Hear from the current president of the State Bar of Michigan as well as the chairperson of the Probate & Estate Planning Section.

The rules and planning implications for liquidating inherited retirement accounts in light of the 2022 regulations and the SECURE Act legislation; steps to take if a trust will be named as the beneficiary of an account; the best way to deal with retirement accounts in a blended family when there is a second spouse and children from a prior marriage.

Lady Bird deeds; co-patient advocates; co-trustees acting independently; acknowledgment by agent under power of attorney; providing copy of trust instrument to beneficiaries; no-contest clauses.

Review the distinction between and relevance of capacity determination and legal competency; the processes and challenges in identifying medical surrogate decision makers in the absence of advance medical directives (AMD); the limitations and clinical utility of AMD content; recommendations and considerations for enhancing meaning and utility of AMD in clinical practice.

Cost-benefit choices for the philanthropist when choosing between a private foundation, a supporting organization, or a donor-advised fund; legal, tax, and administrative advantages and disadvantages of each philanthropic vehicle; proposed rules that permit donor-advised funds to satisfy legally binding pledges.

Affidavit of decedent successor; petition/order for assignment; summary administration/SOS to transfer vehicle.

Relax and join faculty, sponsors, exhibitors, and fellow registrants for light hors d’oeuvres and cocktails.

Hear from the executive director of the State Bar of Michigan.

Consider your current practice and business and where you want to be; impacts of the pandemic on marketing (if any); dynamic branding interactions even in unexpected locations; review key factors of your business plan and take a peek inside Terrence’s.

Learned profession restrictions; dealing with heightened confidentiality requirements; nuances of planning for professionals.

Michigan and federal developments; updated and effective planning techniques; special needs strategies.

Trust/estate business assets; LLC statute; QSSTs (Qualified Subchapter S Trusts); ESBTs (Electing Small Business Trusts); administration and accounting; tax reporting.

Identify need for a third-party trust versus first-party trust; incorporate pooled trusts or ABLE accounts; provide for proper distributions.

Introduction to Cannabis Regulatory Agency disclosure requirements; learn drafting techniques for compliant structural safeguards and best practices for cannabis businesses; understand regulatory reporting obligations and administration upon death or incapacity; discussion of estate and gift tax considerations for cannabis business valuations.

See-through trust rules; how to get retirement assets to a special needs beneficiary or to a supplemental needs trust under the SECURE Act.

Enjoy lunch with colleagues and share your thoughts on the institute’s most thought-provoking topics.

Resulting trusts; tax and nontax aspects of express trusts; conflict of laws.

Ask your practice management and substantive questions in this open forum.

Identifying inefficient processes in your office; improving your bottom line with process mapping; the disconnect between what a lawyer thinks is happening and what is actually happening; walk through a real-life example where small adjustments made big differences for an estates and trusts practice.

The top subscription drafting systems available to estates and trusts lawyers; automating your own documents using built-in word processor functionality or moving to a document assembly platform such as HotDocs or HighQ; the pros, cons, costs, and benefits of each approach so you can make an informed decision about the best way forward for your office.

Choice of entity; operational issues; developing the exit strategy; expecting the unexpected--and planning for it.

Why everyone in your office needs to understand the risks and benefits of PDF files; using PDFs to reduce paper; important tools like redaction, metadata removal and electronic document security, Bates Numbering, splitting/combining PDFs, reducing file-size for electronic case filing, review/comment and PDF collaboration, adding signatures and stamps, routing PDFs for comments/feedback, and more; choosing the right program to perform these functions (you are not limited to Adobe Acrobat).

Overview of uncapping; transfer of ownership; transfer of ownership exemptions; what’s missing; common and unresolved issues.

Use EPIC’s new standby guardian tools; leverage-improved nonprobate transfer provisions; use new "silent trust" rules; get third parties to accept DPOAs; understand the statutory model DPOA; explore new drafting options under the Act.

Authority; administration of real estate; necessary approvals; action by fiduciary such as trustee, guardian, conservator, personal representative; financial power of attorney; protective orders; conveyances and post-conveyance steps.