Kenneth V Zichi

Helping Livingston County residents navigate the legal system for 30 years. I focus on Wills, Trusts, Estate Planning and Probate, with a significant portion of my practice also concerning Real Estate and general civil litigation. If you have questions or issues with your home, a cabin up north, or want to insure your family is cared for after you are gone, I'd be happy to meet with you, perhaps bust some myths, and certainly insure YOUR and your family's needs are met. Call for an appointment today!

Elder Law

Estate Planning

Guardianship & Conservatorship Estate Administration, Health Care Directives, Trusts, Wills

Real Estate Law

Commercial Real Estate, Condominiums, Easements, Eminent Domain, Homeowners Association, Land Use & Zoning, Mortgages, Neighbor Disputes, Residential Real Estate, Water Law

Insurance Claims

Bad Faith Insurance, Business Insurance, Disability Insurance, Health Insurance, Life Insurance, Motor Vehicle Insurance, Property Insurance

Landlord Tenant

Evictions, Housing Discrimination, Landlord Rights, Rent Control, Tenants' Rights

Family Law

Child Custody, Child Support, Father's Rights, Paternity, Prenups & Marital Agreements, Same Sex Family Law

• Free Consultation
  Telephone [(810) 299-5222] or office conferences, 20 minutes or less. Longer conferences may incur a minimal fee.
• Contingent Fees

Michigan

Since 1986

Owner

Kenneth V . Zichi J.D.

1991 - Current

Mayor

City of Williamston (Michigan)

2000 - 2010

University of Michigan - Ann Arbor

J.D.

1983 - 1986

University of Michigan - Ann Arbor

A.B. | History / Communications

1977 - 1981

Honors: LS&A Honors College 1977-1979

State Bar of Michigan

Member

1986 - Current

estate and probate section Michigan bar

member

1986 - Current

Law and Media committee - State Bar of Michigan

member

2010 - 2015

Newsroom Seminar, WNEM TV/AM - Saginaw MI

March 15, 2013

State Bar of Michigan - Law & Media committee

An hour-long seminar addressing some of the common practical and substantive difficulties journalists encounter in covering the legal system in Michigan.

Q. Hello. Im in Michigan and I am filling out informal probate / personal representative form 558. I'm stuck on question 9.

May 23, 2022

A: The 'priority' for appointment is based on the Michigan Probate statute. If there is a will, the person named in the will has priority. If there is no will a surviving spouse does. If there is no surviving spouse all surviving children have equal priority. If you don't understand, you will be well served to hire an attorney. Why? The form you're citing may not be necessary at all, and there may be less expensive and involved ways to proceed. Without seeing all the facts and circumstances and exploring what sort of property needs to be distributed by Probate it is impossible to answer what the best process is. PLEASE don't be 'penny wise and pound foolish' about this -- seek qualified local legal assistance from a licensed attorney to review all the facts and provide you real advice!

Q. Man dies in MI. owns land worth $4,000 in SC does land auto go to spouse or has to file probate. His estate under $20k

May 16, 2022

A: Mr Harris is correct, and indeed, if there is no Michigan property to probate, you may be able to JUST file a SC probate action to deal with the property there despite the residency of the deceased. Again, get that SC attorney opinion to verify what and how you should proceed. It would be a shame to have to do probate in BOTH states for such a small value asset, but that may be required. That said, it just emphasizes more how important pre-death planning is as listing a survivor or a joint ownership plan could have avoided all of this. Good luck!

Q. Can a sibling sign herself up for POA over a parent who has dementia without informing her other siblings?

May 13, 2022

A: No -- and there are several issues rattling around in your question that SCREAMS your family need to get real advice from a local estate planning attorney. If someone lacks 'testamentary capacity' because of dementia or any other illness, they cannot create estate planning documents. Further you don't EVER get PoA "over" someone. You get it FOR them. That is not just a semantic difference. If you have PoA that means you have a "Fiduciary duty" to act only in that person's best interests. You don't get 'control' and you can't 'sign up for' that authority. Get with a local attorney ASAP to insure things aren't being messed up irreparably at this point!