George F. Bearup professional image

George F. Bearup

Attorney - Shareholder

Contact

Office: Traverse City

tel. 231.486.4510

fax. 231.929.4182

email  

V-Card  

Secretary

Julie Houdek

tel. 231.486.4525

email  

Listed in Best Lawyers

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

Type Date Title
Legal Alert 6/2/2011 Business Law Update (June 2011)
Legal Alert 5/3/2011 Family Law Update (May 2011)
Legal Alert 3/29/2011 Real Estate & Estate Planning Legal Alert (Mar. 2011)
Legal Alert 12/22/2010 Estate Planning Legal Alert: It Finally Happened: Certainty in Estate and Gift Tax Laws (sort of)
Newsletter 12/8/2010 Legal Ease - December 2010
Legal Alert 9/21/2010 Family Law & Estate Planning Update (Sept. 2010)
Legal Alert 6/11/2010 Inherited IRAs: Is It Even an IRA?
Legal Alert 4/5/2010 Roth Rules Revisited
Legal Alert 2/19/2010 Agri-Business Update (February 2010)
Legal Alert 2/1/2010 Estate Planning Legal Alert (February 2010)
Legal Alert 11/4/2009 Business Law Update (November 2009)
Legal Alert 8/3/2009 Business/Employment Law Legal Alert (Aug. 09)
Newsletter 5/12/2009 Legal Ease Spring 2009 Newsletter
Legal Alert 3/11/2009 Legal Alert -- Estate Planning, Trusts, and Probate
Legal Alert 12/31/2008 New Year Estate Planning & Predictions
Legal Alert 10/27/2008 IRAs: The Investment Misconceptions
Newsletter 5/7/2008 Legal Ease Spring 2008 Newsletter
Legal Alert 4/7/2008 Estate Planning: More Changes Ahead
Legal Alert 7/23/2007 What's Happening? Estate Planning in an Uncertain Time.
Newsletter 3/16/2007 Legal Ease Spring 2007 Newsletter
Legal Alert 5/1/2006 Buy-Sell Agreements: When is the last time you reviewed yours?
Legal Alert 1/1/2005 Grats, Gruts, And Happy New Year
Legal Alert 4/1/2004 As Bob Dylan Reminds Us: These Times are A'Changin'
Legal Alert 5/1/2003 Contingency Estate Planning: Grantor Retained Annuity Trusts
Legal Alert 3/1/2003 Business & Property Law Update
Legal Alert 8/1/2002 New Millenium Estate Planning: Can This be True?
Legal Alert 8/1/2002 Estate Planning Update

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