A revocable trust gives you flexibility that other estate planning tools simply cannot match. You create the trust, fund it with your assets, and retain full control over everything during your lifetime. You can change the terms whenever you want. You can add or remove beneficiaries. You can sell trust property, buy new investments, or revoke the entire arrangement if your circumstances change. Nothing about how you live or manage your finances needs to be different.
The real advantage shows up when you pass away. Assets held in a revocable trust transfer directly to your beneficiaries without going through probate. No court supervision. No months of waiting. No attorney fees eating into your estate. No public filings that let anyone see what you owned and who received it.
If you need a Glenview, IL revocable trust lawyer, Kravets Law Group drafts trusts tailored to each client’s situation. Daniel Kravets, Founder and Managing Partner, personally handles every revocable trust matter at our firm. He has spent a decade helping Illinois families structure their estates to avoid unnecessary complications for their loved ones.
Why Choose Kravets Law Group For Revocable Trusts In Glenview, IL?
A Decade of Trust Drafting Experience
Daniel Kravets has been practicing law since 2016 and founded Kravets Law Group in 2020. Over ten years, he has drafted revocable trusts for families throughout Cook County—individuals protecting modest estates, business owners with complex holdings, and parents planning for children of all ages. Our estate planning practice centers on creating documents that actually work when families need them.
You Work Directly With Your Attorney
When you hire our firm, you work with Daniel from the first phone call through the final signing. He doesn’t hand clients off to paralegals for the substantive work. You get direct access to a revocable trust attorney in Glenview who knows your situation and understands trust planning at a technical level.
Local Involvement, Accessible Service
Our founder is active in the Chicago Bar Association, Lincoln Park Chamber of Commerce, and the Decalogue Society. That community involvement keeps us connected to the families and business owners we serve across Glenview and the North Shore.
Flat-Rate Pricing
We offer flat-rate pricing for most revocable trusts. You’ll know exactly what your trust will cost before we begin any work. No hourly billing that makes you hesitate to call with questions. No surprise invoices when the documents are ready.
What Our Clients Say
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ “I had a wonderful experience working with Daniel Kravets. Estate planning can feel overwhelming, but he explained everything clearly, guided me through each step with patience, and took the time to answer all my questions. I contacted multiple lawyers before, but Kravets Law Group gave me the best advice and the best price. I am so happy I found this law firm. I highly recommend him!” – Lyudmyla Len
Types Of Revocable Trust Cases We Handle In Glenview
Our firm works with clients across many different situations:
- Individual revocable trusts. Single adults who want to avoid probate and maintain privacy can create a revocable trust naming themselves as trustee during their lifetime and designating successor trustees and beneficiaries who take over after death.
- Joint revocable trusts. Married couples often prefer a single trust that holds all marital assets. When one spouse passes, the surviving spouse continues as trustee with full control. When both have passed, the trust distributes assets according to their shared wishes.
- Trusts with minor beneficiaries. Parents with young children need more than a simple distribution plan. A revocable trust can hold assets in trust for children until they reach an age where they’re ready to manage an inheritance responsibly—often 25, 30, or older. This planning often connects with guardianship decisions.
- Blended family planning. Second marriages create complicated inheritance questions. A revocable trust can provide for a surviving spouse during their lifetime while ensuring that assets eventually pass to children from a prior marriage.
- Business owner trusts. If you own a business or hold interests in multiple entities, a revocable trust can keep those assets out of probate and provide for orderly succession.
- Trust amendments and restatements. Life changes. Your trust should change with it. We draft amendments for clients who need to update beneficiaries, change trustees, or modify distribution provisions after major life events.
Illinois Legal Requirements For Revocable Trusts
Illinois recognizes revocable trusts under the Illinois Trust Code (760 ILCS 3/), which took effect in 2020 and modernized how the state handles trust administration. The Trust Code provides clear rules on trustee duties, beneficiary rights, and how courts resolve disputes when they arise.
Creating a valid revocable trust in Illinois requires meeting specific formalities. The trust document must be in writing, signed by the grantor, and properly executed. While Illinois doesn’t require witnesses or notarization for most revocable trusts, adding these elements can help prevent challenges later. Working with a Glenview revocable trust lawyer ensures your documents meet all requirements.
Property transfers into a revocable trust must be handled correctly to achieve probate avoidance. Real estate requires a new deed transferring ownership to the trust. The Cook County Clerk handles recording for deeds in this area. Bank accounts, investment accounts, and other financial assets need to be retitled. We provide detailed guidance on how to fund a living trust and retitle every type of asset our clients own.
For families concerned about federal estate taxes, it’s worth understanding current exemption levels. The IRS estate tax page provides information about filing requirements and exemption amounts. Most Illinois families won’t owe federal estate taxes under current law, but proper planning still matters for asset protection and probate avoidance.
The Illinois Secretary of State maintains records relevant to certain business interests that may need to be transferred into your trust. For clients who own LLC interests or corporate stock, we coordinate the transfer of these ownership interests alongside other trust funding tasks.
The U.S. Department of Labor provides guidance on retirement plan protections under federal law, which affects how you coordinate beneficiary designations with your trust.
Key Components Of Your Revocable Trust
Trustee Selection and Powers
You’ll typically name yourself as the initial trustee, maintaining full control over trust assets during your lifetime. The trust document specifies what powers the trustee has—buying and selling property, managing investments, making distributions—and sets boundaries that govern how those powers get exercised. Choosing the right successor trustee matters enormously, since that person will manage everything after you’re gone.
Beneficiary Designations
Your trust names who receives assets and when. Some families prefer immediate distribution. Others want assets held in continuing trusts for beneficiaries who aren’t ready to manage large sums. For families with members who receive government benefits, coordinating your revocable trust with a special needs trust may be necessary to avoid disrupting those benefits.
Incapacity Provisions
Unlike a will, which only takes effect at death, a revocable trust can address what happens if you become incapacitated. The trust document specifies who takes over as trustee if you can no longer manage your own affairs, and under what circumstances that transition occurs. This avoids the need for a court-supervised guardianship or conservatorship.
Pour-Over Will
Even with a revocable trust, you still need a will. A pour-over will catches any assets that weren’t transferred into your trust during your lifetime and directs them into the trust at death. It also names guardians for minor children, which a trust cannot do. We draft these documents as part of every trust package we create.
Funding the Trust
Creating the trust document is only the first step. Assets must actually be transferred into the trust to avoid probate. We provide detailed guidance on retitling real estate, updating account ownership, and coordinating beneficiary designations on retirement accounts and life insurance policies. Our asset protection strategies often work alongside revocable trust planning. Understanding what happens when you create a trust helps families prepare for this process.
What To Expect From Your Glenview Revocable Trust Attorney
We begin with a consultation to understand your goals. What assets do you own? Who do you want to benefit? Are there family dynamics or special circumstances we need to address? What happens to your home? Your business interests? Your retirement accounts?
After gathering this information, we draft your trust documents—typically a revocable trust agreement, pour-over will, power of attorney, and healthcare directives. We review everything together, explain how each document works, and answer questions until you’re comfortable with the plan.
The signing appointment takes about an hour. We handle all the formalities: proper execution, notarization, and witness signatures where required. After signing, we provide instructions for funding your trust and offer to review account titling changes before you finalize them.
Most clients complete the entire process within three to four weeks. For straightforward situations, we can often work faster. Complex estates with business interests or unusual family circumstances may take longer.
For clients who already have a plan but need updates, we review existing documents and recommend changes based on current law and changed circumstances. Families dealing with succession planning for a business often need coordinated updates to both business and personal documents. Sometimes a simple amendment works. Other times, a complete restatement makes more sense. The benefits of trusts extend beyond just probate avoidance.
Contact Kravets Law Group
Creating a revocable trust is one of the most practical steps you can take to protect your family. We offer free consultations and flat-rate pricing for most trust packages, so you’ll know exactly what to expect before we begin work.
Our firm serves clients throughout Glenview and the North Shore. We also handle related matters like estate administration for families who need assistance after a loved one has passed. Contact a Glenview revocable trust lawyer today to schedule your consultation.