Estates & Trusts Litigation

Chicago, IL Estates & Trusts Litigation Attorneys

Protect your legacy

Everyone needs a plan for what will happen to their estates once they are gone. Effective estate planning allows you to safeguard what is most important and minimize the odds of future conflict.


Our lawyers can help you protect your loved ones and legacy. We can also assist individuals and families with resolving probate and trust administration disputes.


Our team can help give you with estate planning tools and legal processes that we can leverage to benefit your case.

You should begin estate planning as soon as you become a legal adult and update it every 3 - 5 years afterward to ensure that all finances, property, even children are taken care of after your passing.


It would be wise to create your estate plan sooner than later. When you turn 18, you become responsible for more things like your finances, healthcare decisions, and power of attorney.

Probate and Trust Litigation

When someone passes away, their estate must be settled in the eyes of the law. This involves going through a probate process, where the deceased’s heirs are notified, assets are inventoried, and remaining debts are tabulated and paid.


Probate is notoriously rife with conflict, and many common disputes will require litigation to resolve. Many issues center on the authenticity of the deceased’s last will and testament. In order to be valid and enforceable, the document must have been signed by the testator in the presence of at least 2 witnesses. The testator must also have been mentally competent at the time of signing and not be subject to any undue influence.


All heirs of a deceased individual are formally notified as part of the probate process. They are also informed of the will’s contents, which can sometimes be controversial and have surprising omissions. Some family members may look to contest the legitimacy of the will when they are excluded or are otherwise frustrated about the testator’s decisions.


Probate cannot proceed – and the deceased’s final instructions cannot be honored – until will contests are resolved. Our Chicago estate planning lawyers can assist you with each stage of the will contest process and will fight to ensure your and your loved ones’ interests are protected.


Trusts are not generally subject to probate but can also experience conflicts requiring legal action. Each trust is overseen and managed by a trustee that has fiduciary duties to the trustor and the beneficiaries of the trust. If a trustee fails to uphold these responsibilities, they can be sued, removed, and held accountable for any financial losses.

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