Probate & estate administration · Cass and Van Buren Counties
Probate attorney in Dowagiac, Michigan, serving families in Cass and Van Buren Counties.
When someone dies, their property has to be gathered, their debts paid, and what remains passed on. Michigan runs that process through the county probate court. Lebbin Law Office is a probate and estate administration law office in downtown Dowagiac. We guide personal representatives, heirs, and families through Michigan probate in the Cass County Probate Court in Cassopolis and the Van Buren County Probate Court in Paw Paw, from the first filing to the final distribution.
Marcel Lebbin, Attorney at Law. Office visits by appointment at 140 S. Front Street in downtown Dowagiac. Licensed in Michigan and Indiana.
First question
Does this estate need to go through probate?
Often the answer depends on how each asset was titled. A quick review of the deed, the accounts, and any beneficiary forms usually settles it.
Probate is usually needed when
- A house, farm, or lake property was in the deceased person’s name alone.
- Bank or investment accounts had no joint owner and no payable-on-death beneficiary.
- A vehicle, business interest, or mineral rights were held individually.
- Someone owed the deceased money, or a lawsuit or claim needs to be pursued or defended.
- There is a will that names an executor, and it needs to be given legal effect.
Probate is often avoided when
- Real estate was held jointly with rights of survivorship, or by a lady-bird deed.
- Accounts named a beneficiary or a joint owner who survived.
- Assets were already transferred into a living trust.
- Life insurance and retirement accounts have living named beneficiaries.
- The estate is small enough for Michigan’s simplified procedures.
Not sure?
Most families are not. Bring what you have, including the will if there is one, and we will tell you plainly whether a court case is needed, which kind, and what it is likely to involve.
(269) 340-1141Dowagiac office · Cass County
Estate administration
Michigan estate administration, informal and formal, start to finish.
Michigan’s Estates and Protected Individuals Code offers two paths. Most estates move through informal probate, handled largely through the probate register with little or no courtroom time. When there is a question about the will, the heirs, or who should serve, the estate proceeds formally before the judge. We handle both, with or without court supervision, whether the person left a will or not.
Often the client is the personal representative named in a relative’s will. That job comes with real legal duties and deadlines. We take on the paperwork, the notices, and the court, so you can carry out your family member’s wishes without learning probate procedure on your own.
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Opening the estate
Application for informal probate or petition for formal proceedings, appointment of the personal representative, and issuance of Letters of Authority.
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Notices and publication
Notice of appointment to heirs and devisees, published notice to creditors, and notice to the state’s estate recovery program when it applies.
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Inventory and valuation
Identifying every asset, establishing date-of-death values, filing the inventory, and calculating the court’s inventory fee.
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Creditor claims
Reviewing what is owed, allowing or disallowing claims, and paying funeral, medical, and other priority expenses in the right order.
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Real estate in the estate
Selling or transferring the house, farmland, or lake property, and preparing the deeds from the estate to buyers or heirs.
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Accounts and distributions
Collecting bank and investment accounts, coordinating final tax returns with your accountant, and distributing to heirs with receipts.
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Closing the estate
Sworn statement or petition for complete estate settlement, final accounting, and the court’s certificate of completion.
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When people disagree
Determination of heirs, questions about a will’s validity, contested appointments, and supervised administration when the court’s oversight is needed.
What to expect
The Michigan probate timeline, in plain terms.
The dates below are set by Michigan statute and court rule. Most run from the day the personal representative is appointed. We track every one of them for you.
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First meetingDay one
We review the will, the assets, and the family
We decide together whether informal or formal probate fits, who should serve as personal representative, and what the estate is likely to require.
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FilingCass or Van Buren
The estate is opened and a personal representative appointed
Once the court issues Letters of Authority, the personal representative can act for the estate: access accounts, deal with property, and speak with creditors.
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14 daysAfter appointment
Notice of appointment goes to interested persons
Heirs, devisees, and others with an interest in the estate receive formal notice that the estate is open and who is in charge.
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4 monthsCreditor window
Notice to creditors is published
Creditors have four months from publication to present claims. Known creditors receive direct notice. Claims that come in late are generally barred.
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91 daysAfter appointment
The inventory is due
Every asset and its date-of-death value is listed and served on interested persons. The court’s inventory fee is calculated from these figures.
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AdministrationOngoing
Assets are gathered, debts paid, property sold or transferred
This is the longest stretch and the one most families find hardest to do alone. We keep the estate moving and keep you informed.
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5 monthsEarliest close
The estate can close and distribute
An unsupervised estate may close no earlier than five months after appointment. If administration runs past a year, a notice of continued administration keeps it in good standing.
Michigan law sets the five-month floor; how long an estate takes beyond that depends on its own facts. Real estate that needs to be sold, disagreements among heirs, or estate recovery claims all add time. We will give you a candid estimate for your family’s estate at the first meeting.
Local courts
Two counties, two probate courts, one office in between.
Dowagiac sits in the northern part of Cass County, a short drive from both courthouses. The office handles estates in each.
Cass County
Cass County Probate Court
- Address
- Law & Courts Building
60296 M-62, Suite 10
Cassopolis, MI 49031 - Phone
- (269) 445-4452
- Hours
- 8:00 a.m. to noon and 1:00 to 4:30 p.m., weekdays
Van Buren County
Van Buren County Probate Court
- Address
- 212 E. Paw Paw Street, Suite 220
Paw Paw, MI 49079 - Phone
- (269) 657-8225
- Hours
- 8:30 a.m. to 5:00 p.m., Monday through Friday
Court hours are listed as published by each court and can change; the court will confirm by phone. A decedent’s estate is opened in the county where the person was living at death. If your family member lived elsewhere in Michigan but owned property in Cass or Van Buren County, call and we will sort out where the case belongs.
Cass County probate attorney
Families in Dowagiac, Cassopolis, Edwardsburg, Marcellus, and the lake communities of Cass County open estates at the Cass County Probate Court in Cassopolis. Our office is in Dowagiac itself, so meetings, signings, and court filings happen close to home.
- Dowagiac
- Cassopolis
- Edwardsburg
- Marcellus
- Vandalia
- Sister Lakes
- Jones
- Union
- Howard Township
Van Buren County probate attorney
For families in Paw Paw, Decatur, Lawton, Mattawan, Hartford, Bangor, South Haven, and the rest of Van Buren County, estates are opened at the Van Buren County Probate Court in Paw Paw. Dowagiac sits just south of the county line, and we handle Van Buren County estates from here.
- Paw Paw
- Decatur
- Lawton
- Mattawan
- Hartford
- Bangor
- South Haven
- Gobles
- Lawrence
- Bloomingdale
- Keeler
Your attorney · Dowagiac, Michigan
Marcel Lebbin, probate and estate planning attorney
Marcel Lebbin is a Michiana native who has practiced in estate administration, probate, wills, trusts, and elder law since 2005. His work has ranged from simple informal estates to contested trust and spousal election matters, and he brings that range to each family’s case, whether it needs a light touch or a firm one.
He is a member of the State Bar of Michigan and the Cass County Bar Association, has served as president of the Michiana Estate Planning Council, and sits on the board of the REAL Services Guardianship Council. He opened the Dowagiac office to serve families in Cass and Van Buren Counties close to home.
At a glance
- Practice
- Estate administration, wills and trusts, elder law
- Admitted
- State of Michigan; State of Indiana; U.S. District Courts, Northern and Southern Districts of Indiana
- Education
- J.D., University of Dayton School of Law, 2005
B.A., History and Political Science, Purdue University, 2002 - Professional
- State Bar of Michigan · Cass County Bar Association · Michiana Estate Planning Council
- Office
- 140 S. Front St., Dowagiac, MI 49047
Before your first meeting
What to bring, if you have it.
Do not wait until you have everything. Whatever you can gather helps, and we can request the rest.
- Original will and any codicils, or the name of the attorney who drafted them
- Certified death certificate (two or three copies are useful)
- Names and addresses of the surviving spouse, children, and other close relatives
- Deeds, tax bills, and mortgage statements for any real estate
- Recent statements for bank, brokerage, and retirement accounts
- Life insurance policies and any beneficiary designations you know of
- Vehicle titles and business or farm records
- Funeral bill and any bills or collection letters that have arrived
- Last year’s income tax return
- Any trust documents, powers of attorney, or prior court papers
Contact
Call the Dowagiac office.
Tell us a little about your family member and what they owned. We will let you know whether probate is needed and what the next step is.
Office visits are by appointment. Call to schedule.
Privacy policy
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Changes and questions
If this policy changes, the effective date above will be updated. Questions about it can be directed to Marcel Lebbin at the office address above or at (269) 340-1141.