Mara Kent

Board Member, Washtenaw County Bar Association

Board Member, Shelter Association of Washtenaw County

Past Chair,  Estate Planning and Probate Section, Washtenaw County Bar Association

Member, Probate and Estate Planning,  Tax Law, and Elder Law sections of the Michigan State Bar

Member, National Association of Charitable Gift Planners

Member, The Planned Giving Roundtable of Southeast Michigan

Presenter, Women’s Lawyer’s Association, Covid-19 & Women Webinar 2020

Presenter, Ann Arbor Cable TV "Leave A Legacy" Campaign 2019

Presenter, "End of Life Care and Treatment," Institute of Continuing Legal Education 2019

Probate and Estate Planning Certificate, Institute of Continuing Legal Education

Elder Law Certificate, Institute of Continuing Legal Education

“I am privileged to help people plan for and deal with life’s most important and challenging events and provide for generations to come. Nothing is more satisfying professionally than to earn a client’s trust and have them recommend me to their friends and family.”

Mara Kent is compassionate, prompt, honest, trustworthy, and thorough in providing legal service to her clients. A licensed attorney since 1996, at NSSS&B, Mara’s practice includes estate planning, wills, trusts and trust administration, probate, special needs planning, estate planning for surrogacy, international estate planning, prenuptial agreements, step-parent and same sex adoptions, elder law and long-term care planning, and business & contract law.

Mara believes that a solid estate plan is a priceless gift to one’s family and future generations. To that end, Mara helps families plan for major life events, anticipating problems before they arise to minimize court involvement, expense, and stress. She helps clients avoid potential family conflicts over their future care, care of loved ones, or distribution of their estate.

Mara received her bachelor’s degree from the University of Michigan and is a summa cum laude graduate of the University of Detroit Mercy School of Law, where she graduated second in her law school class. While in law school, she worked in the office of general counsel for Ford Motor Company and went on to distinction as a law clerk for former Michigan Supreme Court Justice Michael F. Cavanagh. From 2000–2014, Mara was a tenured professor at the Thomas M. Cooley Law School and continues as a Senior Professor Emerita.

In the Ann Arbor area, Mara volunteers for the Shelter Association of Washtenaw County and Alpha House, a family homeless shelter. She and her husband Tom are both U-M graduates and natives of Ann Arbor, where they raise two daughters who attend the University of Michigan.  Mara is an ally of the LGBTQ+ community and proud supporter of her friends and clients who are of diverse racial, ethnic, and religious backgrounds.  Pronouns: she/her/hers