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.
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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..."
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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.
Schedule a ConsultationLearn More About The FirmI 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!
Our Peoria estate planning attorneys outline the 8 goals of a good estate plan in this article.
Four (4) goals apply to most people:
1. Appointment of Fiduciaries and Distribution of Assets When You Pass;
2. Avoiding probate when you pass;
3. Guardianship avoidance upon mental incompetence;
4. End of Life Decision-Making;
Four (4) goals apply in only certain cases:
5. Estate Tax Planning;
6. Special Needs Planning;
7. Creditor Protection; and
8. Medicaid Planning.
These next two articles by our Peoria attorneys discuss aspects of estate planning including appointing fiduciaries and arranging asset distribution.
Your estate plan's purpose is the appointment of executors or trustees to manage your estate once you pass. It also enables individuals you appoint to make healthcare and financial decisions for you in case you become mentally impaired. The next article on asset distribution discusses how your assets will be distributed after you pass both with and without a will or trust.
Our Peoria estate planning attorneys use the subsequent article discuss revocable living trusts and what ways they are used to avoid probate, which can be time consuming and costly.
Probate is required in Illinois when you pass away and have real estate worth $100,000.00 or more outside of a trust. Avoiding probate will save your estate time and money. The costs of probate can be between 5% and 10% of the estate value in court and attorneys fees. Probate also may take a year or more which causes your loved ones to wait to receive your assets, which is what makes revocable living trusts so lucrative. These trusts act as the primary vehicle of your estate plan. We will ensure that your estate avoids probate and your estate will pass immediately to your loved ones.