Treetown Law is an Ann Arbor-based law firm serving the estate planning needs of Michigan families. 

Our Vision

At Treetown Law, we know that estate planning is about much more than money or things.

Estate planning is about relationships, values, and love.

We understand that to initiate this process takes courage, because estate planning means coming face to face with our own mortality. Our process is intentional, not formulaic, because your estate plan is an opportunity to give form and weight to the legacy you want to leave in this world. Every plan also includes an optional Legacy Interview so that, if you like, you can record a personal message for your loved ones and future generations to enjoy.

We want you to think of your estate plan as a final gift of love: love in the form of decisions made, wishes and messages memorialized, and affairs arranged for those who will grieve you. This may very well be one of the most important gifts you will ever give.  

Ashley’s Story

The seed that was to become Treetown Law started in 2018, when I took a leave of absence from my work as a litigator, packed up my baby and preschooler, and moved back to my childhood home in Pennsylvania to care for my dad on home hospice. He was dying of cancer at age 62, and we got to spend the last seven weeks of his life together. Each and every moment during those weeks was both transcendent and devastating. I wouldn’t trade any of it for the world.

My father was a planner, and he had all of his ducks in a row. His estate plan was a gift to my mom and to my brother and me, as it allowed us to focus on our grief and healing. Reflecting on my own life as a young parent and a lawyer, I couldn’t believe that I had failed to put my own affairs in order.  

In 2022, my third child, Viggo, was born with a rare and life-limiting genetic condition. Viggo was eventually discharged from the NICU on home hospice, and passed away peacefully at the age of six months. Now more than ever, I understand the complexities of caregiving and planning for children with special needs, as well as the nuances of high-stakes medical decision-making in the face of serious illness. Viggo has made me a better human, mother, and lawyer. In his name and memory, I volunteer as a Parent Peer Mentor with the Palliative Care Team at Mott Children’s Hospital and I write for the Courageous Parents Network blog as well as my personal blog, Mom Here Now.

I founded Treetown Law because I realized that too many of us are not ready for whatever may come. I wanted to create a client experience that would be both welcoming and seamless, so that even the busiest of families could take care of this important step to protect their children’s future. As a parent and bereaved mother, I deeply understand the fears and complexities involved in planning for our children. As a child who has lost a parent, I know how crucial a thoughtful, comprehensive plan is for those who are left behind.

My goal is that my clients will come away with both a state-of-the-art estate plan that honors their relationships and values, and with the intangible gifts that sitting with mortality can afford—clarity of priorities, greater resilience, and a more purposeful life.

I decided to go to law school because I wanted to help people. Since graduating from Georgetown Law in 2011, I’ve embarked on a personal and professional journey that has taken me from a Skadden Fellowship at the Legal Aid Society of D.C. to an international firm in Chicago to local firms in southeast Michigan. Along the way, I’ve represented clients from every walk of life: unaccompanied minors seeking refuge in the United States, Fortune 500 companies, the wrongfully-convicted, the small business owner, and more. The thread that connects these varied experiences is the sense of deep fulfillment that comes from really getting to know my clients—their histories, families, values, fears, and dreams—and from providing top-notch legal representation to help them achieve their goals.

Estate planning allows me to focus on what matters most to my clients. I look forward to serving you and your family soon!

Ashley Waddell Tingstad

Founder, Treetown Law

Georgetown Law, 2011, magna cum laude