Wills, Trusts, and Peace of Mind — Start Your Estate Plan Today
Our Michigan estate planning attorneys help families like yours avoid probate, protect assets, and gain peace of mind — with customized plans, not just paperwork.
In Short
Rutkowski Law Firm is a Michigan estate planning firm for retired couples and their families. A plan typically includes a living trust (also called a revocable trust), a will, financial and medical powers of attorney, and planning for long-term care costs. The firm also funds the trust, retitling the home and accounts, so the plan avoids probate. Meet in Troy or Rochester, or by video statewide.
Working with the Rutkowski Law Firm was so great. They made me feel so confident in trusting the process. Everything was seamless from the minute I was greeted to the very end. I know I will be recommending this firm to all my friends and family.
The team took care of my needs in a timely manner and were professional and friendly at every meeting.
Don't leave your family with a useless binder.
Most firms hand you a template and expect you to do the work. We provide a Done-For-You process that handles Trust Funding and Asset Protection.
We help protect your home from the 5-Year Medicaid Look-Back, so your house can stay in your family and out of the state's hands. Plan now so you never become a burden to those you love.
Choose a day and time below and our customer success team will call you then. It takes about 15 minutes, there is no cost, and no legal preparation is required.
What to expect: this is a short phone call (about 15 minutes) with our customer success team, not a Zoom meeting or a meeting with an attorney. We'll learn what you need and schedule your consultation, in person at one of our offices or by Zoom, at a time that works for you.
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Prefer to talk now? Call 248-792-9193.
Protecting Your Family, Home, and Future
It depends on what the plan has to do. A will-based plan costs less than a funded living trust, and a plan that also protects your home from nursing home costs costs more. Rutkowski Law Firm charges one flat fee, quoted at your Vision Consultation before you decide anything.
The fee covers the design of your plan, the signing and the funding: moving your home and accounts into your trust, recording your deed with the county and confirming in writing that your plan is done. Most clients pay half when the plan starts and half when it's complete. There's no hourly billing for phone calls or questions.
Our fee can be higher than an online service or a firm that only drafts the documents, especially for trusts and deeds. That's because we also do the filing and the funding, the work those options leave to you. A trust that never receives your home and accounts, or a deed that's never recorded, doesn't keep your family out of probate.
We don't publish a price range, because a range that covers both a single deed and an asset protection trust doesn't tell you much. The useful number is yours. A Vision Consultation takes about an hour, and you leave knowing exactly what your plan needs and what it will cost. Meet in Troy or Rochester, or by video if you mainly want the number.
An estate planning attorney designs the legal documents that decide who makes your financial and medical decisions if you can't, and who receives your home and savings when you die. The attorney also makes sure those documents work under Michigan law.
You can legally make your own will in Michigan, and online forms exist for most estate planning documents. The risk is what a form can't do: fit your family's situation, or get your home and accounts into a trust. A trust that's never funded doesn't keep your family out of probate.
Michigan accepts a handwritten will if it's dated, signed and the important parts are in your own handwriting. A typed will, including the state's fill-in statutory will form, needs two witnesses. Even a valid will doesn't avoid probate, and it does nothing if you become unable to make decisions. Homemade wills are also a common source of family disputes, usually over unclear wording or a situation the will didn't cover.
If your situation is simple, with modest assets and no home or long-term care concerns, and you're comfortable retitling your own accounts, a form or a lower-priced plan may be enough. If you own a home, want to protect savings from nursing home costs, or have a blended family or a child with special needs, the details matter more. Read Can a DIY trust fail in Michigan? and what happens if a trust is never funded.
Choose a firm whose practice is focused on estate planning, that quotes a flat fee before it starts, and that can tell you who moves your home and accounts into your trust. Ask every firm you talk to the same questions, and compare the answers, not only the prices.
Estate planning protects your assets and makes sure your estate is distributed according to your wishes after your death.
Read the top 10 most common mistakes our estate planning team sees. Free to read, right on the page. No download or email required.
How We Help You Stay in Control of Life’s Big Decisions
Keep what you’ve built moving smoothly to the people you love. Learn how revocable trusts and probate avoidance strategies work, when an irrevocable trust makes sense, and why a will alone isn’t always enough.
Avoid probate and keep things private while making it easy for loved ones to receive your home, savings, and belongings.
When asset protection or Medicaid planning is a priority, irrevocable trusts can help safeguard what matters most.
Use trusts, beneficiary designations, and deeds to bypass court delays, reduce costs, and minimize family stress.
From asset protection to a Michigan Lady Bird Deed, we tailor strategies that keep your family secure today and prepared for tomorrow.
Shield savings and property from future risks with a tailored plan that fits your goals and family dynamics.
Keep control of your home during life and pass it on without probate—commonly used in Michigan.
Coordinate your estate plan with future care needs so your home and spouse stay protected if health changes.
Put decision‑makers in place and make your wishes known with the right documents—wills, powers of attorney, healthcare directives, and special needs planning.
Decide who inherits, who cares for minor children, and who handles your affairs—clearly and legally.
Document your wishes for medical care if you can’t speak for yourself, easing the burden on loved ones.
Choose someone you trust to manage your finances if you can’t, so bills are paid and assets are protected.
Appoint someone you trust to make medical decisions for you if you can’t speak for yourself.
Support a loved one with disabilities without disrupting benefits using a properly structured trust.
Give trusted family or friends access to your medical information when it matters most.
Ensure retirement accounts, life insurance, and other assets go directly to your chosen loved ones—without court delays.
Name the people you trust to care for your children so you remain in control of their future.
Leave personal notes and instructions to make your wishes even clearer beyond your legal documents.
Provide financial security for your family by ensuring expenses are covered after you’re gone.
Give during your lifetime to reduce taxes and enjoy seeing your loved ones benefit.
Pass on more of your wealth to family—and less to taxes—with smart tax planning.
Plan for your business’s future so it continues supporting your family and your legacy.
Ease the emotional and financial burden on your family by pre-planning your funeral.
Make sure your online accounts and digital assets are handled according to your wishes.
A clear, caring path from first call to lifelong support — and the step most firms skip. We don’t just draft your plan and hand you a binder.
Our team walks you through every stage, from designing your plan to fully funding your trust by transferring assets and updating beneficiaries. This ensures your estate plan works exactly as intended when your family needs it most.
Step 1: Book Initial Consultation
Step 2: Initial Call
Step 3: Strategy & Plan Design
Step 4: Plan Implementation
Step 5: Funding & Beneficiaries — The Step Most Firms Skip
Step 6: Ongoing Support
Our team is here to help. We are dedicated to providing you with the best legal representation possible. Call us today to book your consultation.
Meet the Whole TeamExplore Specific Topics
Every family's situation is different. These guides cover the most common questions we hear — each one written specifically for Michigan families.
Why a will alone isn't enough, the "Empty Binder" problem, and how a properly funded plan bypasses Michigan probate and protects against long-term care costs.
Read the guide →
What the attorney actually does, from the first meeting to a funded trust, and how that differs from an estate planner or a probate lawyer.
Read the guide →
What to look for, the ten questions to ask every firm, and the warning signs that a plan won't be finished.
Read the guide →
The ages and life events that should trigger a plan, and why your health, not your age, is the real deadline.
Read the guide →
What an estate plan costs, what changes the price, and what one flat fee covers, from drafting and signing to funding your trust.
Read the guide →
Understanding the key differences between estate planning and asset protection and why they're better together helps you secure your legacy and shield your wealth.
Learn the ins and outs of estate planning from the estate planning attorney, Michael Rutkowski.
Cryptocurrency can't be titled in a trust, but it can still be part of your estate plan. Attorney Michael Rutkowski explains how to pass on digital assets like Bitcoin using key-based access and trustee instructions.
Attorney at Rutkowski Law Firm
A trust isn't just a document; it's a legal shield that avoids Michigan probate and keeps your family's business private. Michael Rutkowski breaks down the mechanics of trust ownership, the 'CEO' role of a trustee, and the critical step of asset fortification.
Attorney at Rutkowski Law Firm
Estate planning isn’t just for the wealthy or the elderly—it’s essential for everyone. But when is the right time to start? In this video, estate planning attorney Michael Rutkowski discusses key life scenarios where estate planning becomes crucial.
Attorney at Rutkowski Law Firm
Rutkowski Law Firm's offices are in Troy and Rochester, but we work with families everywhere in Michigan, from Ann Arbor to Marquette. Every meeting can happen over Zoom, and a virtual notary handles the signing. So you can work with the team behind more than 400 Google reviews, rated 4.8 stars, without ever making the drive.
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