Douglas A. Mielock

Doug Mielock is devoted to helping clients achieve their goals, Doug represents and counsels clients in the following areas:

• Estate Planning: Meets with clients to determine their goals. Drafts wills, trusts, powers of attorney and other documents to achieve these goals. This includes the avoidance or reduction of federal income tax and federal estate, gift and generation-skipping transfer tax.
• Estate Litigation: Represents fiduciaries and beneficiaries in probate court litigation. This includes disputes such as the construction of wills and trusts, the contested validity of wills and trusts and breach of trust actions brought against fiduciaries.
• Estate Administration: Represents fiduciaries and beneficiaries in the administration of probate estates and trust estates following the death of an intestate decedent, testator, or settlor.
• Marital Agreements: Counsels individuals on their legal rights prior to marriage. Drafts pre-marital and post-marital agreements.

Doug is a frequent speaker on trust and estate-related topics. He has addressed dozens of groups and forums across Michigan, including testimony before state legislative committees. He is also a member of the Probate Advisory Committee for the Institute of Continuing Legal Education. A native of Lansing, Doug is a former leader of the firm's Trusts & Estates Practice Group and currently serves on the firm's Executive Committee as Co-Vice President of the Lansing office. He also formerly served on the firm's Executive Committee as Secretary.

2023 AV® Preeminent™ Attorney - Judicial Edition - Martindale-Hubbell

Michael W. Irish Award (2016 – Probate and Estate Planning Section, State Bar of Michigan)

Best Lawyers in America® 2001-2025 (Trusts & Estates; Elder Law; Non-Profit / Charities Law; Litigation - Trusts & Estates) 

Best Lawyers® 2022, 2025 "Lawyer of the Year" - Lansing, Elder Law

Best Lawyers® 2013, 2016, 2024 "Lawyer of the Year" - Lansing, Litigation - Trusts & Estates

Best Lawyers® 2017, 2023, 2025 "Lawyer of the Year" - Lansing, Trusts and Estates

Best Lawyers® 2018, 2020 "Lawyer of the Year" - Lansing, Litigation-Trusts and Estates

Michigan Super Lawyers, Estate & Probate, 2005-2024

Top 100 Michigan Super Lawyers, 2008 & 2009

AV® Preeminent™ Martindale-Hubbell rating since 1998

1997 Boss of the Year Award - Lansing Legal Support Professionals 

Inductee – Lansing Eastern High School Sports Hall of Fame

Inductee – Greater Lansing Sports Hall of Fame

• Develop, draft, and implement estate plans that permit clients to pass a significant amount of wealth free of federal estate tax at death.
• Successfully represented beneficiaries of $7.5 million trust in defending action contesting validity of trust.
• Successfully represented beneficiary under unsigned draft amendment in trust action to establish validity of unsigned trust amendment.
• Successfully represented bank trustee in defending separate actions for breach of trust brought by beneficiaries of multi-million dollar trusts.
• Represented beneficiaries of trust in successfully defending multiple actions brought contesting validity of trust; obtained complete victory for clients following bench trial.

Legal Affiliations:

• State Bar of Michigan
  • Probate and Estate Planning Section
    • Council Member/Officer 1996-2007
    • Chair 2006-2007
    • Estates and Protected Individuals Code Committee, Member 1992-2000
    • Michigan Trust Code Committee, Member 2005-2010
• American Bar Association
  • Real Property, Probate and Trust Law Section
• Ingham County Bar Association

Industry & Professional Associations:

• The American College of Trust and Estate Counsel, Fellow 2002-Present
• Institute of Continuing Legal Education
  • Probate Advisory Committee, 2006-2018
• Greater Lansing Estate Planning Council
• Elder Law of Michigan Inc., Former Chair and former Board of Directors
• Capital Region Community Foundation
  • Board of Trustees 2006-2014
  • Treasurer 2007- 2009
  • Chair Elect 2010
  • Chair 2011

Community Involvement:

• Sparrow Foundation
  • Planned Giving Committee, Former Chair and former Committee member