Moshe B. Newman | Estate Planning Attorney

Moshe B. Newman

Attorney & Counselor at Law · Founder

Moshe Newman founded The Legacy Law Firm to do estate work the way he wanted it done — carefully, with attention, and on a scale where the lawyer who meets the client is the lawyer who handles the matter.

Moshe practices in three areas: estate planning for Michigan families with substantial assets, estate and trust administration when those plans need to be carried out, and probate and trust litigation when something goes wrong with an estate or trust. The three practices inform each other. Watching cases break down in litigation has shaped how he drafts plans. Knowing what well-drafted plans look like has shaped how he attacks — and defends — contested ones. And handling administrations gives him a practical sense of what plans actually need to do, in the moment, for the people implementing them.

He represents clients throughout the State of Michigan from the firm's office in Southfield. Most matters are handled directly by him; complex litigation matters are staffed appropriately, but the lawyer the client speaks with at the start is the lawyer making the strategic decisions through the end.

Education Wayne State University Law School, J.D.

Bar admissions State of Michigan
U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Michigan

Practice areas Estate planning, administration, and probate & trust litigation

Recognition Named one of the 10 Best Elder Law Attorneys in Michigan by the American Institute of Legal Counsel
Recognized as a Lawyer of Distinction

Service area Oakland County Wayne County Macomb County Genesee County All of the State of Michigan

Professional State Bar of Michigan, Probate & Estate Planning Section

Published Family First Magazine

A few things we believe.

Most legal problems are people problems first.

The contested estate, the broken plan, the family that hasn't spoken in two years — almost always, the law is the smaller half of what we're working on. The bigger half is the dynamic that produced the situation in the first place. Good legal work pays attention to both.

Plain language is professional language.

A document a client cannot understand is a document the client cannot meaningfully consent to. We draft estate plans that read clearly, explain themselves where it matters, and avoid the kind of recital-heavy template language that is more about defending the lawyer than serving the client.

Transparency on fees.

Most estate planning engagements at the firm are flat-fee. Litigation matters are typically billed hourly with a meaningful retainer, and the engagement letter says exactly what is and isn't covered. Surprises in a legal bill are a sign that the engagement scope was not properly defined at the start. We try not to do that.

We say no when no is the right answer.

Not every contested matter is worth litigating. Not every estate plan needs to be redone. If the right answer is to wait, to negotiate, to accept the result, or to call a different specialist, that's the answer we give. We'd rather decline an engagement than take one we don't believe we can move forward usefully.