George F. Bearup
Attorney - Shareholder
Practice Areas
Industry Teams
Secretary
Julie Houdek
tel. 231.486.4525
email 
George F. Bearup has practiced law in Traverse City for 36 years. He is recognized in Michigan and the nation as a leader in the areas of estate planning and retirement planning. George is one of only 2,600 attorneys in the nation elected to be a Fellow of the American College of Trust and Estate Counsel. The College is a national organization that includes attorneys who have demonstrated the hightest level of integrity, commitment to the profession, competence, and experience as trust and estate counselors.
George is very active in the Traverse City community and was most recently tapped to chair the Munson Helathcare Affiliations Committee, which was created to analyze a potential partnership with Spectrum Health. Over the years, he has donated a significant amount of time, legal expertise, and resources to the Rotary Charities of Traverse City, the largest grant giving chapter of all Rotary Charities in the world.
In addition, George is a frequent speaker and moderator for the Institute of Continuing Legal Education seminars, including the Annual Drafting Estate Planning Documents Seminar and Annual Probate and Estate Planning Institute. He has written several articles on divorce and probate and estate planning and is a chapter author of the "Michigan Revocable Grantor Trusts" (ICLE 2d and 3d eds).
Notably, George was a founding member of Smith Haughey's Traverse City office in 1990. He is a Fellow of the State Bar of Michigan. He has been listed in "The Best Lawyers in America" (Trusts) for over 19 years, is AV rated by Martindale-Hubbell, and has been named as a "Michigan Super Lawyer" for 2006-2010.
Noteworthy
- Fellow, American College of Trust & Estate Counsel
- Fellow, State Bar of Michigan
- AV Peer Review Rated, Martindale-Hubbell
- Listed in Best Lawyers (1993-2012) -- Trusts and Estates
- Listed as a “Michigan Super Lawyer” (2006-2011) -- Estate Planning & Probate
Education
- Albion College (1969)
- University of Michigan (B.A., magna cum laude, 1971)
- Northwestern University Law School (J.D., with honors, 1974)
Admitted to Practice
- State Bar of Michigan, 1974
- United States District Court, Western District of Michigan, 1974
- United States Circuit Court of Appeals, Sixth Circuit, 1981
Client Successes for George F. Bearup
- 2/1/2006
George Bearup continues to successfully represent clients in high-profile, high-value divorce matters in Northern Michigan.
External Publications
- "Business Relationships Under the Michigan Trust Code," Michigan Bar Journal, May 2010.
- "Overview of the Revocable Grantor Trusts Under the Michigan Trust Code," Michigan Revocable Grantor Trusts, Third Edition.
Smith Haughey Publications
News for George F. Bearup
12/16/2011
Smith Haughey Lawyers Names “Super Lawyers”
9/14/2011
Smith Haughey and its Attorneys Voted "Best" By Their Peers
10/7/2010
Smith Haughey Lawyers Named "Super Lawyers"
8/30/2010
Smith Haughey and its Attorneys Voted "Best" By Their Peers
9/17/2009
Smith Haughey Lawyers Named "Super Lawyers"
8/11/2009
Smith Haughey and its Attorneys Voted "Best" by Their Peers
2/2/2009
Smith Haughey Rice & Roegge Attorneys are Tops in Northern Michigan
9/25/2008
Smith Haughey Lawyers Named "Super Lawyers"
9/19/2008
Smith Haughey and Attorneys Voted "Best" By Their Peers
9/24/2007
Smith Haughey Lawyers Named "Super Lawyers"
9/11/2007
Lawyers Voted "Best" By Their Peers
4/30/2007
Traverse City Lawyer Voted "Best" By His Peers
1/10/2007
Bearup Named "Best in the U.S."
10/26/2006
SHRR Lawyers are Super
9/5/2006
SHRR Attorneys Voted Best
1/4/2005
Officers Elected to Lead SHRR
11/29/2004
Lawyers Voted Best by Their Peers
2/11/2004
SHRR Elects New Officers
Professional Affiliations
- Certified Federal Court Facilitative Mediator, Western District of Michigan
- Referee, Michigan Department of Civil Rights
- American Bar Association (Member, Sections on: Business Law; Family Law; Real Property, Probate and Trust Law)
- State Bar of Michigan (Member, Sections on: Business Law; Family Law; Probate and Estate)
- Grand Traverse-Leelanau-Antrim Bar Association (Chair, Judicial Liaison Committee)
Community Affiliations
- Member, Board of Trustees; Former Chairman, Munson Healthcare Regional Foundation
- Secretary; Former Treasurer, Board of Trustees, Munson Medical Center
- Former Member, Board of Trustees, Munson Healthcare System
- Former Chairman, Rotary Charities
- Northern Michigan Counsel on Planned Giving
- Former Secretary, Women's Resource Center
- Former Member, Community Health Clinic