Estate Planning Lawyer Joliet, IL
If you’ve been putting off an estate plan, you’re in good company. Most people know they should have one. The reasons it doesn’t happen are usually the same: it feels like a bigger project than it is, or starting means sitting down to think through things nobody particularly wants to think through.
Our Joliet, IL estate planning attorney at Kravets Law Group works with individuals, families, and business owners throughout Joliet and Will County to build plans that are clear, complete, and built around what each family actually needs. Founding attorney Daniel Kravets has been practicing since 2016, opened the firm in 2020, and handles all estate planning matters himself. Fixed-rate pricing is available for most estate plans, with a transparent cost breakdown before work begins. Free consultations are available. When you’re ready to get started, reach out to our firm.
Why Choose Kravets Law Group for Estate Planning in Joliet, IL?
Experience at Every Level of Complexity
Daniel Kravets has built estate plans for Illinois families at virtually every level of complexity since opening the firm. First-time plans for new parents who needed a will and guardian designation in place before anything else. Families with real estate in multiple locations where how each asset was titled shaped what every document could accomplish. Clients who arrived with existing plans drafted years earlier that no longer reflected who they were providing for or what they owned. Business owners whose succession provisions needed to align with both their ownership structure and their personal distribution wishes.
He earned his JD from Drexel University Law, holds membership in the Chicago Bar Association, and is admitted to practice in Illinois, Pennsylvania, and New Jersey. He is completing a forthcoming estate planning book and speaks regularly at professional and community events throughout the greater Chicago area. As an estate planning attorney working across Cook, Lake, and Will County, he brings that depth of experience to every Joliet engagement.
Transparent, Flat-Rate Pricing
Fixed-rate pricing applies to most estate plans at Kravets Law Group, with a clear breakdown of what’s included before any drafting begins. Clients who come in with questions don’t face escalating costs based on how long those questions take to answer. For plans that require trusts, wills, and related documents built together, the scope and cost are defined at the start.
Documents Built Around Each Other
The pieces of an estate plan interact in ways that aren’t always obvious until something goes wrong. A trust that was never funded. A will that doesn’t account for how real estate is actually titled. Beneficiary designations on retirement accounts that contradict everything else the plan says. We review how assets are held before the first draft, then include funding coordination and designation reviews as part of every engagement, not as an afterthought once documents are signed.
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“Daniel was extremely helpful in assisting with my estate planning and debt matters. He is very knowledgeable and responsive and I couldn’t have asked for better counsel. 10/10 would recommend” — Brian Drach
Read more reviews on our Google Business Profile.
Types of Estate Planning Services We Handle in Joliet
An estate plan is a set of coordinated decisions, not a single document. What belongs in yours depends on what you own, who you’re providing for, and what the plan needs to solve both during your lifetime and after. These are the primary services we handle for Joliet families and individuals throughout Will 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 using a revocable trust, and codicils for targeted amendments to existing documents.
- Living trusts. A revocable living trust transfers assets to beneficiaries without court involvement, keeps the estate private, and lets you maintain full control during your lifetime. We handle both the drafting and the funding process, including deeds and account transfers.
- Trusts. Beyond the basic revocable living trust, we draft irrevocable trusts, dynasty trusts, life insurance trusts, and charitable trusts for clients with specific asset protection, tax, or multi-generational planning goals.
- Special needs trusts. For families with a disabled child or dependent, a properly drafted trust preserves SSI and Medicaid eligibility while securing family resources for long-term care. We handle first-party, third-party, and pooled trust arrangements depending on the situation.
- Probate and estate administration. When a Joliet estate requires Will County court administration, we represent executors, administrators, heirs, and beneficiaries through every stage of the Illinois probate process.
- Powers of attorney and healthcare directives. A durable power of attorney for property and a healthcare power of attorney designate who manages your finances and medical decisions if you’re unable to do so. Every complete estate plan includes both.
Illinois Legal Requirements for Estate Planning
Several overlapping Illinois statutes govern estate planning documents. Wills fall under the Illinois Probate Act, 755 ILCS 5, which requires the testator to be at least 18 and of sound mind, signing in the presence of two credible adult witnesses who are also at least 18. Illinois does not recognize holographic wills. A handwritten document, regardless of how clearly it expresses the decedent’s wishes, will not be admitted to probate without proper witnesses.
Trust drafting and administration are governed by the Illinois Trust Code, 760 ILCS 3, in effect since January 1, 2020, which updated the standards for trustee duties, distribution obligations, and beneficiary rights. Powers of attorney in Illinois are governed by the Illinois Power of Attorney Act, 755 ILCS 45, which defines what authority an agent can hold and how a valid document must be executed. For Joliet families, wills and estates are administered through the 12th Judicial Circuit Court in Will County, and that court’s local procedures shape how each administration moves forward in practice.
The Illinois estate tax applies to estates over $4 million with graduated rates reaching 16%. Larger estates also face federal estate tax obligations with separate thresholds and filing deadlines. How a plan is structured directly affects exposure to both, which is a core reason addressing these questions during planning rather than at administration produces better outcomes for families.
Important Aspects of a Joliet Estate Planning Case
Estate Planning Is Not Just for Wealthy Families
It’s a persistent assumption that estate planning is primarily a concern for families with significant assets. It isn’t. If you have minor children, a will is the only mechanism in Illinois for nominating a guardian. Without one, a probate court makes that decision. If you own a home, an estate plan determines whether it transfers cleanly or passes through Will County probate court on a timeline nobody controls. A power of attorney addresses who handles your finances if you become incapacitated before you die. None of those concerns have an asset threshold.
The Funding Problem
A revocable living trust governs only what’s actually inside it. The trust funding process requires specific action after signing: Illinois real estate transfers into the trust by deed, financial accounts need re-titling, and retirement account and life insurance beneficiary designations need to reflect the plan. When those steps are skipped, assets pass through probate rather than through the trust regardless of what the document says. We work through every asset category with clients during the engagement, not after documents are signed.
What Powers of Attorney Actually Do
Most people think of estate planning as preparing for death. A durable power of attorney for property and a healthcare power of attorney address something more immediate: what happens if you’re alive but unable to manage your own affairs. Without these documents in place, your family may need to petition a court for guardianship before they can pay your bills, access accounts, or make medical decisions on your behalf. These aren’t rare situations. They arise from unexpected medical events at any age, and the absence of documents makes an already difficult situation significantly harder.
Updating a Plan That No Longer Fits
A plan built after a prior marriage, before a second child, or before a significant property acquisition may no longer reflect current reality. Beneficiary designations on retirement accounts and life insurance are particularly easy to overlook through major life changes. They pass entirely outside probate based only on what the designation form says, and they don’t update automatically when families change. Disputes over outdated or mismatched documents regularly become will contests in Illinois probate court, and for families whose goal is avoiding probate in Illinois entirely, keeping documents current is as important as having them in the first place.
Business Owners Have Specific Needs
A Joliet business owner whose estate plan doesn’t address the business interest is leaving a significant gap. Without succession provisions, a closely held business can pass to unintended co-owners, trigger forced buyouts under unfavorable conditions, or create operational problems for everyone involved while the estate is being administered. Business succession planning and personal estate planning need to produce compatible answers, and we work through both together with clients who own businesses.
Contact Kravets Law Group
Getting a plan built doesn’t need to be a drawn-out process. Most Joliet families come in uncertain about what they need and leave with a clear plan in place. When you reach out, we’ll schedule a free consultation to review your situation, explain exactly what a plan for your family involves, and answer your questions before anything moves forward. Contact us to get started.