If you’re thinking about how to pass assets to your children without probate delays, protect a family member with special needs, or keep your financial affairs private after you’re gone, a trust might be exactly what you need.
Trusts aren’t reserved for the wealthy. They solve practical problems that affect families at all income levels. Avoiding court involvement when you pass away. Shielding assets from creditors. Providing for a loved one who can’t manage money independently. Reducing the chance of family conflict over inheritance. The right trust for you depends on what you’re actually trying to accomplish—some people need a straightforward revocable trust, while others require something more specialized.
If you’re looking for a Glenview, IL trust lawyer, Kravets Law Group helps families create trusts that do what they’re supposed to do. Daniel Kravets, Founder and Managing Partner, handles every trust matter at our firm personally. Over ten years, he’s drafted trusts for Illinois families dealing with all kinds of situations—simple estates, complex business ownership, blended families, and beneficiaries with disabilities.
Why Choose Kravets Law Group For Trust Planning In Glenview, IL?
Ten Years of Trust Work
Daniel Kravets started practicing in 2016 and opened this firm in 2020. Trust planning has always been a core part of what he does. Individual trusts, joint trusts for couples, irrevocable trusts, special needs trusts—he’s put together hundreds of them. That experience matters. He catches problems that less experienced attorneys don’t see coming. Our estate planning practice makes sure your trust works properly with your will, powers of attorney, and beneficiary designations.
You Get Direct Access
No paralegals collecting your information. No junior associates drafting your documents while a partner bills for “review.” Daniel meets with you, drafts your trust, walks you through it, and takes your call six months later when a question comes up. Trust planning gets personal—you’re talking about family, money, and what happens when you’re gone. Those conversations deserve a Glenview trust attorney who actually knows your situation.
Part of the Community
Daniel belongs to the Chicago Bar Association, Lincoln Park Chamber of Commerce, and the Decalogue Society. He knows Glenview. He understands the concerns families here have. We also work with business owners who need their trust planning coordinated with company succession strategies.
Flat-Rate Fees
Most trust packages come with a flat rate. We tell you what it costs upfront. No hourly billing that makes you nervous about asking questions. No surprise invoice at the end. You know exactly what you’re paying before we start.
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!” – Yelena Shvets
Types Of Trust Cases We Handle In Glenview
We create and administer different kinds of trusts based on what clients actually need:
- Revocable living trusts. This is what most families use when they want to skip probate. You keep full control while you’re alive—change beneficiaries, sell property, revoke the whole thing if you want. When you die, assets go straight to your beneficiaries. No court. No waiting. We also build in incapacity planning so a successor trustee can take over smoothly if you become unable to manage things yourself. Our living trust work covers drafting through funding.
- Irrevocable trusts. You give up control here. That’s the trade-off. But assets inside an irrevocable trust may be shielded from creditors, lawsuits, and estate taxes because they’re no longer yours. These trusts require careful thought—you can’t easily undo them. But for the right situation, they accomplish things revocable trusts simply can’t.
- Special needs trusts. Got a family member on SSI or Medicaid? A direct inheritance could knock them off those programs. A special needs trust holds money for their benefit without affecting eligibility. The trust pays for what government programs won’t—vacations, electronics, therapy, things that improve quality of life.
- Testamentary trusts. These don’t exist while you’re alive. Your will creates them when you die. Parents with young kids often use testamentary trusts to hold assets until children are old enough to handle an inheritance responsibly. They also work for adult beneficiaries who shouldn’t get a lump sum all at once.
- Asset protection trusts. Some trust structures can protect assets from future creditors and lawsuits. Illinois has limitations here—no self-settled asset protection trusts allowed. But options exist. Our asset protection planning helps clients understand what’s actually possible.
- Charitable trusts. If giving matters to you, charitable remainder trusts and charitable lead trusts let you support causes you care about while creating tax benefits and still providing for family.
Illinois Legal Requirements For Trusts
Illinois adopted the Illinois Trust Code (760 ILCS 3/) in 2020. It replaced the old Trusts and Trustees Act with something more modern. This code controls how trusts get created, administered, and terminated in our state. A trust that doesn’t follow Illinois law might not work the way you expect.
What do you need for a valid trust here? A settlor with legal capacity. A trustee who agrees to serve. Identifiable beneficiaries. Property actually transferred into the trust. A legitimate purpose. The document has to be written and signed. Illinois doesn’t technically require witnesses or notarization for most trusts, but adding them can head off challenges later—especially if someone might question whether you knew what you were signing.
The Illinois General Assembly posts the full Trust Code online. We stay current on it and draft accordingly.
But here’s what trips people up: funding. A trust only controls what’s actually in it. Real estate needs a new deed recorded with the Cook County Clerk. Bank accounts and investments have to be retitled. Beneficiary designations on life insurance and retirement accounts need review. We give clients detailed funding instructions and walk them through it. Skip this step and your trust doesn’t accomplish much.
Federal estate tax matters for larger estates. The IRS estate tax page has current exemption amounts and filing requirements. Most Illinois families won’t owe federal estate tax right now, but planning still matters for state considerations and making sure assets actually go where you want.
The Illinois Supreme Court sets the procedural rules for trust disputes. When beneficiaries challenge a trust or trustees need court guidance, those rules govern what happens.
Key Components Of A Well-Drafted Trust
Trustee Selection
This decision matters more than people think. Your trustee manages assets, decides on distributions, files tax returns, keeps beneficiaries informed. You’ll probably serve as your own trustee for a revocable trust while you’re alive. But who steps in when you can’t? We help clients think hard about successor trustees—financial ability, family relationships, where they live, whether they actually want the job. Sometimes a professional trustee makes more sense than a relative.
Distribution Rules
When do beneficiaries get money? All at once? Over time? Only for specific purposes? Your trust document controls this completely. We draft distribution provisions that match what you actually want. Outright distribution at age 30. Ongoing payments for health, education, support. Something more customized. For beneficiaries with money problems, addiction issues, or rocky marriages, smart distribution language protects them without cutting them out entirely.
Trust Protectors
Laws change. Families change. A trust protector has limited power to modify certain terms without going to court. This flexibility helps with irrevocable trusts that might become outdated decades from now. We talk through whether trust protector provisions make sense for your situation.
Tax Considerations
Trusts have their own tax rules. Some are “grantor trusts” that don’t file separate returns. Others pay taxes themselves at compressed rates. The structure affects estate taxes and income taxes during administration. We coordinate with your overall tax picture and work with your CPA when it helps. Clients working on business succession often need planning that addresses both business transfers and trust funding together.
Working With Other Documents
Your trust can’t stand alone. It has to coordinate with your power of attorney, healthcare directive, pour-over will, and beneficiary designations. We build estate plans as complete packages. Everything fits together. Understanding the benefits of trusts helps families see the big picture.
What To Expect From Your Glenview Trust Attorney
We start with a conversation about your goals. What are you trying to do? Who should benefit? Any family members with special situations? What if you become incapacitated before you die? Your answers shape what we recommend.
Then we draft. Most clients get a trust agreement, pour-over will, financial power of attorney, healthcare power of attorney, and HIPAA authorization. We meet again to review everything. We explain how each document works. We answer questions until you feel ready.
Signing takes about an hour. We handle execution, notarization, witnesses where needed. Afterward, you get detailed funding instructions—how to actually transfer assets into the trust so it does its job.
For clients dealing with estate administration after someone passes, we handle trust administration too. Successor trustees have questions. Duties, distributions, taxes, communicating with beneficiaries. We guide them through.
The Illinois Secretary of State keeps records on business entities. Clients with LLCs or corporations often need ownership transferred into their trust. We coordinate that.
Families who want to avoid probate completely need to understand this: funding is everything. An unfunded trust doesn’t avoid probate at all. Assets not titled in the trust’s name still go through court.
Contact Kravets Law Group
A trust is one of the most practical things you can do for your family. It doesn’t have to be complicated. We offer free consultations and flat-rate pricing for most packages. You’ll know what to expect before we start.
We serve families throughout Glenview and greater Chicago. We also handle revocable trust planning for clients wanting maximum flexibility. Contact a Glenview trust lawyer today to talk about what kind of trust fits your situation.