I'm sorry to hear of your loss.

IF your brother owned the house solely, it will need to go through probate, and his heirs (maybe your mother, maybe not ... it depends on whether or not he had a will, or children, or a spouse etc. none of which you say) so that SOMEONE (be that his... View More

The Michigan statutes on decisions to be made regarding the body of a dead person use the term "next of kin" to refer to the class of persons who can make such decisions. As the widow, you would be the "next of kin". Therefore, you would be a person with authority to make... View More

It sounds like you are on the right track, based on what information you provided in your question. The decision whether probate is necessary usually hinges on whether there are any assets which require probate administration. Opening a probate estate is sometimes done even if there are not assets,... View More

You may want to talk with an estate planning / elder law attorney. There are ways of achieving what you're seeking, but buying it for what is owed is not one of them.

That depends on HOW you own in jointly. If it is as 'tenants in common' then you or your boyfriend can certainly leave a fractional half to anyone, but the VALUE of an "undivided half interest" in a house is pretty difficult to set.

If the house is owned 'with... View More

Certain people have the right to participate in probate court proceedings for a decedent estate. These people are called "interested persons" as defined by Michigan law. For example, a deceased person's spouse is an interested person. If the deceased person had any surviving... View More

Unlikely. While there is a process to place a will with the probate court for a fee, few people do so. The court would otherwise not have a copy of the will. Your options are to 1) keep searching through personal files and hope you find it, or 2) figure out which attorney may have drafted the will... View More

You have a written PoA that the banks won’t honor?

Without SEEING the documents it is impossible to provide useful advice. Who drafted the PoA? That would be the best attorney to approach but ANY estate planning attorney in your area can help — IF you provide them a copy of the... View More

First, you have your own lawyer - why not ask him or her this question?

Second, your personal liability to the attorney for attorney fees is a matter of contract. It depends on whether you and the brother signed a retainer agreement with the attorney agreeing to pay the attorney's... View More

Bank accounts that have a payable on death beneficiary designation on them pass outside of probate. That means if your father-in-law named someone as a beneficiary to his bank account, the money belongs to that person, and that person alone, upon your father-in-law's death. That person (she?)... View More

Your brother and sister have no obligation to share your mother's power of attorney or your mother's trust with you in a strict legal sense. If your mother is living, then it is likely the trust is revocable and she is the only present beneficiary of the trust, and no one else is entitled... View More

Short answer is no. If she has no assets to be probated , and no will to be admitted, there’s no need to open an probate estate in the court. Absent opening an estate in probate court, there’s no legal requirement to publish notice to creditors as they can only file claims against probate assets.

Most likely yes. You have a duty to act in the best interests of the estate and heirs and devisees. You also have a duty to provide reasonable information about the estate and estate property to the heirs and devisees of the estate, especially information pertaining to the financial condition of... View More

What was in the written agreement? It's unlikely you can enforce an agreement to "help".

The answer would depend on what exactly the agreement says, and how ownership was transferred out of the estate. Were you on the deed as tenants in common, with your brother and his wife as one-half?

Are you asking if you need to have separate PoAs to name your parents as your agents?

No.

Are you asking if you can create a document to allow you to act for one or both parents?

The answer provided is correct: you can’t do that.

If you have questions or you... View More

A Michigan attorney could advise best, but your question remains open for two weeks. I'm sorry for your ordeal. You could reach out to attorneys to discuss, but keep in mind that law firms that handle injury cases might not consider something like this on a contingency basis. There is also the... View More

It's unclear from the question whether your brother was a remainderman on a lady bird deed (he only became owner when your mother passed) or whether your brother was a joint tenant with your mother, who had right of survivorship. Either way, if your brother survived your mother, the house... View More

The directions given to you by the drafting attorney are correct. When an attorney drafts estate plan documents for a client, the attorney owes the client the duty of confidentiality, even after death. After a client's death, the only person who can waive confidentiality for the client is the... View More

While it is true that every trust is unique and needs to be reviewed before definitive answers can be given, some things are 'a given'.

1) you should review your estate plan and trust regularly whether or not someone has died, but when there is a death it is CRITICAL to review... View More