Best Lawyers Near You in Grand Rapids, Michigan for Trusts and Estates
Marilyn is a partner in the Estate Planning Practice Group. Her practice includes estate planning, estate and trust administration, estate taxation and charitable giving. She was elected by her peers to be a Fellow in the American College of Trust and Estate Counsel. Marilyn was recently honored by Michigan Lawyers Weekly as one of the 2012 Women in the Law.
Rachael W. Roseman represents clients in a variety of litigation matters, primarily focused on probate and commercial disputes. She has successfully represented clients through all types of probate proceedings, disputes, and litigation matters, including guardianships, conservatorships, limited guardianships, and probate and trust disputes. Rachael has prosecuted and defended claims related to undue influence, lack of testamentary capacity, and breach of fiduciary duties. She counsels and rep...
Alex Zucco is an estate planning attorney focused on advising clients on the design of customized estate plans. From unmarried individuals to married couples, young professionals to retirees, Alex has a passion for counseling clients on achieving their estate planning goals, including: Avoiding probate Planning with regard to complex personal and family issues, such as second marriages, blended families, unique health issues, and special needs planning Providing for multi-generational wealth ...
Robert D. Brower is a Member of the firm and has been practicing law since 1972. His practice is focused on representing a wide range of closely held business owners and executives, their families, fiduciaries, and other individuals in matters involving business and estate planning, probate and trust administration, and contested estate matters. Contested Trust, Estate and Fiduciary Matters Mr. Brower has extensive experience in representing individual and corporate personal representatives, ...
Jeff’s practice focuses on business law, real estate, and estate planning. He works with many small- and medium-sized companies and handles all of their legal issues, including business transactions, financing, contracts, licensing matters, and real estate transactions. Jeff has special expertise in commercial real estate development and financing and in the ownership, management and transfer of family cottages, farms and vacation properties. He also represents clients in the agricultur...
Raj A. Malviya has been practicing law since 2005. His practice is focused on estate and tax planning and asset protection for individuals and organizations, planning and tax compliance for individuals and families with foreign ties, and all aspects of estate and trust administration. Estate and Wealth Transfer Planning Mr. Malviya works with private clients such as business owners and licensed professionals in high risk professions including physicians, dentists, chiropractors, architects, a...
Chris works intimately with clients and their advisors to create estate plans that enable families to plan for today as well as for future generations. Chris regularly prepares sophisticated estate plans, emphasizing probate avoidance, estate tax planning, and business succession planning. In addition, Chris has an emphasis on helping families with cottage succession planning. Chris's practice also includes a significant focus on post-death planning and estate and trust administration. Chris ...
Neil specializes in business, estate and gift tax planning, estate planning, probate, business succession planning, and real estate law, representing numerous individuals and businesses with their planning and business issues since 1984. Neil is a member of the estate planning, probate, real property, and business and taxation sections of the American Bar Association, the State Bar of Michigan, and the Grand Rapids Bar Association. Neil is a member of the Western Michigan Estate Planning Coun...
Katie has a broad practice that allows her to serve many different individuals and families. She creates estate plans of all types – from those with estate tax issues and succession planning for business owners to young families planning to protect their young children. Katie helps families determine what steps to take after the loss or incapacity of a loved one and works through any probate, guardianship and conservatorship, or trust administration that may be required. She has signifi...
Tom’s practice includes design and implementation of sophisticated estate plans, active administration of trust accounts, settlement of decedent’s estates, estate taxation, and charitable gift planning. He advises many of Varnum's family business owners and is a member of our Family Business Team. Tom currently serves as the Firm's Executive Partner, one of our two Managing Partners. Previously, he served five years as the chair of the Firm's Estate Planning, Tax, and Employee Ben...
John T. McFarland is a top attorney recognized by Best Lawyers in the practice area(s) of Litigation - Trusts and Estates, Nonprofit / Charities Law, Tax Law and Trusts and Estates. John T., who practices law in Grand Rapids, Michigan, has been recognized since 2024. This recognition is based on an exhaustive peer-review survey, reflecting the high esteem in which John T. is held by other top lawyers in the same geographic and legal practice area.
Pam helps individuals, families, and business owners preserve their legacy through proper estate planning and by working with them to resolve family strife during times of disability or death. This includes listening and understanding the client’s concerns so that she can recommend and prepare proper estate plans, establishing guardianships and conservatorships where appropriate, working through various potential tax issues, attending hearings and other matters at the probate court when...
John M. Huff is a top attorney recognized by Best Lawyers in the practice area(s) of Trusts and Estates. John M., who practices law in Grand Rapids, Michigan, has been recognized since 2007. This recognition is based on an exhaustive peer-review survey, reflecting the high esteem in which John M. is held by other top lawyers in the same geographic and legal practice area.
Lindsay M. Cummings is a top attorney recognized by Best Lawyers in the practice area(s) of Closely Held Companies and Family Businesses Law and Trusts and Estates. Lindsay M., who practices law in Grand Rapids, Michigan, has been recognized since 2024. This recognition is based on an exhaustive peer-review survey, reflecting the high esteem in which Lindsay M. is held by other top lawyers in the same geographic and legal practice area.
Fred is a member of the Estate Planning Practice Group. He has been assisting his clients with their estate planning needs since he first began his practice, and he has during that time handled a wide variety of estate settlements and estate settlement issues. His particular focus is on counseling clients on techniques to minimize estate and gift taxes, and drafting the documents to accomplish that objective. Fred is also a trusted personal advisor to many of the families he has worked with o...
Neil P. Jansen received his bachelor's degrees in Political Science and International Studies from Michigan State University in 1984 and his law degree from Wayne State University in 1988, where he was a member of the Philip C. Jessup International Law Moot Court team and Chancellor of the Moot Court Program. Neil practices in the areas of civil and real estate litigation, probate litigation, estate planning and eminent domain. He is a member of the Grand Rapids and American Bar Associations,...
Our Methodology
Recognition by Best Lawyers is based entirely on peer review. Our methodology is designed to capture, as accurately as possible, the consensus opinion of leading lawyers about the professional abilities of their colleagues within the same geographical area and legal practice area.
The Process
Best Lawyers employs a sophisticated, conscientious, rational, and transparent survey process designed to elicit meaningful and substantive evaluations of the quality of legal services. Our belief has always been that the quality of a peer review survey is directly related to the quality of the voters.