Best Lawyers Near You in Royal Oak, Michigan for Trusts and Estates
Cynthia Umphrey helps families and business owners make significant personal and professional life decisions. Ms. Umphrey calls upon over 20 years of experience in estate planning, post-death administration, business structuring and business exit planning to guide you through life’s most important choices. Estate Planning & Post-Death Administration: Ms. Umphrey walks her clients through the entire estate planning process with care. Some concerns she will help you resolve include: h...
Kara Ferrara is a top attorney recognized by Best Lawyers in the practice area(s) of Trusts and Estates. Kara, who practices law in Troy, Michigan, has been recognized since 2024. This recognition is based on an exhaustive peer-review survey, reflecting the high esteem in which Kara is held by other top lawyers in the same geographic and legal practice area.
Practice Areas - Business and Tax Planning, Business Tax, Estate and Gift Taxation, Estate Planning, Estate/Income Taxes, Probate Law and Trust Administration, Tax Litigation and Dispute Resolution, Tax Planning Neal Nusholtz is an acclaimed tax attorney whose legal practice spans over 40 years. He specializes in all areas of taxation ranging from income tax audits to litigation and state and federal appeals. Mr. Nusholtz serves on several committees of the State Bar of Michigan, and he was s...
Julius H. Giarmarco, J.D., LL.M., is chair of the firm's Trusts and Estates Practice Group. Julius received his law degree from Wayne State University, and his master of laws from New York University. He is licensed to practice law in both Michigan and New York. Julius' primary practice areas include estate planning, business succession planning, wealth transfer planning, and life insurance applications. He is a former instructor in both the Chartered Life Underwriter (CLU) and Certified Fina...
Brian Jenney helps families and individuals with elder law and special needs issues as well as estate planning and administration. For those planning ahead, Mr. Jenney prepares wills, trusts and powers of attorney to ensure proper future handling of medical decisions, finances and the distribution of assets. For family members with more immediate elder care issues, Mr. Jenney can assist with guardianships and conservatorships of ailing family members. In addition, Mr. Jenney helps families wo...
William C. Lentine is a top attorney recognized by Best Lawyers in the practice area(s) of Business Organizations (including LLCs and Partnerships), Tax Law and Trusts and Estates. William C., who practices law in Southfield, Michigan, has been recognized since 2022. This recognition is based on an exhaustive peer-review survey, reflecting the high esteem in which William C. is held by other top lawyers in the same geographic and legal practice area.
Mr. Cracchiolo is an adviser to high net worth individuals and families on a variety of personal, business and tax matters, including estate planning, estate, gift and generation-skipping tax issues, closely-held business transactions and succession, family office formation and operation, private trust companies, real estate transactions and philanthropic strategies. He also represents professional and individual trustees on trust and estate administration matters and works closely with famil...
Susan M. Sutton is a top attorney recognized by Best Lawyers in the practice area(s) of Trusts and Estates. Susan M., who practices law in Southfield, Michigan, has been recognized since 2021. This recognition is based on an exhaustive peer-review survey, reflecting the high esteem in which Susan M. is held by other top lawyers in the same geographic and legal practice area.
Alan May is a shareholder who is sought after for his experience in guardianships and conservatorships. He has written and lectured extensively and has taught classes at Wayne State University and Oakland University on these topics. He was selected for inclusion in the 2007-2019 issues of Michigan Super Lawyers magazine featuring the top 5% of attorneys in Michigan and has been called by courts as an expert witness on issues of fees and by both plaintiffs and defendants as an expert witness i...
Ralph A. Castelli Jr. is an attorney with Kemp Klein in Troy, Michigan . His practice focuses on Corporate Law , Real Estate Law , and Trusts and Estates , with an emphasis on advising businesses and individuals on planning, transactions, and long‑term business and ownership strategies. Mr. Castelli works with closely held and family-owned businesses on a wide range of corporate matters, including business planning and structuring, exit planning , shareholder and partner separations, and comp...
Aaron H. Sherbin is a top attorney recognized by Best Lawyers in the practice area(s) of Mergers and Acquisitions Law and Trusts and Estates. Aaron H., who practices law in Southfield, Michigan, has been recognized since 2018. This recognition is based on an exhaustive peer-review survey, reflecting the high esteem in which Aaron H. is held by other top lawyers in the same geographic and legal practice area.
Joan Skrzyniarz, a member in Dickinson Wright’s Nashville and Troy offices, focuses her practice on Trusts, estate planning, and probate law. She has served as counsel to personal representatives, trustees, and beneficiaries in probate, trust administration, and litigation and has advised individuals and families about guardianship and conservatorship matters.
Shirley A. Kaigler is a top attorney recognized by Best Lawyers in the practice area(s) of Trusts and Estates. Shirley A., who practices law in Southfield, Michigan, has been recognized since 2007. This recognition is based on an exhaustive peer-review survey, reflecting the high esteem in which Shirley A. is held by other top lawyers in the same geographic and legal practice area.
William B. “Bill” Acker is a shareholder, director, and corporate vice president at Kemp Klein in Troy, Michigan. His practice focuses on Litigation and Controversy – Tax , Tax Law , Trusts and Estates , and Real Estate Law. Bill represents businesses, property owners, and individuals in complex tax disputes, estate planning matters, and real estate transactions and controversies. Bill holds an “AV” peer review rating from Martindale-Hubbell Law Directory, the hi...
Tom has over 30 years of experience in helping clients efficiently and effectively define their estate planning goals and to arrange their affairs accordingly. His expertise includes facilitating the direction of a client-centered and directed strategy and then drafting clear and understandable legal documents to implement it, thereby protecting client wealth, closely-held businesses, and families from taxes, post-mortem chaos and expense, and unnecessary complexity. He has expertise and expe...
Mr. Hempstead concentrates his practice primarily in the areas of income, estate and gift tax planning for high net worth individuals, estate and trust administration, trust litigation, and charitable trusts and foundations. He is a member of the Probate and Estate Planning and Taxation sections of the State Bar of Michigan. He is also a member of the Financial and Estate Planning Council of Detroit. Mr. Hempstead was admitted to practice before the United States Tax Court in 1979. Crain&rsqu...
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.