Holland Estate Planning Lawyers
Protect What Matters Most—Your Family, Your Assets, and Your Future
Start Your Estate Plan With Confidence
Planning for the future is not always easy—but it is one of the most important things you can do for the people you care about. A thoughtful estate plan gives your family clarity, protection, and peace of mind when they need it most.
We take the time to listen, understand your goals, and guide you through each step with care.
Without a clear estate plan, your loved ones could face unnecessary stress, court involvement, and uncertainty about your wishes. A properly structured plan gives you control over your assets, your healthcare decisions, and how your legacy is passed on.
At Buckman Tuinstra & Brown, our Holland estate planning lawyers help individuals and families across West Michigan create customized plans built to work when they are needed most. We draft trusts, wills, powers of attorney, and other essential planning documents under Michigan’s Estates and Protected Individuals Code (EPIC), ensuring your plan is legally sound and tailored to your situation.
Call (616) 394-4276 today to schedule your consultation. Flat-fee estate plans are available. No pressure—just honest guidance from a Holland estate planning lawyer who cares.
How Our Holland Estate Planning Lawyers Help
We partner with you and your financial advisor or CPA to build an estate plan that reflects your family, your goals, and your financial picture. Our attorneys draft, review, and update estate plans for Holland-area residents, business owners, and families throughout the Lakeshore and West Michigan.
Why Holland Families Work with Our Estate Planning Team
Our estate planning practice is led by a former U.S. Army Judge Advocate who brings both military legal experience and a deep focus on helping Michigan families and nonprofits plan for the future.
He handles estate plans ranging from straightforward trust packages to complex Medicaid strategies (subject to eligibility rules and look-back periods) and special needs arrangements.
We also work closely with our business and real estate attorneys under the same roof. That matters because estate planning for business owners, property holders, and blended families often involves questions that cross practice areas. At our firm, those conversations happen naturally, without referrals to outside counsel.
Our office sits on 8th Street in downtown Holland, and we have served this community since 1997. Call (616) 394-4276 to talk through your situation with a trust and estate lawyer in Holland, MI.
What Does a Michigan Estate Plan Include?
A complete estate plan in Michigan typically includes a combination of legal documents that address what happens to your assets, who makes decisions on your behalf, and how your family is protected if you pass away or become unable to manage your own affairs.
Core Documents in a Holland Estate Plan
Most estate plans built by our attorneys include the following components:
A revocable living trust is a legal arrangement that holds your assets during your lifetime and allows them to pass to beneficiaries without going through probate court
A pour-over will is a backup document that catches any assets not yet transferred into your trust and directs them into the trust at death
A durable power of attorney names someone to handle your financial and legal affairs if you become incapacitated
A designation of patient advocate is Michigan's version of a healthcare power of attorney and allows a named person to make medical decisions on your behalf
A deed and property transfer affidavit moves your real estate into the trust's name
Each of these documents serves a distinct purpose, and gaps between them often create the very problems estate planning is designed to prevent.
Flat Fee for Standard Estate Plans in Holland
We offer a flat fee of $2,500 for standard estate plans that include a trust, will, power of attorney, patient advocate designation, and property transfer documents. This transparent pricing means no surprises—you know exactly what your plan will cost before we begin.
More complex plans are priced based on your specific needs.
When Should You Start Estate Planning?
The best time to create an estate plan is before you need one. Unexpected illness or life changes can happen at any time. Having a plan in place ensures your family is protected no matter what happens.
What Is the Difference Between a Will and a Trust in Michigan?
A will directs how your assets are distributed after death, but it must go through probate, a court-supervised process governed by Michigan's EPIC, MCL 700.1101 et seq. A revocable living trust, by contrast, holds your assets during your lifetime and transfers them directly to your beneficiaries without court involvement.
Will vs. Trust: Key Differences Under Michigan Law
These two documents serve overlapping but distinct roles in an estate plan. The practical differences between them affect your family's time, privacy, and costs after you pass away.
A will becomes a public record once filed with the probate court, while a trust remains private
Probate in Michigan typically takes five months to a year or longer under MCL 700.3801, which requires a four-month creditor claim period; a properly funded trust avoids that timeline
A will only takes effect after death, while a revocable living trust also protects you during incapacity by allowing your successor trustee to step in and manage your assets
A will alone does not avoid probate; a properly funded trust does
Many Holland families use both documents together. The trust holds your assets and controls distribution, while the pour-over will acts as a safety net for anything not yet titled in the trust's name.
How Do You Avoid Probate in Michigan?
The most common way to avoid probate in Michigan is to create and properly fund a revocable living trust. When assets are titled in the name of your trust, they pass directly to your beneficiaries upon death without court involvement. Assets that remain in your individual name at the time of death, however, typically must go through probate.
Other Probate Avoidance Tools Under Michigan Law
A trust is the most comprehensive option, but Michigan law also recognizes several other tools that help certain assets bypass probate for properly titled accounts and property:
Beneficiary designations on life insurance policies, retirement accounts, and payable-on-death bank accounts
Joint ownership with right of survivorship on real estate or financial accounts
Lady Bird deeds, which allow Michigan property owners to transfer real estate at death while keeping full control during their lifetime
Transfer-on-death designations for vehicles under Michigan's vehicle code
No single tool works for every asset or every family. An estate planning attorney in Holland helps you identify which combination of strategies fits your circumstances and prevents gaps that might force your family into probate court anyway.
When Do You Need to Update Your Estate Plan?
An estate plan is not a one-time project. Wills and trusts attorneys in Michigan generally recommend reviewing your plan every three to five years, and immediately after any major life change that affects your family, finances, or property.
Common Reasons to Review Your Plan
Life events that often require updates to an existing estate plan include:
Marriage, divorce, or remarriage
The birth or adoption of a child or grandchild
A significant change in the value of your assets or the purchase of new property
The death or incapacity of a named trustee, agent, or beneficiary
Changes in Michigan tax law or federal estate tax thresholds
A new business interest, partnership, or ownership stake
An outdated plan may fail to reflect your current wishes and may create conflicts between your trust, your will, your beneficiary designations, and your property titles.
Reviewing your documents with an estate planning attorney in Holland costs far less than the legal fees your family might face sorting out inconsistencies after you are gone.
FAQs for Holland Estate Planning Lawyers
Do I need a lawyer to create an estate plan in Michigan?
Michigan law does not require an attorney to draft a will or trust, but estate planning involves coordinating multiple legal documents, property titles, beneficiary designations, and tax considerations under EPIC. Errors in any of these areas may result in unintended probate proceedings, tax consequences, or disputes among heirs. Working with an estate planning lawyer in Holland, Michigan helps avoid gaps that generic online templates often miss.
What is the difference between a durable power of attorney and a patient advocate?
A durable power of attorney covers financial and legal decisions, such as managing bank accounts, paying bills, and handling real estate transactions. A patient advocate designation covers medical decisions, including treatment options and end-of-life care. Most complete estate plans include both documents, because each one addresses a different type of incapacity decision.
What is a Lady Bird deed in Michigan?
A Lady Bird deed, also called an enhanced life estate deed, allows you to transfer real estate to a beneficiary at death while keeping full ownership and control during your lifetime. The property passes outside of probate, and you retain the right to sell, mortgage, or revoke the transfer at any time. Michigan recognizes Lady Bird deeds, and estate planning attorneys in Holland and throughout Ottawa County commonly use them alongside trusts.
Start Building Your Holland Estate Plan Today
The best estate plans are the ones that exist before they are needed. Every day without a plan in place is a day your family lacks the legal protection and clarity that a trust, a will, and proper powers of attorney provide.
Buckman Tuinstra & Brown has helped Holland, Ottawa County, and West Michigan families plan for the future since 1997. We sit down with you, learn your goals, and build a plan that works for your family under Michigan law.
Call (616) 394-4276 to set up a time to meet with one of our Holland estate planning lawyers.
Services
Wills • Financial Powers of Attorney • Medical Powers of Attorney • Revocable Living Trusts
Certificates of Trust • Estate Tax Planning • Medicaid Planning
Special Needs Trusts • NFA Gun Trusts • Cottage Trusts
Probate • Guardianship • Conservatorship • Estate Plan Reviews