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Recent blog posts
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The Differences Between Revocable and Irrevocable Trusts in Illinois
: The Differences Between Revocable and Irrevocable Trusts in Illinois
When it comes time to plan your estate, it is more than just drafting a will or deciding who gets your personal belongings. You need a strategy that helps manage your assets, avoids unnecessary legal complications, and protects your wealth. One of the most effective ways to do this is through a trust. But not…
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The Probate Process for Business Owners in Illinois
: The Probate Process for Business Owners in Illinois
When you’re a business owner, estate planning isn’t just about what happens to your home or personal belongings after you pass. It’s also about what happens to the company you’ve worked hard to build. One crucial piece of this puzzle is understanding how probate works, especially in Illinois, where the legal landscape can be complex….
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Spring Cleaning Your Estate Plan: What to Review Each Year
: Spring Cleaning Your Estate Plan: What to Review Each Year
Spring is a time for fresh starts and clean slates. As you dust off your shelves and organize your closets, consider taking a closer look at your estate plan. Just like your home, your estate plan needs regular attention to stay in order. A plan that worked a year ago might not reflect your current…
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Probate assets refer to any property (“asset”) owned by a decedent that must go through probatecourt to be transferred to the people who will ultimately inherit them. Probate is an expensivepublic proceeding, so if you want to maximize your estate and/or keep ownership of assetsprivate, note the common types of assets that typically go through…
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Options for Protecting Medicaid and SSI Benefits After a Windfall
: Options for Protecting Medicaid and SSI Benefits After a Windfall
If you are receiving a lump sum windfall, such as a lawsuit settlement, and you receive eitherSSI or Medicaid (or both), you will be temporarily cut off from your benefits until you re-qualify. You can avoid this cut off by contacting an attorney to take certain legal steps that willprotect your windfall and allow you…
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When I was 15, I was in a car accident that hospitalized me for 6 weeks. Because I was a minor, the doctors treating me could legally communicate freely with my parents. Had I been 18, the doctors could not have spoken with my parents without a power of attorney in place. Our firm’s strong…
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My dad was diagnosed with Parkinson’s when I was in law school, and as it became clearer that he was a fall risk – and too stubborn to stop going up and down stairs – we decided that it was best to sell the house where me and my two brothers grew up. The house…
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Prior to law school I worked in consulting. My job was leveraging automation and digital tools to replicate time-consuming redundant tasks for privilege and discovery teams on a nationwide litigation effort. I used VBA, SQL and Acrobat to save $180,000 across a single team. My skills in this area have allowed me to operate a…
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Three things in life are inevitable: death, taxes, and practice management software. Well, the third is only inevitable if you practice law… the moment you get sick of spreadsheets to keep track of your client matters is the moment you realize it’s time for practice management software. If you’ve been to a law seminar or…