Plan To Be 100

Litigation of all types will soon be more complicated and more expensive, probate litigation included. This development comes about because of the extensive revisions to the Michigan Court Rules relating to civil discovery which take effect January 1, 2020.  For those who litigate primarily, these changes will require you to up your game.  For those who litigate less frequently, these changes will invite you to consider whether to stay in the game at all.

It would not be wrong to say that, as a practical matter, the new “required initial disclosure” rules will convert Michigan from a notice pleading state to a something arguably more onerous than code pleading state. At the same time, the availability of discovery tools are being reined in, both by specific limitations on their use, and by a new concepts of proportionality.

I have a lot to say about this topic. I’ve divided my thoughts into five parts (this being the first) and will post these parts over the course of this week. In those five parts I will attempt to provide a broad overview of these new rules, with a focus on the manner in which these rules apply to actions arising in probate courts.

To read the new rules, click here.

If you are especially interested in this topic, I will be leading a discussion on it as part of my annual “Litigation Update” at the ELDRS conference in Crystal Mountain, which takes place October 2-4. Click here for information on the conference, and to register.