If you’ve been appointed executor of an estate or successor trustee of a trust, you now have legal obligations that require careful attention.
Estate administration encompasses everything involved in settling someone’s affairs after they pass. Collecting and valuing assets. Notifying creditors and evaluating claims. Filing final tax returns. Distributing inheritances according to the will or trust terms. The process demands organization, attention to deadlines, and familiarity with Illinois probate and trust law. Executors and trustees who fail to meet their duties can face personal liability—even when mistakes are unintentional.
If you need a Northbrook, IL estate administration lawyer, Kravets Law Group takes the legal complexity off your plate. Daniel Kravets, Founder and Managing Partner, works directly with executors and trustees to keep administrations moving. He’s handled hundreds of these matters over the past decade—quick and simple ones, drawn-out complicated ones, and plenty that fell somewhere in between.
Why Choose Kravets Law Group For Estate Administration In Northbrook, IL?
We Keep Things Moving
Estate administration stalls when nobody’s pushing it forward. Institutions don’t follow up. Paperwork sits in queues. Deadlines approach without warning. We stay on top of what needs to happen and when. You won’t wonder what’s going on because we’ll tell you. Our probate work runs the same way—proactive, not reactive.
A Decade of Varied Experience
Daniel Kravets has practiced law since 2016 and founded this firm in 2020. During that time, he’s handled estate administrations across a wide range of circumstances—cooperative families and contentious ones, well-organized estates and those requiring significant reconstruction, simple tax situations and complex ones. That breadth of experience informs how we approach each new matter. Clients dealing with contested matters benefit from counsel who has handled disputes before. A Northbrook estate administration attorney with this background makes a difference.
Clear Communication Throughout
Estate administration involves terminology that most people encounter for the first time when they’re thrust into the executor or trustee role. We explain concepts in plain language so you understand your obligations and the reasoning behind each step. You’ll know what documents you’re signing, why they matter, and what happens next.
Flexible Involvement
Some clients want us handling everything. Others prefer to do the legwork themselves and just check in when legal questions arise. Either approach works. We scale our involvement to match what you actually need—no pushing services that don’t make sense for your situation.
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 Estate Administration Cases We Handle In Northbrook
Administration looks different depending on what planning existed:
- Trust administration. When a living trust holds the assets, court involvement disappears. But duties remain. The successor trustee must notify beneficiaries, manage assets responsibly, handle tax filings, and make distributions according to the document’s terms. Beneficiaries can sue if these obligations aren’t met. We guide trustees through each requirement. Our trust planning background shapes this advice.
- Probate administration. Assets titled in the deceased person’s name alone go through court. Independent administration—available for most Illinois estates—allows executors to act without constant judicial approval. Supervised administration involves more oversight. Either way, inventories must be filed, creditors must be notified, and distributions must follow legal procedures.
- Hybrid situations. Many estates involve both. Trust holds the house and investments. Probate catches the car, the bank account that never got retitled, personal property. Coordinating both tracks requires careful attention.
- Creditor disputes. Someone files a claim against the estate. Maybe it’s legitimate. Maybe it’s inflated. Maybe it’s completely bogus. Executors must evaluate claims and can face personal liability for paying invalid debts or refusing valid ones. We help sort legitimate obligations from questionable demands.
- Contested administrations. A beneficiary challenges the executor’s decisions. Questions about self-dealing. Accusations of favoritism. Demands for removal. These disputes require careful handling—and sometimes court intervention. Our litigation experience proves valuable in these situations.
- Ancillary proceedings. Illinois real estate owned by someone who lived elsewhere requires administration here. We handle the local piece while out-of-state counsel manages the primary estate.
Illinois Legal Requirements For Estate Administration
Both executors and trustees are fiduciaries. That’s not just a label. It means legal obligations that courts take seriously.
Trustees operate under the Illinois Trust Code (760 ILCS 3/). The Illinois General Assembly maintains the current text. Key duties include acting in good faith, following the trust’s terms, investing prudently, keeping adequate records, and providing information to beneficiaries who request it. Breach any of these and you face personal liability.
Probate executors answer to the Cook County Circuit Court for Northbrook estates. The Illinois Probate Act controls the process. Inventory due within 60 days. Creditor notice must publish promptly. Claims window runs six months. Final accounting required before closing. Each step has rules. Each rule has consequences for noncompliance. A Northbrook estate administration lawyer helps you meet these requirements.
Tax obligations compound the complexity. The deceased needs a final income tax return. The estate or trust may need fiduciary income tax returns. Larger estates trigger federal estate tax requirements from the IRS. Illinois estates exceeding $4 million face state estate tax. Deadlines vary. Penalties add up.
Property transfers require documentation recorded with the Cook County Clerk. Deeds from estates and trusts follow specific formats. Title companies reject anything that doesn’t match their requirements exactly.
Challenges That Come Up During Administration
Institutions That Won’t Cooperate
Each financial institution has its own requirements for releasing assets to an estate or trust. Some want certified letters of office. Others require medallion signature guarantees or specific affidavits. We know what most institutions require and help you gather the right paperwork to avoid unnecessary delays.
Beneficiaries Watching Every Move
Some beneficiaries trust the executor completely. Others scrutinize every decision. Managing these relationships while fulfilling your duties takes skill. We help you communicate appropriately and document decisions that might face scrutiny later.
Assets That Are Hard to Value
Real estate and bank accounts are usually straightforward. But ownership interests in closely held businesses, art collections, or specialty items require professional appraisals—and sometimes those valuations get challenged. Executors handling business interests benefit from our business law experience.
Debts Exceeding Assets
Insolvent estates follow different rules. Creditor priority matters more when there’s not enough to pay everyone. The executor who pays the wrong creditor first can end up personally responsible. Understanding asset protection principles helps preserve what’s available for priority claims.
Heirs With Complicated Circumstances
A beneficiary going through divorce. One with creditor problems. One receiving government benefits that a direct inheritance would disrupt. Each situation affects how distributions should happen. A special needs trust might be necessary to protect a disabled heir’s public benefits. Understanding the benefits of trusts helps families see how these tools can help. We identify these complications before distributions go out the door.
Missing Documents
Nobody can find the original will. The trust document has pages missing. Beneficiary designations reference people who died years ago. Gaps in documentation create legal questions that need resolving before administration can proceed.
What To Expect From Your Northbrook Estate Administration Attorney
The process begins with an initial consultation to assess your situation. We review whatever documents you have—the will, trust, account statements, correspondence from creditors—and identify what assets and liabilities exist. This assessment shapes our recommendations for how to proceed.
For trust administration, we prepare a clear outline of your duties as successor trustee. We help you draft proper beneficiary notifications, advise on prudent management of trust assets during administration, prepare required tax filings, and guide you through distributions when the time comes. Understanding trust funding helps trustees manage assets properly.
For probate matters, we prepare and file the necessary court documents—petition for appointment, inventory, creditor notices, required accountings. When hearings are necessary, we attend. When institutions or creditors create obstacles, we address them.
Communication happens regularly. We don’t wait for you to call wondering about status. You’ll receive updates when filings are made, when deadlines approach, and when decisions need your input.
Timeline depends on the specific circumstances. A straightforward trust administration with cooperative beneficiaries might conclude in three to four months. Probate estates typically take six months to a year. Contested matters or estates with complex assets take longer. We provide realistic estimates at the outset and adjust them if circumstances change.
Many clients complete administration and decide to put their own estate planning in order. We handle estate planning matters as well—wills, revocable trusts, powers of attorney—so your family won’t face unnecessary complications when the time comes. Clients with business interests often need coordinated succession planning alongside their personal documents.
The Illinois Secretary of State maintains business entity records that sometimes become relevant when estates include company ownership interests.
Contact Kravets Law Group
Executor and trustee duties carry real weight. Real deadlines. Real liability. Getting it right matters—for you and for the people waiting on their inheritance.
We offer free consultations. We’ll explain what the role requires and how we can help.
Our firm serves executors and trustees throughout Northbrook and the greater Chicago area. Contact a Northbrook estate administration lawyer today.