Estate Planning and Estate Administration in Illinois

Attorneys Protecting Your Future

Estate planning is a vital yet often complex process which must be handled carefully by experienced and knowledgeable professionals who will take the time to listen closely to their clients’ needs and objectives. At Sosin, Arnold & Schoenbeck Ltd., we ensure that we properly elicit and understand our clients’ needs and objectives in estate planning matters so that we can prepare plans that satisfy their various financial security, tax planning, creditor protection, and beneficiary protection and development goals.

With more than 100 years of combined experience, our lawyers are proud to have earned a reputation for our thorough and comprehensive approach to estate planning. Our estate planning process and our fee structures are designed to facilitate open communication and the level of discussion necessary for an attorney to fully appreciate a client’s goals and objectives. We work collaboratively with our clients and their advisors to craft customized estate plans that synthesize and achieve those goals and objectives in the manner our clients find to be optimal.

Intelligent, Responsible Estate Planning

At our law firm, we ensure that we have a complete understanding of our clients’ assets and an understanding of the maturity, needs, capacity, and other characteristics of the family members and other individuals our clients wish to designate as beneficiaries. We fully advise our clients of the various types of plans they could use to achieve their objectives, detailing the costs, advantages, and disadvantages of each alternative. We ensure our clients are fully informed of the alternatives available to them in crafting an estate plan so as to give them the peace of mind derived from gaining a comprehensive understanding of their best courses of action in planning for themselves and their loved ones.

The attorneys at Sosin, Arnold & Schoenbeck Ltd. also provide personalized guidance for business succession planning and asset protection.

Probate and Estate Administration

Our estate administration lawyers understand that administering the estate of a loved one can be challenging. We regularly provide counsel for executors and trustees as they:

• Complete and file federal and state estate tax returns;
• Satisfy any outstanding debts owed by the estate;
• Pursue probate proceedings;
• Fund and manage successive trusts;
• Manage retirement and other tax-deferred accounts; and
• Distribute and wind down estates.

We recognize that executors and trustees may not always be fully aware of their obligations and duties. Our attorneys work closely with such fiduciaries to ensure that they properly discharge their duties and otherwise implement the plans of the deceased in the manner the decedent intended.

Sosin, Arnold & Schoenbeck Ltd. also provides guidance for beneficiaries of trusts or estates and heirs of estates. We help heirs and beneficiaries understand the rights and duties that are owed to them by the pertinent fiduciaries administering those estates and trusts. Our firm is proud to provide comprehensive estate planning and estate administration services for clients throughout Northern Illinois. Contact our office at 708-448-8141 to schedule an appointment.