Katie Lynwood is a shareholder with Buhl, Little, Lynwood & Harris, PLC and practices in the areas of estate planning, trust and estate administration, and elder law, including Medicaid planning. Katie is licensed to practice in both Michigan and Florida. She is a member of the Probate and Estate Planning Council of the State Bar of Michigan. She is a past president for the Greater Lansing Estate Planning Council and served as treasurer of the board for the Junior League of Lansing. She is a frequent speaker and author on topics related to Medicaid planning, elder law, and probate and estate planning. In 2013 Katie received the Ingham County Bar Association Young Lawyers Section Top 5 Under 35 Award and the “Michigan Lawyers Weekly” Up & Coming Award. In October 2014 she was named as one of the 10 Over the Next Ten young professionals by the Lansing Regional Chamber. She was named a Michigan Super Lawyers Rising Star in the areas of Estate Planning and Probate in 2013 – 2021. She was selected to Super Lawyers in 2022-2023. She is the Vice Chair of the Probate and Estate Planning Section Council of the State Bar of Michigan.
Katie is originally from East Lansing, and graduated from Michigan State University undergraduate program and law school. She lives in East Lansing with her husband Rex, and their daughters. She enjoys golfing, travel, spending time with her family and friends, and giving back to the community by serving on nonprofit boards.
Areas of Practice
- Estate Planning
- Estate and Trust Administration
- Fiduciary Law and Probate Litigation
- Florida matters relating to Estate Planning, Estate and Trust Administration and Real Estate
Education
- Michigan State University College of Law, Juris Doctor, 2008
- Michigan State University, Bachelor of Arts, 2004, with honors
Community Service
- Capital Region Community Foundation Board of Trustees, 2015 – 2021; Chair 2020
- Junior League of Lansing, Michigan, 2008 – Present
Treasurer, Board of Directors, 2013 – 2014
Endowment Treasurer, Endowment Board of Trustees, 2014 – 2015
Professional Associations & Honors
- State Bar of Michigan, Admitted November 2008
Probate and Estate Planning Section, 2009 – Present
Elder Law Section, 2011 – Present - State Bar of Michigan Probate Council
Council Member, 2015 – Present; Officer 2020 – Present
Legislative Development and Drafting Committee, 2017–present - Institute for Continuing Legal Education
Executive Committee, 2015 – Present
New Lawyers Advisory Board, 2011 – 2015 - Ingham County Bar Association, 2008 – Present
Probate and Trust Law Section, 2008 – Present - Women Lawyers Association, Michigan, 2008 – Present
Mentor – Women Lawyer’s Association/Cooley Law School mentor program, 2010 – 2011 - Greater Lansing Estate Planning Council, 2009-Present
President (2012-2013)
Vice-President (2011-2012)
Board Member (2011-2014) - The Florida Bar, Admitted April 2011
Real Property, Probate & Trust Law Section, 2011 – Present
Elder Law Section, 2011 – Present - Awards
- Recognized in Best Lawyers in Trusts and Estates Litigation 2019-2023
- Recognized in Best Lawyers in Trusts and Estates 2020-2023
- Recognized in Michigan Super Lawyers in the areas of Estate Planning and Probate 2022-2023
- Named as a Michigan Super Lawyers Rising Star in the areas of Estate Planning & Probate, 2013-2020
- Recipient of the Lansing Regional Chamber “10 Over the Next Ten” Award, September 2014
- Recipient of the Michigan Lawyers Weekly “Up & Coming Lawyers” Award, December 2013
- Recipient of the Ingham County Bar Association, Young Lawyers Section, “Top 5 Under 35” Award, March 2013
Related Experience, Presentations & Publications
- Moderator and assisted with the conference planning for the Michigan Institute of Continuing Legal Education 63rd Annual Probate and Estate Planning Institute, May/June 2023
- Presentation for the Junior League of Lansing on “Difficult Estate Planning and Elder Law Conversations with Family and Friends”, November 2022
- Co-Authored “How to Admit a Will to Probate to Establish a Testamentary Trust, How-to-Kit” for the Michigan Institute of Continuing Legal Education, November 2021
- Presentation for the Greater Lansing Estate Planning Council, “Legislative Update”, January 2022
- Presentation for the Michigan Institute of Continuing Legal Education 61st Annual Probate and Estate Planning Institute “Fundamentals of Testamentary Trust Administration”, June 2021
- Presentation for Association of Fundraising Professionals Capital Area Chapter “Estate Planning, Planned Gifts and Donor Advised Funds”, January 2021
- Contributor to Lexis Nexis forms for estate planning and probate Administration, 2019 – Present
- Presentation for the Michigan Institute of Continuing Legal Education 5th Annual Elder Law Institute “Medicaid Essentials – Rules”, September 2019
- Presentation for HalfMoon Education’s Estate Planning seminar “Ethical Considerations in Estate planning”, July 2019
- Co-Author of “Remarried With Children: Love and Divorce Later In Life” published in the State Bar of Michigan Probate and Estate Planning Journal, Winter 2018
- Presentation for the Michigan Institute of Continuing Legal Education 4th Annual Elder Law Institute “Office Best Practices”, September 2018
- Presentation for the Michigan Institute of Continuing Legal Education 58th Annual Probate and Estate Planning Institute “Everything You Must Know about Florida Property and Estates”, May 2018
- Testified at a meeting for the Judiciary Committee of the Michigan Senate regarding HB 4410 (Jajuga COA case and Exempt Property Allowance), April 2018
- Presentation for the Ingham County Bar Association – Probate and Trust Law Section “Multi State Practice”, April 2018
- Co-Author of “The Intersection of Estate Planning, Family Law and Elder Law” published in the State Bar of Michigan Journal, January 2018
- Presentation for the Lansing, Michigan CPA Practitioners Group “Client Capacity Issues and the Challenges of Working With Elderly Clients”, September 2017
- Testified at a meeting for the Judiciary Committee of the Michigan House of Representatives regarding HB 4410 (Jajuga COA case and Exempt Property Allowance), September 2017
- Moderator for the Michigan Institute of Continuing Legal Education 3rd Annual Elder Law Institute, September 2017
- Presentation for the National Business Institute Prepare and present on “Ethical Challenges in Estate Administration” and Present on “Common Issues to be Prepared For in Litigation and Probate”, August 2017
- Moderator for the Michigan Institute of Continuing Legal Education 57th Annual Probate and Estate Planning Institute, May/June 2017
- Presentation for the Ingham County Bar Association – Probate and Trust Law Section “Medicaid Updates”, April 2017
- Radio interview with Tom Matt’s “Boomer’s Rock” radio talk show “Elder Law and Estate Planning – Segment 4”, April 2017
- Presentation for the Jackson County Estate Planning Council “Nuances of Florida Estate Planning and Probate”, March 2017
- Presentation for the Michigan Institute of Continuing Legal Education 2nd Annual Elder Law Institute “Medicaid Essentials – Rules”, September 2016
- Presentation for The Willows at East Lansing Senior Executive Club “Estate Planning and Probate”, June 2016
- Radio interview with Tom Matt’s “Boomer’s Rock” radio talk show, “Elder Law and Estate Planning – Segment 3”, December 2015
- Presentation for the Greater Lansing Estate Planning Council, “Medicaid Updates – 2015”, October 2015
- Presentation for the State Bar of Michigan Elder Law and Disability Rights Section annual fall conference “Real Estate Issues for the Elderly”, October 2015
- Moderator for the Michigan Institute of Continuing Legal Education 1st Annual Elder Law Institute, September 2015
- Radio interview with Tom Matt’s “Boomer’s Rock” radio talk show, “Elder Law and Estate Planning – Segment 2”, August 2015
- Authored “Top Tips For Spotting and Dealing with Elder Exploitation during Estate Planning” for the Michigan Institute of Continuing Legal Education, August 2015
- Radio interview with Tom Matt’s “Boomer’s Rock” radio talk show “Elder Law and Estate Planning – Segment 1”, June 2015
- Seminar for the Michigan Institute of Continuing Legal Education “Estate Planning for Intellectual Property Assets”, April 2015
- Presentation for the Saginaw ISD Parent Advisory Committee at the Parent Information Expo “Estate Planning for Your Child With Special Needs”, March 2015
- Presentation for the Jackson County Estate Planning Council “Prenuptial Agreements and Estate Planning”, March 2015
- Co-Author of “Hey, What’s the Big Idea?! Why Estate Planners Need to Understand the Basics of Intellectual Property” published in the State Bar of Michigan Probate and Estate Planning Journal, Winter 2014
- Presentation for the State Bar of Michigan Senior Education Program “Who Should You Trust”, August 2014
- Co-Presenter for the Elder Law of Michigan’s Medicaid Boot Camp, April 2014
- Authored “Draft a Prenuptial Agreement, How-To Kit” for the Michigan Institute of Continuing Legal Education, January 2014
- Received a Certificate of Completion in the areas of probate and estate planning issued by the Institute of Continued Legal Education and Probate and Estate Planning Section of the State Bar of Michigan, 2012
- Presentation for the Ingham County Bar Association – Probate and Trust Law Section “Capacity Issues and Assessing Client Capacity”, March 2012
- Co-Author of “Estate Recovery Is Now In Play” published in the State Bar of Michigan Probate and Estate Planning Journal, Winter 2011
- Presentation for the Ingham County Bar Association – Probate and Trust Law Section “Coordinating Prenuptial Agreements with Estate Plans”, January 2011
- Guest Lecturer, Cooley Law School, Law Practice Management, 2010 – 2011