Alan A. May

Alan A. May is a shareholder at Kemp Klein in Troy, Michigan, with extensive experience in guardianship, conservatorship, trust, and estate matters. His practice includes estate planning, probate and trust administration, estate litigation, and tax planning. He has also served as a mediator and court-appointed referee in probate disputes. Alan advises clients whose cases involve difficult questions about property, decision-making authority, beneficiaries, and the responsibilities of fiduciaries.

Alan earned a Bachelor of Arts from the University of Michigan in 1963 and a J.D., cum laude, from the University of Michigan Law School in 1966. He was admitted to the Michigan bar in 1967 and the District of Columbia bar in 1976. His academic foundation and many years of work in probate-related matters support his understanding of estates, trust administration, and complex disputes involving guardians and conservators.

Alan has served as a Wayne County Public Administrator since 1980, an Oakland County Circuit Court mediator since 1981, and a referee in Wayne and Oakland County probate courts since 1969. He has held additional public roles, including chairing the Michigan Civil Rights Commission and serving on the Michigan Civil Service Commission. He has written and lectured extensively on guardianship and conservatorship topics, including teaching classes at Wayne State University and Oakland University.

Alan A. May has been selected to Michigan Super Lawyers for the 2007 through 2026 editions and has been listed in The Best Lawyers in America since 2011. He was named Best Lawyers’ 2019 Litigation–Trusts and Estates Lawyer of the Year. Courts and litigants have engaged him as an expert witness on probate and trust questions. His work blends courtroom, mediation, teaching, and public-service experience to help clients address complex estate and fiduciary disputes.

Law Office Affiliations

• Shareholder, Kemp, Klein, Umphrey, Endelman & May, P.C.
• Member, State Bar of Michigan
• Member, Probate and Trust Law Section, State Bar of Michigan
• Member, District of Columbia Bar
• President of the Board of Directors and Executive Board, Detroit Regional National Conference for Community and Justice (1979-Present)
• Trustee and Member of the Executive Board and Vice Chair, National Conference for Community and Justice
• Member, Detroit Metropolitan Bar Association
• Member, Oakland County Bar Association
• Member, Wayne County Probate Bar Association
• Mediator, Oakland County Circuit Court (1981-Present)
• Court-Appointed Referee, Wayne County Probate Court (1969-Present)
• Court-Appointed Referee, Oakland County Probate Court (1969-Present)
• Commissioner, Michigan Civil Service Commission (1985-1990)
• Chairperson, Michigan Civil Rights Commission (1984)
• Trustee, L. S. Charfoos Charitable Foundation
• Trustee, May Family Foundation
• Past President, Temple Beth El
• Acting Public Administrator, Wayne County (1979-1980)
• Life Member, NAACP

Licensed State

• Michigan
• District of Columbia

Education

• University of Michigan Law School
  Juris Doctor (JD) (Cum Laude)
• University of Michigan
  Bachelor of Arts (BA)

Awards & Badges