Attorney and Staff Profiles

Michelle started the firm in 1989. It was just Michelle and her paralegal Barb for many years. Fast forward to 2018 and the firm has grown to 4 locations with a focus on providing top notch estate planning and elder law for the Thumb and sunrise side of Michigan. In 2018 she co-authored the book Estate Planning for What Matters Most: A Guidebook for Michigan Families.

The firm’s expertise in estate planning and elder law helps local families protect their hard-earned assets and pass them on to their heirs. Michelle belongs to the American Academy of Estate Planning Attorneys (AAEPA), which has allowed the entire staff to get intensive training on issues specific to the field. She is also a member of the National Academy of Elder Law Attorneys, Elder Counsel and Wealth Counsel to further develop knowledge in this area. The demand for estate planning services has grown dramatically, and the firm has expanded by adding more paralegals, Medicaid specialists, and legal assistants.

Clients come to Biddinger & Estelle at trying times in their lives, often when one spouse has been admitted into a long-term care facility and they are trying to figure out how to pay for that without losing everything they worked a lifetime to build. By listening to their particular situation and applying the latest legal techniques, Michelle and her staff can help them preserve their assets that are allowed to be protected from nursing home costs while getting the medical care they need.

Because Michelle does estate plans every day, she knows the types of issues families may face in the future. She is excellent at making sure the client’s objectives are met by creating clearly understood legal documents that can help preserve family harmony.

Michelle and her husband Greg have one son, Ryan, who is a Chiropractor in Traverse City. She lives in Cass City, spends weekends in Caseville, and enjoys traveling. Michelle is a proud alumnus of the University of Michigan and the University of South Carolina School of Law.

For estate planning attorney Rachel Estelle, helping families preserve their assets and ensure family harmony has been her mission since law school at Thomas Cooley Law School in Ann Arbor. While she was studying to become a lawyer, her beloved father suffered a massive heart attack. She tells of the overwhelming sense of relief that he recovered, coupled with appreciation that his existing estate plan never went into effect, because the plan was not properly constructed to carry out his wishes. Ever since, she has dedicated her career to helping other families create estate plans that protect their assets, preserve family harmony, and improve the quality of life for seniors and their heirs. In 2018 she co-authored the book Estate Planning for What Matters Most: A Guidebook for Michigan Families.

Rachel joined the firm in 2013 as an elder law and estate planning attorney. She considers it her privilege to help local families setup an estate plan that gives peace of mind for generations to come. One of her greatest joys is the ability to provide emergency Medicaid planning for a family that offers options to cover their healthcare needs and preserve as much of their estate as possible. She also assists in planning for persons with special needs including drafting special needs trusts. Rachel is dedicated to providing comprehensive and detailed estate plans for families of all ages.

Rachel graduated from Central Michigan University with an undergraduate degree in history and social services and got her law degree from the Thomas M. Cooley Law School in Ann Arbor, graduating Magna Cum Laude. She is a member of the Elder Law and Probate section of the Michigan State Bar, the National Academy of Elder Law Attorneys, the Academy of Special Needs Planners, and the American Academy of Estate Planning Attorneys. She also acquired her certificate of completion in the areas of probate and estate planning and elder law from the Michigan State Bar.

Rachel and her husband Mark live in Sebewaing with their delightful yellow lab Sadie and curious cat Stella. She enjoys family time with her close knit extended family, especially time with her adorable nieces and nephews.

Greg Schrot is the newest member of Biddinger & Estelle, PC joining the firm in 2018.
His passion for helping others stretches back to his youth when he would assist in volunteer efforts alongside his father for the Port Huron Optimist Club. His desire to assist others stayed with him through his studies and into his career as an attorney.

Greg brings his attention to detail and readiness to listen allowing him to assist clients in addressing their concerns, and any challenges they may face, as they look to provide security for their loved ones. He is passionate about ensuring that the work he performs reflects his client’s intentions. He prides himself on knowing the work he does eases the minds of his clients while assisting them through a difficult process.

Greg graduated from Grand Valley State University with an undergraduate degree in Legal Studies. During his summer breaks while at Grand Valley, he would return home and volunteer to be an assistant coach for the Lapeer East High School varsity baseball team.  He continued his education at the University of Toledo College of Law in Toledo, Ohio where he earned his law degree. 

Greg is a member of the Probate and Estate Planning, Elder Law and Disability Rights, and Agricultural Law Sections of the State Bar of Michigan.

Greg and his wife Ellery live in Lapeer on their family Centennial farm with their faithful chocolate lab, Macy, and their black cat, Bruce.  Greg is an avid outdoorsman and spends every chance he can chasing waterfowl in the fall from Lake Erie to Lake Superior. He and Ellery also enjoy spending time with family and friends, both at home and in Michigan’s Upper Peninsula enjoying its splendor.

Barbara Doerr was the first employee of our firm, way back in 1990. Just a few years after graduating from Central Michigan University with a degree in Court Reporting and a minor in Legal Secretarial, Barb came on as the first employee at Michelle Biddinger’s new law firm in Cass City. While raising her two young sons and working, she obtained her paralegal certificate through the Detroit Institute of Paralegal Studies.

Clients often comment on how comforted they are working with Barb because she has been with the firm so long and is well versed on a wide variety of legal matters. Her experience is quite diverse, including real estate issues, landlord/tenant cases, civil litigation cases, criminal matters, probate estates, trust administration and estate planning. As a paralegal, she gets to know the clients well through the phone calls and meetings.  She is responsible for drafting and filing legal documents associated with their case.

Barb has been in Cass City her whole life. She is married to Don, and they share their home with their dog Duke and cat Tobey. She has two adult sons, Brent and Joe. She loves spending time with her family and friends, especially camping, spending time at the lake, playing cards, and being a member of a women’s investment club.

When Vicki joined the firm in 2013, she brought a youthful exuberance to the office. Her enthusiasm for work is contagious, and she always has a smile on her face. Vicki grew up in Sandusky and Sebewaing, attended Davenport College for a degree in Paralegal Studies, and spends her days working tirelessly on behalf of the clients.

Vicki has an attention to detail that both her coworkers and clients appreciate. She enjoys being part of the process with the attorney and client, listening to every detail and drafting the legal documents that ensure the client’s wishes are set in place. When it’s time to organize the funding of the trust, Vicki works closely with the clients to make sure every detail is correct.

An active young Mom of 3 adorable kids, Vicki enjoys running and is currently training for a half marathon.

With her accounting degree, Elaine has spent over 30 years crunching numbers, and since 2011 she has been on the Biddinger & Estelle team as a Medicaid Specialist. Her experience in banking, bookkeeping and tax preparation has given her the unique ability to look at a client’s assets, income, and expenses, and compress that information into a concise, manageable package. Working with the attorneys, a plan is formulated to determine the best solution for families to preserve assets when applying for Medicaid benefits for a loved one who needs long-term care or home care at their residence.

As a lifelong Huron County resident, Elaine is especially fond of working with families who have farms passed down from previous generations.  Elaine works primarily in the Bad Axe office, and will assist you in a prompt and courteous manner with a smile. She has a mild-mannered way about her that people instantly feel comfortable with, and an insightful mind for figures that makes her an asset to both the law office and the clients.

Elaine and her husband Tony have three daughters; Faith and her husband Garrett, Leah and her friend Travis, and Jillian. She has two wonderful grandsons, Carter and Parker. She loves to spend time with her family, enjoys campfires and is an avid reader.

Linda retired from the Michigan Department of Human Services after 33 years. She brings a wealth of knowledge to the law office of Biddinger & Estelle, PC. Linda assists clients with Medicaid applications. Linda has two children and resides in Caro with her husband Eric.

As a Medicaid Specialist, Deb works diligently to gather all of the proper financials and documents to assist in emergency Medicaid applications. When a client comes into the office overwhelmed that their spouse or parent has gone into a nursing home and they don’t know how they will come up with the money to pay for their loved one’s care, Deb works with the family and the attorney to quickly and accurately prepare a plan that addresses their individual situation.

If you look up the phrase “work ethic” in the dictionary, you’ll get an idea of who Sara is. This hardworking legal assistant has been with the firm since 2015, and spends her days focused on ensuring every detail of every document accurately represents the individual’s wishes for their estate plan. She works with both the attorneys and with the clients, and truly enjoys both the fact gathering and the document production processes.

Sara and her husband Christopher have three children: a daughter Kennedy who attends Laker High School, daughter Aubree and son Brennan who attend Laker Elementary. Sara is an excellent photographer, and loves watching baseball. Go Tigers!

Marney joined the Biddinger & Estelle team in the fall of 2015.  As a legal assistant, she works with the attorneys on document preparation and is often a liaison between the attorney and the client.

Before the first meeting with the attorney, a new client will often be full of questions on what to expect, what to bring, how long the meeting will last, and so on. Marney enjoys putting people at ease by clearly outlining the process. She also helps clients directly when they are setting up funding for the trust, and her attention to detail makes her an asset to the firm and the clients. When an estate plan is finished, she feels a sense of satisfaction in doing a meaningful job.

Marney lives in Cass City with her husband Brent and Labrador retriever Montana. She enjoys the quiet pursuits of gardening, crocheting, walking and reading, as well as kickboxing.

As the firm expanded, Heather joined the team to take care of the accounting and HR responsibilities. Her bachelor’s degree in business along with 20 years of experience are utilized every day. Heather is extremely well organized, and enjoys taking care of the billing, bookkeeping, and employee paperwork. Her professionalism shines through in all she does, and she is a definite asset to the firm.

Since joining Biddinger & Estelle in 2013, Heather says she has enjoyed a deep satisfaction that comes from working in this area of the law, because families have found peace of mind and a sense of comfort in having their estate plans in place.

Heather is married and has 3 sons, 2 chihuahuas, and 2 cats in her active home in Cass City. She loves to bake and cook, and enjoys being outdoors with her family either camping or at the boys sporting events.

A company with 4 offices and several employees needs someone to troubleshoot, repair, replace and upgrade computers, printers and other communication devices. Debra is that person. A graduate of both the Control Data Institute for Computer Programming and Spring Arbor University in Business Administration, Debra juggles multiple roles in supporting the staff. In addition to handling technology needs, she relieves the receptionist at lunch and assists staff members with a variety of projects.

Debra enjoys meeting people in the office, at Senior Fairs, at trainings and other events. She often says that the greatest gift her parents gave their children was a well drafted estate plan, because it avoided any doubts about what they wanted and preserved peace in the family after they were gone.

Debra lives in Gagetown with her husband Kim. They have 5 children, 9 grandchildren and 3 great grandkids, and she loves having them all together whenever possible. She is active in her church, St. Paul Lutheran of Unionville.

When you call the office to make an appointment, the person on the other end of the phone with the kind voice is Cheryl. She expertly manages the phone calls coming into all five offices from her desk in Cass City, where she also greets each person that comes in. Cheryl’s education in office support and her previous experience in customer service blend nicely to give her a very organized and composed receptionist with an understanding nature.

Cheryl’s favorite part of her job is the people…both clients and co-workers. When a client arrives for their first appointment and appears anxious about their situation but leaves with a sense of relief and peace of mind, it makes her day. Her caring nature shows through from the first time you meet her.

Cheryl and her husband Jake live in Cass City, and have a son, Chase, a daughter Alexis, and a Boston Terrier named Ozzy. They are an outdoorsy family that loves vacationing up north, camping and canoeing.

Nearly everyone that comes to our office comments how beautifully landscaped the grounds are, and that is thanks to the diligent efforts and precise work of our Facilities Manager, Amy.  A life-long resident of Cass City, Amy and her husband, Scott have 2 children, Dakota and Danielle.