Estate Planning & Probate

Even the most meticulously crafted estate plan is ineffective if left unimplemented by the client prior to their passing. This session provides a practical guide for attorneys on managing unexecuted estate plans post-mortem. Explore the legal and procedural steps to address gaps, mitigate potential conflicts, and honor the client's intent. Topics include probate strategies, tax considerations, and working with heirs to achieve equitable outcomes. Learn how to turn challenges into opportunities for resolution and ensure a smooth estate administration process.Originally presented as part of Estate Planning Short Course 2025.

Individual Retirement Accounts (IRAs) are foundational tools for retirement planning, but their rules can be complex. This session provides a comprehensive overview of IRA fundamentals, including contribution limits, tax advantages, required minimum distributions (RMDs), and beneficiary designations. Learn the differences between Traditional and Roth IRAs, strategies for rollovers, and how to avoid common tax pitfalls. Originally presented as part of Estate Planning Short Course 2025.

Learn how to navigate discovery in trust and estate matters while upholding ethical duties, protecting client confidentiality, and managing privilege—especially when clients are deceased or incapacitated. Originally presented as part of Estate Planning Short Course 2025.

Artificial Intelligence is here to stay. While AI may not replace humans just yet, those who know how to use AI effectively and efficiently could one day be replaced with those who do not. This presentation will explore the use of AI in estate planning and the practice of law, including the ethical considerations every attorney must know before entering into this new frontier. Originally presented as part of Estate Planning Short Course 2025.

This presentation will address charitable estate planning techniques and strategies with an emphasis on the effective implementation of those techniques and strategies, post-death. It will cover legal and practical considerations for ensuring that charitable intentions are honored while complying with relevant laws and regulations. Key topics include structuring charitable gifts and bequests, tax implications, fiduciary responsibilities, and potential challenges associated with the post-death administration of charitable estates and trusts. The session aims to equip participants with the knowledge to plan for and administer charitable estates and trusts in a manner designed to ensure that the client's wishes are properly carried out and that the interests of the charitable and non-charitable beneficiaries are effectively protected. Originally presented as part of Estate Planning Short Course 2025.

Explore strategies for using trusts as collateral to secure loans within the framework of estate planning. This guide covers lending from trusts to other trusts, or to beneficiaries or entities; how a trust can be used as collateral for a beneficiary's loan, and the role of trust distributions and the trust purpose. Learn how to draft trusts for use in lending transactions and to advise beneficiaries and trustees on the structure of loans. Originally presented as part of Estate Planning Short Course 2025.

This session covers key rulings on testamentary capacity, fiduciary duties, and standing, along with updates to the Probate Act, Trust Code, and Power of Attorney Act. Originally presented as part of Estate Planning Short Course 2025.

Grantor trusts can play a pivotal role in your estate planning strategy. This session will cover the legal framework, tax implications, and strategic uses of grantor trusts, equipping attorneys with the knowledge to advise clients on wealth management and asset transfer while preserving control. Originally presented as part of Estate Planning Short Course 2025.

This session will provide attorneys with practical strategies for understanding the Illinois estate tax. Learn how recent developments impact estate planning in Illinois and explore techniques to help clients minimize tax liability while preserving wealth. The discussion will include calculation of the tax, considerations for residents and non-residents with Illinois property, and a brief discussion of the “Nowhere Man”: the Illinois generation-skipping transfer tax. Originally presented as part of Estate Planning Short Course 2025

Originally presented as part of Estate Planning Short Course 2025.

Strengthen your skills, expand your knowledge, and engage with peers and experienced faculty at the annual Elder Law Short Course! Designed for Illinois attorneys focused on elder law, this comprehensive program offers an in-depth look at the most current and important issues affecting older adults and their families. Topics include estate planning, Medicaid, guardianship issues, and recent legal developments.

This course addresses special issues in estate planning and probate cases faced by immigrants in Illinois and potential solutions to those issues.