Finding an attorney who is a “real person” can be difficult. Many attorneys surround themselves almost exclusively with other attorneys and are accustomed to speaking in ivory tower legalese. You should be able to connect with your attorney on a personal level, and he or she should speak to you in plain language that you can understand. You will be working very closely with this person on issues that are very important to you. It is important that he or she be down-to-earth and someone that you connect with.
The most common complaint that clients have of their attorneys is that the attorney is unreachable, does not communicate with them regularly, or does not promptly return your calls. Your attorney should reach out to you about your case regularly and respond within 24 hours to calls and e-mails. An open line of communication between you and your attorney is essential to building trust.
Your attorney’s goal should not be to win at all costs. Rather, it should be to achieve a favorable outcome for you as efficiently as possible. It is important that your attorney set realistic expectations at the outset as to the costs you should expect, the concerns that the attorney has about the outcome of your case, and the length of time that you should expect your case to take.
Regardless of the nature of your case, we have an experienced attorney who will focus on your individual needs. Our team of attorneys works closely together, bringing each of their different fields of experience to bear in order to optimize our client care.
Kevin's firm handled setting up my will and trust recently. They took something that seemed intimidating and made it easy to understand. I've also referred a couple clients to Kevin - he's trustworthy, approachable and very fairly priced.
"I've used Kevin and his firm's services since 2011. He gave undivided attention to my cases, advised me on different options and..."
"Kevin was extremely professional, responsive and knowledgeable when I came to him for help. I would definitely recommend O'Flaherty Law!"
Our Chicago trust attorneys will learn about your estate planning goals and educate you on all of your estate planning options. We will ensure you make informed decisions and create the best plan to protect your assets, and your interests. Let us help you take control of your estate plan to ensure that your estate avoids costly probate proceedings.
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The purpose of a consultation is to determine whether our firm is a good fit for your legal needs. Although we often discuss expected results and costs, our attorneys do not give legal advice unless and until you choose to retain us.
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I am personally committed to ensuring that each one of our clients receives the highest level of client service from our team. Our mission is to provide excellent legal work in a cost-effective manner while maintaining open lines of communication between our clients and their attorneys. Many of our clients are going through difficult times in their lives when they reach out to us. They should feel comfortable leaning on the experience and knowledge of our attorneys as their counselors and advocates. We are here to help!
In this article, our Chicago will attorneys discusses the process of creating a will that covers the creators wishes when they pass. A will is a legal document that sets forth the wishes of its creator (known as a “testator”) in the event of death. The purpose of a will is to be recognized by a probate court as the governing document for the management of the testator’s estate. In your will you should include the following clauses that accomplish the following: name beneficiaries, name an executor, and name a guardian for minor children. While a will need not be drafted by an attorney to be legally valid, there are many reasons that working with an attorney is advisable: having an attorney draft your will is not expensive, attorneys help avoid ambiguities, attorneys can ensure that your will is valid, attorneys can help you avoid mistakes regarding setting forth your wishes, and attorneys can counsel your options.
In this article, our Chicago trust attorneys explain how to modify a Chicago trust. If an estate plan does not consider unforeseen changes or circumstances, there is a potential for litigation by beneficiaries. A trust is a fiduciary arrangement that allows a third party, or trustee, to hold assets on behalf of a beneficiary or beneficiaries. Trusts can be arranged in many ways to specify exactly how and when the assets need to pass to the beneficiaries. Because trusts usually avoid probate, your beneficiaries may gain access to those assets more quickly than they might to assets that are transferred using a will. Assets in a trust may also be able to pass outside of probate, saving time, court fees, and potentially reducing estate taxes, too. A trust reformation is the modification of an irrevocable trust to address unanticipated changes that have occurred since its establishment or to clarify the language of the trust instrument for the benefit of trustees and beneficiaries. While it is possible to reform a trust for various reasons, trustees and beneficiaries do not have the power to change an irrevocable trust simply because they want to. There are several reasons why one would consider a trust reformation.
In this article, our Chicago trust attorneys explain the methods that can be utilized to use trusts to minimize or eliminate Illinois and federal estate taxes. Our Chicago trust lawyers discuss the use of AB Trusts that can essentially double the Illinois estate tax exemption if you the person is married. Using irrevocable life insurance trusts, the death benefit can be removed from your life insurance policies from the value of your estate for estate tax purposes.