Kalamazoo County, MI Wills & Probate Lawyers

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Cortney Gibson
About | Practice Areas
Dulaney Gibson Law and Advocacy
2447 Emerson Ave Bloomfield Hills, MI 48302» view map
Estate Law
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If two heads are better than one, imagine the team WE would make. Simply put...we want your head in the game, too.

800-879-0801
1. Cortney Gibson Bloomfield Hills, MI
  Attorney at Law - MI, 2012
  Thomas M. Cooley Law School J.D.
2. AboutDulaney Gibson Law and Advocacy
  We Have Your Back
3. Practice AreasExpertise
  Estate Law
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Includes: Estate Administration, Living Wills, Wills

Michael J. Willis

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Bankruptcy & Debt, Wills & Probate, Contract, Elder Law, Estate Planning

Dedicated to Excellence in Client Service

Michael Willis founded this firm with his brother, Shaun Patrick Willis. Their father, Hon. Frank D. Willis, is the probate judge for Van Buren Count... (more)

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CONTACT

800-909-2450

491 W South St, Kalamazoo, MI 49007

Jennifer Lynn Grahek

Adoption, Wills & Probate, Guardianships & Conservatorships, Estate

Status: In Good Standing Licensed: 17 Years

CONTACT

491 W. South Street, Kalamazoo, MI 49007

Jennifer Herrick Coles

Elder Law, Wills & Probate, Trusts

Status: In Good Standing

CONTACT

8175 Creekside, Portage, MI 49024

Louise B. Wright

Real Estate, Trusts, Wills & Probate, Estate

Status: Suspended Licensed: 34 Years

CONTACT

308 Woodside Ave, Kalamazoo, MI 49006

800-923-0641

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LEGAL TERMS

EXEMPTION TRUST

A bypass trust funded with an amount no larger than the personal federal estate tax exemption in the year of death. If the trust grantor leaves property worth m... (more...)

A bypass trust funded with an amount no larger than the personal federal estate tax exemption in the year of death. If the trust grantor leaves property worth more than that amount, it usually goes to the surviving spouse. The trust property passes free from estate tax because of the personal exemption, and the rest is shielded from tax under the surviving spouse's marital deduction.

PUBLIC ADMINISTRATOR

Someone appointed by a probate court to oversee probate proceedings when a person dies without a will or heirs, and his or her property is expected to pass to t... (more...)

Someone appointed by a probate court to oversee probate proceedings when a person dies without a will or heirs, and his or her property is expected to pass to the state. Some states have public administrators who are responsible for temporarily preserving the assets of an estate if there are disputes about specific provisions in the will or about who will be appointed the regular administrator.

ENTITY

An organization, institution or being that has its own existence for legal or tax purposes. An entity is often an organization with an existence separate from i... (more...)

An organization, institution or being that has its own existence for legal or tax purposes. An entity is often an organization with an existence separate from its individual members--for example, a corporation, partnership, trust, estate or government agency. The entity is treated like a person; it can function legally, be sued, and make decisions through agents.

ADMINISTRATION (OF AN ESTATE)

The court-supervised distribution of the probate estate of a deceased person. If there is a will that names an executor, that person manages the distribution. I... (more...)

The court-supervised distribution of the probate estate of a deceased person. If there is a will that names an executor, that person manages the distribution. If not, the court appoints someone, who is generally known as the administrator. In some states, the person is called the 'personal representative' in either instance.

TRUST MERGER

Under a trust, the situation that occurs when the sole trustee and the sole beneficiary are the same person or institution. Then, there's no longer the separati... (more...)

Under a trust, the situation that occurs when the sole trustee and the sole beneficiary are the same person or institution. Then, there's no longer the separation between the trustee's legal ownership of trust property from the beneficiary's interest. The trust 'merges' and ceases to exist.

CERTIFIED COPY

A copy of a document issued by a court or government agency guaranteed to be a true and exact copy of the original. Many agencies and institutions require certi... (more...)

A copy of a document issued by a court or government agency guaranteed to be a true and exact copy of the original. Many agencies and institutions require certified copies of legal documents before permitting certain transactions. For example, a certified copy of a death certificate is required before a bank will release the funds in a deceased person's payable-on-death account to the person who has inherited them.

AB TRUST

A trust that allows couples to reduce or avoid estate taxes. Each spouse puts his or her property in an AB trust. When the first spouse dies, his or her half of... (more...)

A trust that allows couples to reduce or avoid estate taxes. Each spouse puts his or her property in an AB trust. When the first spouse dies, his or her half of the property goes to the beneficiaries named in the trust -- commonly, the grown children of the couple -- with the crucial condition that the surviving spouse has the right to use the property for life and is entitled to any income it generates. The surviving spouse may even be allowed to spend principal in certain circumstances. When the surviving spouse dies, the property passes to the trust beneficiaries. It is not considered part of the second spouse's estate for estate tax purposes. Using this kind of trust keeps the second spouse's taxable estate half the size it would be if the property were left directly to the spouse. This type of trust is also known as a bypass or credit shelter trust.

IN TERROREM

Latin meaning 'in fear.' This phrase is used to describe provisions in contracts or wills meant to scare a person into complying with the terms of the agreement... (more...)

Latin meaning 'in fear.' This phrase is used to describe provisions in contracts or wills meant to scare a person into complying with the terms of the agreement. For example, a will might state that an heir will forfeit her inheritance if she challenges the validity of the will. Of course, if the will is challenged and found to be invalid, then the clause itself is also invalid and the heir takes whatever she would have inherited if there were no will.

EXECUTOR

The person named in a will to handle the property of someone who has died. The executor collects the property, pays debts and taxes, and then distributes what's... (more...)

The person named in a will to handle the property of someone who has died. The executor collects the property, pays debts and taxes, and then distributes what's left, as specified in the will. The executor also handles any probate court proceedings and notifies people and organizations of the death. Also called personal representatives.

SAMPLE LEGAL CASES

In re Temple Marital Trust

... Wallace Temple, Petitioner-Appellant, v. Clinton Probate Court Ralph Temple and Dean Temple, Respondents-Appellees. Docket No. 273911. ... Petitioner petitioned the probate court to construe the trust as not allowing Clarence to amend it after Florence's death. . . . ...

In re Smith Trust

... The respondent refused to sell the property to the petitioners. The petitioners filed a petition in the Sanilac County Probate Court, seeking to compel the sale of the land pursuant to the lease agreement. ... As a result, the probate court held that no enforceable agreement existed. ...

In re Kostin Estate

... In Docket No. 272767, respondent Camille A. Kent appeals as of right the probate court's judgment and order following a bench trial, interpreting a will and trust, determining heirs and devisees, and determining title to property after decedent Juanita Kostin's death in 2004. ...

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Kalamazoo County, MI Wills & Probate Lawyers

Sponsored Law Firm

Dulaney Gibson Law and Advocacy

SPONSORED LAWYERS

Michael J. Willis

Jennifer Lynn Grahek

Jennifer Herrick Coles

Louise B. Wright

TIPS

LEGAL TERMS

EXEMPTION TRUST

PUBLIC ADMINISTRATOR

ENTITY

ADMINISTRATION (OF AN ESTATE)

TRUST MERGER

CERTIFIED COPY

AB TRUST

IN TERROREM

EXECUTOR

SAMPLE LEGAL CASES

In re Temple Marital Trust

In re Smith Trust

In re Kostin Estate

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