Are you looking for a wills lawyer in Deerfield, IL?
At Kravets Law Group, we are trusted wills lawyers serving clients across Deerfield and the surrounding area.
If your estate plan needs a will, whether it is your first or a replacement for an outdated one, an attorney can put your instructions into a document that Illinois courts will honor. Our Deerfield, IL wills lawyer handles last wills, pour-over wills, codicils, and the court filings that follow a death.
Founded in 2020, Kravets Law Group prices standalone wills and will-and-trust packages at a flat rate. Our attorney takes on each will matter personally. Get in touch to arrange a consultation.
Wills Lawyer Deerfield, IL
The job of a wills attorney is to record who inherits your property, who settles your estate, and who would care for your minor children. That work extends to the signing itself, which must follow Illinois formalities for the will to be accepted in probate.
Deerfield’s median owner-occupied home value is $623,400, per U.S. Census Bureau estimates. A house is frequently the largest single asset a family leaves behind, and the will controls where it goes unless the home is held in a trust or owned jointly.
Types of Wills Cases We Handle in Deerfield
Every will reflects a particular family and a particular set of assets. Serving as wills attorneys for Deerfield households, we go through each draft line by line in plain language before anything is signed.
- Last wills and testaments. This core instrument appoints an executor, divides your property, and can leave specific heirlooms or sums to named people. Some clients need a short document, while others need detailed provisions for several beneficiaries.
- Pour-over wills. Anyone with a trust should also have a pour-over will, which sweeps overlooked assets into the trust at death. Drafting both documents at the same time keeps their terms consistent.
- Codicils. Small revisions, such as replacing an executor, can be made by codicil. Broader revisions usually call for a new will so the document reads as one clear set of instructions.
- Guardian designations. A will is where parents choose who would raise their minor children. Naming an alternate matters, and so does deciding who will manage the money set aside for the children’s support.
- Wills for blended families. Second marriages often bring together a spouse, stepchildren, and children from an earlier relationship. Specific language about who receives what helps prevent conflict among them later.
- Wills for multi-property owners. When you own several properties, we look at how each one is titled. A companion trust is often the better vehicle for real estate that would otherwise go through probate.
- Trusts. Some families add a trust to hold assets outside of court, leaving the will to cover guardianship and residual property. We walk through the tradeoffs so you can decide whether one belongs in your plan.
- Special needs trusts. When a child or other beneficiary has a disability, an outright inheritance can jeopardize SSI or Medicaid. A special needs trust, set up in the will or as a stand-alone document, can hold those funds instead.
- Probate. When the time comes, the executor must present the will to the court. We help executors prepare and file what the court requires.
Why Choose Kravets Law Group as My Wills Lawyer in Deerfield, IL?
Wills Drafted With the Probate Process in Mind
Daniel Kravets opened Kravets Law Group in 2020, four years after he began practicing law, and he takes on each will matter at the firm himself. His bar admissions span Illinois, Pennsylvania, and New Jersey. He belongs to the Chicago Bar Association and completed law school at Drexel University’s Kline School of Law. Having handled probate administrations in Cook County and neighboring counties, he writes wills with an eye to how a judge and an executor will read them. He has a forthcoming book on estate planning and appears often as a speaker at community and professional gatherings. A will rarely stands alone, and Deerfield families who need trusts and powers of attorney alongside it can turn to the firm as their estate planning lawyer in Deerfield, IL.
Will Planning Results
As a wills lawyer in Deerfield and elsewhere in Illinois, we have prepared:
- Straightforward wills as well as wills for larger, layered estates
- Will provisions for households with children from more than one marriage
- Plans for clients who own several properties
- Wills paired with trusts that move key assets outside of probate
Each plan was built around the client’s family and property rather than a standard form. A flat rate applies to standalone wills and to will-and-trust packages, and you will know the price before drafting starts.
What Is Important To Understand About Wills Cases?
Key Estate Planning Documents and What They Do
Your will should fit with the other documents in your estate plan.
- Revocable trust. A revocable trust holds property during your life and transfers it at death without a court case.
- Last will and testament. The will governs probate property, appoints the executor, and names guardians for minor children.
- Pour-over will. This type of will sends any asset outside a trust into that trust after you die.
- Beneficiary designations. Designation forms decide who receives retirement accounts and life insurance, even when the will says otherwise.
- Powers of attorney. Separate powers of attorney for property and for health care let trusted agents act for you while you are alive but unable to make decisions.
What Are Important Aspects of a Wills Case?
A valid, effective will depends on several legal and practical considerations. A wills attorney in Deerfield should review each of the following with you.
- Signing requirements. Illinois courts admit a will only when it was signed and witnessed properly. Changes written onto the document afterward can create doubt about what the testator intended.
- Coordination with non-probate assets. Jointly titled property and accounts with named beneficiaries pass outside the will. We draft wills and trusts with those assets in mind so the plan works as a whole.
- Court involvement. Assets that pass under a will go through probate, which involves court filings, notice to heirs, and a window for creditors to file claims. Adding a trust is one route to avoiding probate in Illinois.
- The contest deadline. Under the Illinois Probate Act, a person with an interest in the estate usually has six months from the date a will is admitted to probate to challenge its validity. Understanding who can contest a will lets us include provisions that make a challenge less likely.
- Business owners. If you own a company, your will and your business succession planning documents need to agree on who takes over ownership and management.
What Is the Wills Case Timeline?
Most wills are completed in a handful of steps, and the final step takes place after death.
- Planning meeting. We learn about your family, property, and objectives.
- First draft. We prepare the will and any related documents for your review.
- Revisions. You mark up the draft, and we finalize the language.
- Signing. The will is executed in front of the witnesses Illinois requires.
- Probate. After death, the original is deposited with the circuit clerk, the court admits it, and the executor is appointed to collect assets, pay valid debts, and distribute the remainder.
What Should You Bring to Your Wills Consultation?
Specific information allows us to give specific recommendations at the first meeting.
- Deeds or tax bills for real estate you own
- A summary of your financial accounts and their approximate balances
- Your current will, trust, or codicil, if you have one
- The people you would like to serve as executor and guardian
- Details about previous marriages or children from other relationships
During the meeting, our Deerfield wills attorney reviews these materials, recommends either a standalone will or a combined will-and-trust plan, and quotes the flat rate. An older will prepared elsewhere is worth bringing, since it shows what you decided previously.
Lake County Probate Court and Local Resources
Most of Deerfield lies in Lake County, where probate matters are heard by the Nineteenth Judicial Circuit at the Main Courthouse on North County Street in Waukegan. The Nineteenth Judicial Circuit covers all of Lake County, and the court publishes a Probate Guide Handbook that explains the types of cases it hears. After a death, the original will is deposited with the Lake County Circuit Clerk, whose office handles probate filings and wills.
Real estate records for Lake County properties are maintained by the Recording Division of the Lake County Clerk’s Office in Waukegan. A small part of Deerfield lies in Cook County, and estates of residents in that area are handled by the Cook County Probate Division in downtown Chicago.
Reach Out to Kravets Law Group to Schedule a Consultation
A Deerfield wills attorney can record your decisions in a document your family and the court will follow. Kravets Law Group charges a flat rate for standalone wills and for combined will-and-trust packages. Your consultation will cover your family, your property, and the documents that suit your goals. Contact us to arrange a time to meet.