Your family deserves legal protection that reflects your real life.
We help LGBTQ+ individuals, couples, parents, and business owners create estate plans that protect partners, children, and chosen family across Chicago, the Western Suburbs, and the North Shore.
Many people assume marriage equality solved everything. It did not.
Illinois intestacy laws still follow strict formulas. If you die without a will or trust, the court decides who inherits. That may not match your wishes.
If you are unmarried, in a long-term partnership, raising children through assisted reproduction, in a polyamorous relationship, or part of a blended family, the risks are even greater.
Without proper planning:
Estate planning ensures your identity, your relationships, and your intentions are honored under Illinois law.
Call us at (312) 583-9430 or click here to get started.
A strong plan goes beyond a simple will. It anticipates the legal gaps that can affect modern families.
Allows assets to pass privately and clearly to your partner, spouse, children, or chosen beneficiaries without Illinois probate court involvement.
Names guardians for children and provides a safety net for assets not placed in a trust.
Ensures your partner or chosen decision maker can act for you if you become incapacitated. Without these documents, your family could face court intervention.
For families formed through assisted reproductive technology, careful planning helps reinforce parental rights and avoid disputes later.
Every family is different. Your plan should reflect that.
For many LGBTQ+ individuals, legal systems have not always been safe or affirming. That history matters.
We believe estate planning should feel empowering, not intimidating.
As a queer-owned firm, we understand that chosen family can be just as important as biological family. We understand blended families. We understand assisted reproductive journeys. We understand that clarity and dignity matter.
Without careful planning, disputes can arise after death. We have seen estates fall into litigation costing families thousands of dollars. In some cases, partners have had to fight in court simply to assert rights that could have been secured with proper documentation.
Planning now prevents those painful conflicts later.
Your family deserves certainty.
Call us at (312) 583-9430 or click here to get started.
Bielski Chapman, Ltd. provides thoughtful, strategic estate and family planning for LGBTQ+ individuals and families throughout Chicago.
Our goal is simple. Protect your relationships. Preserve your assets. Keep your loved ones out of court.
Even married individuals benefit from customized planning. For unmarried couples, estate planning is essential to ensure inheritance and decision-making rights.
If your children were born through assisted reproductive technology or prior relationships, legal clarity protects everyone involved.
Clear documents reduce the risk of family disputes and contested probate proceedings in Illinois.
LGBTQ+ estate planning is the process of creating legal documents that protect your partner(s), spouse, children, chosen family, property, health care wishes, and legacy. For LGBTQ+ individuals and families in Chicago, an estate plan ensures the people you trust are legally recognized and able to act for you if you become incapacitated or pass away.
A strong LGBTQ+ estate plan includes a revocable living trust, pour-over will, powers of attorney for health care and property, HIPAA authorization, a living will, beneficiary updates, funding instructions, personal property memos, and memorial instructions.
Estate planning is especially important for LGBTQ+ individuals and families because Illinois law does not protect every relationship, parenting arrangement, or chosen family structure.
If you are unmarried, transgender, polyamorous, raising children through assisted reproduction, part of a blended family, or want to provide for a chosen family, an estate plan will make your wishes clear and legally enforceable.
Dying without an estate plan is called dying intestate. In Illinois, intestacy laws follow strict formulas that may not match your wishes. Without a will or trust, the court decides who inherits from your estate.
This can create challenges for LGBTQ+ individuals who want to leave assets to an unmarried partner, multiple partners, chosen family members, friends, charities, or someone outside the default family structure. Probate may also be required if you die with real property titled in your name or assets titled in your name valued at $150,000 or more.
Yes. Marriage provides important legal rights, but it does not replace a complete estate plan. Married LGBTQ+ people may still need a revocable living trust, pour-over will, powers of attorney, health care directives, and updated beneficiary designations.
An estate plan determines who manages assets, who makes medical decisions, how children or dependents are protected, and what happens if both spouses pass away.
Estate planning is about control. It is about protecting the people who matter most.
You should never feel invisible in your own legal plan.
If you are ready to create a plan that reflects your identity, your family, and your future, we are here to guide you.
