Estate Planning Lawyer Deerfield, IL
If you know you need an estate plan but haven’t gotten around to it, the reason is usually one of two things. The process feels more complicated than you want to deal with right now, or sitting down to do it means thinking about things most people would rather avoid.
Both are understandable. But they’re not a good reason to leave your family without direction.
Without a plan in place, Illinois intestacy law determines who inherits your property. Your estate passes through Lake County probate court on the state’s schedule rather than on yours. Your family makes critical decisions during an already difficult time with no guidance from you. A well-structured plan addresses all of that, and we’re here to help you through every step.
Our Deerfield, IL estate planning attorney at Kravets Law Group works with individuals, families, and business owners to build plans that reflect what they actually want. Founding attorney Daniel Kravets has been practicing since 2016, opened the firm in 2020, and handles all estate planning matters personally. Fixed-rate pricing is available for most estate plans, with a clear breakdown of costs for trusts, wills, and related documents before anything is drafted. Free consultations are available.
Why Choose Kravets Law Group for Estate Planning in Deerfield, IL?
Across the Full Range of Family Situations
Daniel Kravets has spent close to a decade building estate plans for Illinois families at virtually every asset level. Single-owner estates looking for a clean, straightforward plan. Blended households where distribution provisions had to navigate relationships across multiple marriages. Multi-property owners where how each asset was titled directly shaped what the documents could accomplish. Business owners whose succession planning had to align with both the ownership structure and the broader distribution plan for their estate. Asset levels have ranged from modest estates to holdings above $30 million. We’ve also worked with clients on updates to existing plans that no longer aligned with their current circumstances, assets, or family structure.
Daniel earned his JD from Drexel University Law, is admitted in Illinois, Pennsylvania, and New Jersey, and holds membership in the Chicago Bar Association. He is completing a forthcoming book on estate planning and speaks regularly at professional and community events throughout the Chicago area.
Plain-English from the First Conversation
Estate planning conversations can stall in document names and legal terminology before a client has any sense of what they actually need or why. We work through options in plain language, explain what each document does before recommending it, and review completed documents at the end of the process so clients leave understanding what they’ve signed. Most people are surprised by how clear and manageable it turns out to be.
Documents Designed to Work Together
A will, a revocable trust, powers of attorney, beneficiary designations, and asset titling all interact. When those pieces aren’t built together, plans fail precisely when they should hold. A trust with unfunded assets. A will that contradicts a beneficiary designation on a retirement account. A guardian nomination that names someone no longer the right choice. As an estate planning attorney serving Deerfield and Lake County, we review how everything is structured before drafting begins and include funding coordination as part of every engagement.
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“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!” — Yelena Shvets
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Types of Estate Planning Services We Handle in Deerfield
Estate planning covers more than a single document. It’s a set of coordinated decisions about your assets, your family, and what should happen both during your lifetime and after. The documents involved in a well-structured plan work together, and the combination that’s right for you depends on what you own, who you’re providing for, and what problems the plan needs to solve. These are the primary services we handle for Deerfield families and individuals throughout Lake County.
- Wills. A last will and testament designates your executor, nominates guardians for minor children, and directs how property distributes at death. We draft standalone wills, pour-over wills for clients with trusts, and codicils for targeted updates to existing documents.
- Revocable living trusts. For families who own real estate, hold significant assets, or prefer to keep their affairs out of probate court, a revocable trust transfers to beneficiaries without court involvement and stays private throughout. We handle both drafting and funding.
- Special needs trusts. A trust for a beneficiary with a disability has to preserve SSI and Medicaid eligibility while securing the family resources set aside for their care. We draft first-party trusts, third-party trusts, and pooled trust arrangements depending on the situation.
- Probate and estate administration. When a Deerfield estate requires Lake County court administration, we represent executors, administrators, heirs, and beneficiaries through every stage of the Illinois probate process.
- Asset protection. For clients with significant holdings or business exposure, asset protection structures reduce creditor vulnerability and can be built into the broader estate plan without adding unnecessary complexity.
- Powers of attorney and healthcare directives. A durable power of attorney for property and a healthcare power of attorney designate who manages finances and medical decisions on your behalf if you’re unable to do so. Every complete estate plan includes both.
Illinois Legal Requirements for Estate Planning
Illinois estate planning draws from several overlapping statutes. Wills are governed by the Illinois Probate Act, 755 ILCS 5, which requires the testator to be at least 18, of sound mind, and to sign in the presence of two credible adult witnesses. Illinois does not recognize holographic wills. A handwritten document, no matter how clearly it expresses the decedent’s intentions, will not be admitted to probate without proper witnesses.
Trust documents fall under the Illinois Trust Code, 760 ILCS 3, effective January 1, 2020. Powers of attorney are governed by the Illinois Power of Attorney Act, 755 ILCS 45, which establishes what authority an agent can be granted and the requirements for a validly executed document. For Deerfield residents, wills are probated through the 19th Judicial Circuit Court in Lake County, and that court’s local procedures shape how the administration moves forward.
The Illinois estate tax applies to estates over $4 million, with graduated rates reaching 16%. Larger estates face separate federal estate tax obligations with their own thresholds and filing deadlines. Both state and federal tax exposure are directly shaped by how an estate plan is structured, which is why addressing them during planning is far more efficient than managing them at administration.
Important Aspects of a Deerfield Estate Planning Case
Documents and a Plan Are Not the Same Thing
Signing documents is not the same as having an estate plan. A will that doesn’t account for a business interest. A trust drafted but never funded. A guardian nomination for children that hasn’t been updated in years. Each gap produces a problem the documents were supposed to prevent. Plans that produce paperwork without addressing the underlying picture give families a false sense of security. We’ve seen contested probate matters trace directly back to plans that looked complete on paper but weren’t coordinated with how assets were actually held. The goal isn’t producing paperwork. It’s building something that works.
Trust Funding Is Where Plans Succeed or Fail
A revocable trust only controls what’s actually inside it. Illinois real estate requires a deed to transfer into the trust. Financial accounts need to be re-titled. Retirement accounts and life insurance designations have to name the right beneficiary or assets pass entirely outside the plan. That coordination isn’t a separate task after signing; it’s part of what it means to create a trust that actually functions as intended, and it’s a step we work through with clients rather than leaving them to handle independently.
Plans Need to Keep Pace With Life
A plan built a decade ago may not reflect who you’ve become, what you own, or who you want to provide for now. Divorce, remarriage, a new child, a significant property acquisition, the death of a named executor or trustee: each warrants a review. The same applies to beneficiary designations, which often go unchanged through marriages, divorces, and years of life changes. As high-profile estate situations have illustrated, even substantial planning offers limited protection when documents no longer match current reality.
Business Owners Face Specific Challenges
A business interest without succession provisions can trigger unintended co-ownership among heirs, complicate daily operations, or force a sale at the worst possible time. Wills and trusts for business owners need to account for how the interest is held, what buy-sell agreements exist, and how business succession aligns with the distribution plan for the rest of the estate. These aren’t separate conversations. They belong in the same plan.
Contact Kravets Law Group
Whether you’re building an estate plan for the first time or updating one that no longer reflects your circumstances, we approach every Deerfield estate planning engagement the same way: plainly, thoroughly, and with a clear sense of what the plan is supposed to accomplish.
When you reach out, we’ll schedule a free consultation to review your situation and explain exactly what a plan for your family would involve before anything moves forward. Contact us now to get started.