Ingham County runs on two things: state government and Michigan State University. Boroja, Bernier & Associates serves the families behind both — plus the business owners, retirees, and longtime residents who make the capital region home. We put trusted legal guidance where you need it, when you need it.
Serving All of Ingham County | Virtual Consultations Available
State Workers. Spartan Families. Capital Region Roots.
Ingham County is where decisions get made.
State employees draft policy in downtown Lansing offices. MSU faculty push research forward in labs across East Lansing. Lobbyists, administrators, analysts, and support staff keep the machinery of government moving. And beyond the capitol dome and the campus, families in Okemos, Mason, Haslett, and Williamston build lives that look nothing like the political headlines.
These are different worlds under one county line — and they create different legal planning needs.
State retirement systems don’t work like private-sector 401(k)s. TIAA accounts for university employees have their own rules. Government pensions come with survivor benefit elections that affect estate planning in ways most attorneys don’t think to ask about. And if you’ve spent a career in public service, you probably have strong opinions about what happens to what you’ve built.
Boroja, Bernier & Associates has guided more than 2,000 Michigan families since 2014. We handle matters in Ingham County Probate Court and Ingham County Circuit Court regularly. We know how cases move through this system. With offices in Shelby Township, Troy, Ann Arbor, and Lansing, we bring the same standard of preparation to every Ingham County family we serve — whether you’ve spent thirty years in state government or thirty years building a business on the other side of town.
You won’t have to explain how your retirement system works. We’ll already know.
“Ingham County clients often have retirement benefits that require specialized knowledge — state pension elections, TIAA accounts, deferred compensation plans with specific distribution rules. Estate planning that ignores these details can cost families significantly. We ask the questions that surface these issues before they become problems.”
Legal Services for Ingham County Families
Boroja, Bernier & Associates provides comprehensive estate planning, probate, elder law, divorce, and family law services throughout Ingham County. Virtual consultations make working with us straightforward from anywhere in the county.
Estate Planning for Ingham County Residents
A state pension isn’t just a retirement account. It’s a set of decisions — survivor benefit elections, healthcare coverage choices, death benefit designations — that interact with your estate plan in ways that matter.
Did you elect the reduced pension with survivor benefits, or the higher amount that stops when you die? Does your beneficiary designation on the pension match what your will says? What happens to your state healthcare coverage if your spouse survives you?
These aren’t abstract questions. They’re the difference between a surviving spouse who’s protected and one who’s scrambling.
We build estate plans for Ingham County families that account for the retirement systems that actually exist here. State pensions. TIAA accounts. Deferred compensation. Plans that coordinate beneficiary designations with trusts and wills so nothing falls through the cracks.
Comprehensive will-based estate plans typically range from $1,500 to $2,500. Trust-based estate plans generally range from $2,500 to $5,500. Plans involving state pension coordination or complex beneficiary structures may be higher. We provide flat-fee pricing after your consultation — no surprises.
Estate planning services are available statewide — if you have family elsewhere in Michigan who needs planning, we can help them too.
Probate & Trust Administration in Ingham County
When someone passes, sorting out their affairs means understanding what they actually had — and state retirement benefits add layers that generic probate attorneys sometimes miss.
Pension survivor benefits. Life insurance through the state system. Deferred compensation accounts with their own distribution rules. Real estate that might be the family home or might be a rental property that’s been generating income for decades.
We guide personal representatives and successor trustees through estate administration in Ingham County Probate Court, handling the complexity that Ingham County estates often involve. Proper beneficiary coordination. Accurate asset inventories. Distributions that happen when they should — not months or years later because someone didn’t follow up.
Elder Law for Ingham County Families
A state pension provides steady retirement income. It doesn’t protect your house from nursing home costs.
Michigan nursing facilities charge $9,000 to $12,000 per month. Medicaid won’t help until you’ve spent down almost everything — Michigan’s 2026 asset limit is just $9,950. And “almost everything” means the home you’ve lived in for thirty years, the savings you accumulated alongside that pension, the assets you planned to leave your kids.
The pension keeps coming. But without planning, it goes straight to the nursing home while everything else disappears.
We help Ingham County families structure things differently. Proactive planning — ideally five or more years before care is needed — opens options that crisis planning can’t match. But even families already facing nursing home placement have tools available. Medicaid-compliant annuities, spousal protections, and other strategies can preserve significant assets if you know how to use them.
Divorce in Ingham County
Divorce involving state employees or university faculty means dividing retirement benefits that don’t work like regular assets. Pensions require Eligible Domestic Relations Orders. TIAA accounts have their own transfer rules. Deferred compensation plans add another layer.
Get the division wrong, and someone loses benefits they’re entitled to — or owes taxes they didn’t expect.
Beyond the retirement accounts, Ingham County divorces involve the same difficult questions as anywhere else: property division that’s actually fair given what each person contributed, spousal support calculations, and the financial complexity of untangling two careers built in the capital region.
We handle contested and uncontested divorce in Ingham County Circuit Court. Practical solutions where negotiation works. Prepared advocacy where it doesn’t.
Family Law Across Ingham County
Custody disputes, parenting time modifications, child support, and other family law matters need to account for the realities of capital-region careers — legislative sessions that run late, academic calendars that shift, demanding schedules that don’t pause for court dates.
We represent clients in Ingham County Circuit Court’s Family Division. Whether you’re establishing a custody arrangement, modifying an existing order, or addressing a support issue, we bring thorough preparation and practical judgment to every case.
Ingham County Court Information
Ingham County courts serve the state capital — which means they see everything from routine estates to complicated matters involving state officials and university interests. We know how to navigate this system efficiently.
Ingham County Probate Court
The Ingham County Probate Court handles estate administration, trust matters, guardianships, conservatorships, and related probate proceedings.
Address: 313 W. Kalamazoo Street, Lansing, MI 48933
Phone: (517) 483-6300
Website: Ingham County Probate Court
Note: Verify current address and contact information before visiting.
Ingham County Circuit Court — Family Division
The Family Division of Ingham County Circuit Court handles divorce, child custody, parenting time, child support, and other family law matters.
Address: 313 W. Kalamazoo Street, Lansing, MI 48933
Phone: (517) 483-6500
Website: Ingham County Circuit Court
Note: Verify current address and contact information before visiting.
Communities We Serve in Ingham County
Boroja, Bernier & Associates serves families throughout Ingham County:
- Lansing Area: Lansing, Lansing Township, Delta Township (partly in Eaton County), Delhi Township
- East Lansing & University Area: East Lansing, Meridian Township, Okemos, Haslett
- Southern Ingham County: Mason, Leslie, Stockbridge, Dansville, Alaiedon Township, Aurelius Township, Vevay Township
- Western Ingham County: Williamston, Webberville, Williamstown Township, Locke Township, Leroy Township
- Northern Ingham County: Bath Township, DeWitt (partly in Clinton County)
Wherever you are in Ingham County — downtown Lansing, the MSU campus area, or the smaller communities throughout — we can help.
How to Work With Us in Ingham County
Virtual Consultations: Connect via secure video from your office near the capitol or your home in Okemos. No parking hassles, no schedule disruption. Thorough consultation, focused attention.
Phone Consultations: Prefer to start with a conversation? We conduct comprehensive consultations by phone for clients throughout Ingham County.
In-Person Consultations: Meet with an attorney at our Shelby Township headquarters for face-to-face meetings when that’s what the situation calls for.
Our Lansing Office: 120 N Washington Square, Suite 300, Lansing, MI 48933
Phone: (517) 760-6600
What to Expect: Your consultation is with an attorney who will listen to your situation, ask the right questions, and give you honest answers about your options. We’ll explain what Michigan law says, what it means for your specific circumstances, and what working with us would look like. Clear information. Realistic expectations. Your call on next steps.
Why Ingham County Families Choose BBA Law
We Understand Capital Region Careers
State pensions. University retirement systems. Government benefits with specific rules that affect everything from estate planning to divorce settlements. We’ve worked with enough Ingham County families to know where the complications hide — and how to plan around them. You won’t have to explain how your retirement system works. We’ll already know.
Accountability From Start to Finish
When we say we’ll do something, we do it. When issues arise, we tell you immediately — not after they’ve become bigger problems. You’ll always know where your matter stands, what’s happening next, and what to expect. That’s not a marketing promise. It’s how we operate.
Results That Matter
We don’t measure success by how many hours we bill or how many documents we file. We measure it by outcomes: estate plans that actually coordinate with your retirement benefits, estates settled without unnecessary delay, assets preserved from nursing home costs, divorce settlements that protect what you’ve earned. Effort is expected — results are required.
“Ingham County families are often surprised that we already understand their retirement systems — state pensions, TIAA, deferred comp. They’re used to explaining these things to attorneys who’ve never encountered them. We’ve handled enough matters in this area that we know the questions to ask and the issues to watch for. That expertise saves time and prevents mistakes.”
Frequently Asked Questions: Legal Services in Ingham County
Our Lansing office is located at 120 N Washington Square, Suite 300, Lansing, MI 48933 — in downtown Lansing near the capitol. The office phone is (517) 760-6600. Client consultations are conducted at our Shelby Township headquarters or via video/phone. Our main number is (586) 991-7611.
The Ingham County Probate Court is located at 313 W. Kalamazoo Street in Lansing, MI 48933. We handle probate matters there regularly and understand the court’s procedures and expectations.
Estate planning costs depend on complexity. Comprehensive will-based plans typically range from $1,500 to $2,500. Comprehensive trust-based estate plans generally range from $2,500 to $5,500. Plans involving state pension coordination, complex beneficiary structures, or other specific needs may be higher. We provide flat-fee pricing after your consultation — no surprises.
Proactive elder law planning typically ranges from $6,500 to $9,500. Crisis elder law planning — when a loved one already needs nursing home care — generally ranges from $12,000 to $20,000 or more, depending on complexity. The earlier you plan, the more options you have and the more assets we can protect.
Yes — this is something we handle regularly for Ingham County clients. State retirement systems, TIAA accounts, and government deferred compensation plans all have specific rules that affect estate planning. We know how to coordinate beneficiary designations, survivor benefit elections, and trust provisions so everything works together properly.
Most probate matters take six to twelve months. Michigan law requires a four-month creditor claim period before final distributions. Estates involving real estate, retirement account distributions, or family disagreements may take longer. We’ll give you realistic expectations based on your specific situation from the start.
All of Ingham County — Lansing, East Lansing, Okemos, Mason, Haslett, Williamston, and every community in between. Virtual consultations make working with us convenient regardless of where in the county you’re located.
Careers in Public Service. Legal Planning That Matches.
You’ve spent your career serving the public — in state government, at the university, in the institutions that make the capital region run. You understand what it means to do work that matters.
Your legal planning deserves the same attention.
Boroja, Bernier & Associates serves Ingham County families with the preparation, expertise, and follow-through that complex situations require. Estate plans built around state retirement systems. Probate handled efficiently. Asset protection that accounts for how things actually work here.
Protecting Your Family, Your Life, and Your Legacy. Because You Deserve Better.
To schedule a consultation with the Ingham County attorneys at Boroja, Bernier & Associates, call (586) 991-7611.
Contact Information:
Lansing Office: 120 N Washington Square, Suite 300, Lansing, MI 48933
Phone: (517) 760-6600
Headquarters: 49139 Schoenherr Rd., Shelby Township, MI 48315
Phone: (586) 991-7611
Email: admin@bbalawmi.com
Office Hours: Monday – Thursday: 9:00 AM – 5:00 PM | Friday: 9:00 AM – 3:00 PM | Saturday & Sunday: By Appointment
