families that means recording a deed for every property, sometimes in more than one county, retitling the accounts, and completing powers of attorney so someone can act for you even if they live downstate.

Most Michigan estate planning attorneys hand Marquette 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. If a parent is suddenly at UP Health System–Marquette or back home after a fall, we can arrange the signing by video with a notary where they are.

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 Marquette 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 client services 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. Founding attorney Michael L. Rutkowski and the team build the plan around your family, your property and your accounts.
3. Signing. By secure video with a notary, from home.
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 travel to meet with you?

No. Marquette and Upper Peninsula families work with us entirely by secure video, from the first conversation through the signing. Phones are answered 24 hours a day, and our team is available Monday to Friday, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Eastern.

If you're downstate anyway, you're welcome to meet in person at our Troy office at 801 W. Big Beaver Road or our Rochester office at 312 East Street.

Should I hire a local Marquette attorney instead?

You can, but in smaller communities the local attorney often handles many kinds of cases, from real estate closings to divorces, with estate planning as one part of the job. Rutkowski Law Firm's practice is limited to estate planning, asset protection, Medicaid planning, elder law and guardianship.

Your plan is governed by Michigan law, which is the same in Marquette as it is in Troy, and a Michigan attorney can handle it from anywhere in the state. What matters more than the drive is whether the plan gets finished: the trust funded, the deeds recorded with the Marquette County Register of Deeds and the beneficiary designations updated. Rutkowski Law Firm does that part for you, by secure video, from the first conversation through the signing.

Which communities do you serve near Marquette?

We serve Marquette, Negaunee, Ishpeming, Harvey, Gwinn and Munising, and families anywhere in Michigan by video. Estates in Marquette County are handled by the Marquette County Probate Court.

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.