Mara Elena Kent
Ferguson Widmayer & Clark, PC
Mara Kent (she/her/hers) is a life-long resident of Ann Arbor, Michigan and a licensed attorney since 1996. Mara’s practice areas include estate planning, probate and trust administration, elder law and long-term care planning, special needs planning, estate planning for surrogacy, same-sex adoptions and step-parent adoptions, and prenuptial agreements.
Mara loves working with people and making personal connections with her clients, doing what she generally considers to be “happy law.” Mara counsels her clients on how to plan for major life events by anticipating common (and not-so-common) problems before they arise, so her clients can strategize about how to minimize court involvement, family conflict, added expense, and stress. She helps clients plan for their future care and the care of loved ones, as well as assists clients in establishing a plan for the distribution of their estate after they die.
Mara received her bachelor’s degree from the University of Michigan in 1993 and is a 1996 summa cum laude graduate of the University of Detroit Mercy School of Law, where she graduated second in her law school class. While in law school, she worked in the Office of General Counsel for Ford Motor Company and went on to distinction as a law clerk for former Michigan Supreme Court Justice Michael F. Cavanagh from 1996-1998. From 2000–2014, Mara was a tenured professor at the Thomas M. Cooley Law School where she taught contract law, sales, negotiable instruments, and legal research & writing. Mara remains a Senior Professor Emerita.
In addition to her practice, Mara is a committed to her community, doing pro bono legal service and volunteering as a board member for several community organizations. She provides legal services to Habitat for Humanity clients with estate planning and probate needs, pro bono probate counseling for the Washtenaw County Probate Court and the Homes for Generations partnership with the Washtenaw County Bar Association.
- University of Detroit Mercy School of Law
- J.D. (1996)
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- Honors: Summa Cum Laude, graduated second in her law school class; Dean's Scholarship for academic excellence; American Association of Corporate Counsel Scholarship; Irish American Lawers Scholarship
- Activities: Law Review, Mood Court Board of Directors, American Inns of Court
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- University of Michigan - Ann Arbor
- (1993) Industrial Design
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- Attorney
- Ferguson Widmayer & Clark, PC
- - Current
- Estate planning, probate, and trust administration
- Attorney
- NSSSB
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- Attorney
- Bassett Law
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- Attorney
- Mara Kent Law
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- Full Professor with Tenure
- Thomas M. Cooley School of Law
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- Attorney
- Stein Moran Raimi & Goethal
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- Judicial Law Clerk to Justice Michael F. Cavanagh
- Michigan Supreme Court
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- Estate Planning Challenges During the Covid-19 Pandemic
- Res Ipsa
- Custom Casebook Revision, Problems and Materials on Commercial Law, Douglas Whaley and Stephen McJohn,
- Wolters Kluwer
- Substantial Revision, Michigan Law and Practice 2d. Encyclopedia on Contracts, Volume 8, Chapter 2, Contracts, revised 2013, M.L.P.2d Contracts
- Wood v. Boynton and the Incredible Journey of the Eagle Diamond
- Wisc. Mag. Hist
- A Contracts Love Story Gone Wrong: The Story Behind Bright v. Ganas
- 32 Adelaide L. Rev. 333
- Estate Planning for Young Lawyers
- State Bar of Michigan Young Lawyers Section
- Estate Planning 101
- EmpowerHER
- Estate Planning 201, Estate Planning Through the Stages of Life and Probate Pitfalls
- EmpowerHer
- Tax Law Series: Federal Tax Insights (estate planning)
- Institute for Continuing Legal Education
- Covid-19 & Women
- Womens Lawyers Association of Michigan
- Juris Doctor
- State Bar of Michigan
- Completed Certificate Program in Estate Planning
- Institute for Continuing Legal Education
- Completed Certificate Program in Elder Law
- Institute for Continuing Legal Education
- Michigan State Bar # P56305
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- Michigan
- State Bar of Michigan
- ID Number: P56305
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Free Consultation
The initial consultation for estate planning is typically complimentary, unless the client would also like to discuss matters that we complete on an hourly basis, such as probate and trust administration or complex estate planning. Contact our office for details (734) 662-0222 - Credit Cards Accepted
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Rates, Retainers and Additional Information
Estate Planning is primarily completed on a flat-fee basis, which is discussed in the initial complimentary consultation. Hourly fees are reserved for probate, trust administration, adoptions, and certain taxable estates or complex planning matters
- Estate Planning
- Guardianship & Conservatorship Estate Administration, Health Care Directives, Trusts, Wills
- Probate
- Probate Administration
- Elder Law
- Family Law
- Adoption, Prenups & Marital Agreements
- English