In Estate Planning the Probate Court is the court which handles the final affairs of a deceased individual that has either not planned ahead to avoid court involvement or that requires the court to settle a dispute or provide guidance to family members. There are varying degrees of court involvement. For example, in some instances the court may supervise the entire administration of an estate. The following situations are examples of when the Probate Court must be involved: if the deceased has only a Will, if the assets are only in the name of the deceased, and if there are assets which need to be transferred into a trust. Having an estate go thru the Probate Court can be costly and time consuming.

Suffering the loss of a loved one is an emotional and difficult time and having to go through the Probate process can add unnecessary stress. In the event that you are faced with the need for court involvement Maria L. Avesian, Attorney serving Macomb, Oakland, and Wayne counties can offer guidance and help to families during a difficult time.