Regardless of your wealth level, it is vital to have an estate plan in place that helps preserve and distribute your assets in accordance with your wishes. An experienced Chicago Trusts & Estates Attorney can help you develop and execute a plan that best meets your needs. A comprehensive estate plan can be used to transfer your property and assets to beneficiaries in a way that will minimize federal taxes, protect family members from financial predators, provide a consistent income for your family, reduce debts, and address your philanthropic goals.
Estate planning can be complicated, but with the right lawyer by your side, you can rest assured that your assets and property will be transferred to your heirs in accordance with your wishes. Trusts and other legal instruments can be used to allow you to retain control over your property while still allowing the trustee of your choice to manage it.
Trusts are a Swiss Army Knife of estate planning tools and can be used for many different purposes. The team of Chicago trust lawyers at Peck Ritchey, LLC can help you review your assets and determine whether a revocable or irrevocable trust is right for you. We can also advise you on a range of other trust options that can provide a variety of benefits, such as tax savings and asset protection.
Our Chicago trusts and estates practice is dedicated to helping clients develop an appropriate strategy for the distribution of their accumulated assets upon death. We can assist with the drafting of documents such as wills, trust agreements, power of attorneys, medical directives and closely held business structures. Our goal is to ensure that our clients’ accumulated wealth is efficiently transferred to their spouses, younger generation family members and other individuals they wish to benefit, as well as charities.
We can also assist with trust administration, which is the process of settling claims against the decedent’s estate, validating the will and distributing the estate according to its terms. This can be complicated, and the executor or administrator of the estate may face allegations of wrongdoing. Our Chicago trust and estate litigation attorneys can help defend these fiduciaries, resolving disputes through settlement negotiations or court action as necessary.
Even with the best of intentions and careful planning, issues can arise during the administration of a will or trust. Beneficiaries, relatives or other parties may claim that fraud, undue influence, coercion or another breach of fiduciary duty occurred. Depending on the complexity of the case, it is often in the best interests of all parties to have an experienced Chicago trusts and estates litigation attorney on your side.
Contact us today to schedule a consultation with one of our knowledgeable and compassionate Chicago trust lawyers. We look forward to the opportunity to serve you. We are committed to delivering exceptional legal services with integrity and respect for our clients. This includes being accessible and responsive when you need us.