Top Estate Planning Lawyers Near Me in Lake Forest Area

I take pride in my highly personalized approach which takes into account the individual needs and goals of each of my clients to create a custom tailored estate plan. My background as a C.P.A. and former IRS attorney, along with a 30-year legal career, complements my “straight talk” and strong technical analysis in leading clients through the estate planning, trust administration and estate tax maze.

I am a true advocate for my clients, their families and their businesses. I help them achieve their goals and I tirelessly pursue and offer solutions that give them peace of mind now...and for the future. I help them plan for LIFE and LEGACY.. With over 21 years of experience, I take seriously my role not only as an Attorney, but as a Counselor at Law. I LISTEN intently to my clients---noting their wishes, goals and dreams. It is only at this point that I then guide clients through a myriad of financial and legal decisions to enable them to effectively plan for their families and reach their goals. I assist clients with estate planning, including family protection, wealth preservation, charitable gift planning and values-based planning, as well as planning strategies for unmarried couples and divorced individuals. In addition, as a business owner myself, I also combine my legal expertise and acute business acumen to assist my clients in planning for the creation, growth and success of their businesses and nonprofits.

Fredric Bryan Lesser has been continuously engaged in the private practice of law in Chicago and Lake Forest for 40 years as both a litigator and estate planner, representing individuals and families, and counseling owners and principals of privately held businesses. Over the years, he has developed a proficiency in drafting effective and efficient estate and trust documents. He also has a mastery of relevant tax issues, yielding real benefits and tangible results for his clients. A wealth of practical experience representing real people in the real world helps him to create a well-tailored plan for each client. He believes that estate planning should be practical and cost-efficient. "When we are working with a client to create a plan, we encourage them to keep the plan simple yet flexible enough to allow for unexpected developments. People need individual plans that suit their lives and their legacy." Rick is also licensed to practice law in Wisconsin.

David M. Lutrey is the managing partner of the Lake Forest law firm of Lesser Lutrey Pasquesi & Howe, LLP.  For the past 20 years, Mr. Lutrey has counseled individuals and corporate fiduciaries as a seasoned litigation attorney in the areas of trusts, estates, probate and guardianships.  He assists individuals in the creation of wills, trusts and other estate planning documents that preserve and transfer meaningful legacies.. In addition to representing individuals and corporate fiduciaries in their capacities as trustee, executor, guardian or agent, Lutrey also represents financial institutions in their own right with regard to the creation and implementation of trust and estate policy manuals, risk management strategies and employee training.. David Lutrey is a powerful and effective litigator and has chaired numerous trials in Lake, Cook and McHenry Counties as well as appearing in Federal District Court involving complex trust and estate issues.  His trial successes include a recent $1,000,000 undue influence award in the Circuit Court of the Nineteenth Judicial Circuit in Lake in the estate of Augusta Gershman, deceased.  He has also been involved in numerous appeals addressing or creating new law, including the published decisions of the Estate of Helen Weiland, Deceased, and the Estate of Walsh, Deceased.. Lutrey is a respected and frequent speaker and writer on estate planning, administration and litigation issues. He served on the legal education and outreach committees of the Illinois Institute of Continuing Legal Education’s Estate Planning Short Course from 2009-2016.  He is a member of the ISBA’s Trusts and Estates Section Council and the Chicago Estate Planning Council.  He is a Past President of the Lake County Estate Planning Council and recently completed his fifth consecutive term as Chair of the Lake County Bar Association’s Trusts and Estates Committee.. Lutrey is a fellow of the American College of Trust and Estate Counsel (“ACTEC”) and Litigation Counsel of America (“LCA”), and was an adjunct trust and estate professor at Loyola Law School in Chicago from 2012 – 2015.  In 2015, Lutrey drafted portions of the Illinois trust legislation allowing distributions of trust in further trust (“decanting”).. David Lutrey is well known and respected by his peers. He was rated “AV” by both the bar and judiciary according to Martindale Hubbell; he was selected by Thompson Reuters as a “Super Lawyer” for the years 2014 through the present; and selected by the Law Bulletin Publishing Group as a “Leading Lawyer” for the years 2016 through the present.

Attorney Donald G. Olsen is the owner and founder of Waypoint Estate and Business Planning and the Law Offices of Donald G. Olsen P.C.  Since 1989, Don has helped a wide range of clients confidently navigate complex estate and business planning issues. Don closely collaborates with other attorneys, financial planners, accountants, and insurance professionals in order to achieve the specialized planning goals of each and every client, one client at a time.. Don has extensive experience in all phases of estate planning, probate and trust administration, and estate and gift tax issues.  A particular focus of Don’s practice is devoted to helping families which have children or other family members with disabilities and special needs.. As a member of the American Academy of Special Needs Planners and other national organizations, Don is keenly aware of the legal issues which every special needs family must address in order to provide a secure future for their loved ones. Working as a team with social workers, benefit consultants, care managers and other advocates, Don can give the special needs family the peace of mind of knowing that they have put in place the legal foundation and support network needed to ensure that their vulnerable loved ones can lead a happy and productive life.. Don knows first-hand the challenges facing the special needs family. He and wife Maura are the proud parents of two sons. Cody and his younger brother Nicholas, who was diagnosed with autism in 1996, at the age of three. Nicholas is a happy young adult and continues to enjoy his many long time hobbies, with computer video games and drawing being at the top of his list. Nicholas currently enjoys working at the Great Lake Naval Base in a position with Goodwill Industries... Don received his Bachelor of Arts degree in Political Science from the University of Illinois, Champaign-Urbana, Illinois in 1985, and his Juris Doctor degree from the University of Washington School of Law, Seattle, Washington in 1988. Don is licensed to practice in the state of Illinois (1991), state of WIsconsin (2021) and before the U.S. Tax Court (1993).. Memberships

Attorney Amy Handler Kasallis founded the Law Office of Amy Handler Kasallis in 2006 to serve families with unique needs.. Amy has been practicing law for nearly 30 years, the majority of which she has concentrated her practice in the areas of guardianship and special needs-focused estate planning. As a mother of a young adult son with Autism, she brings both extensive personal and professional experience to her practice.. Amy provides clients with legal assistance from a place of understanding and compassion. She knows that when parents have a child with a disability, decisions about planning for the future can be complicated and emotional. She helps her clients to understand options, navigate complexities, and find the right tools to help on their unique journeys.. Amy is frequently appointed by the court to act as Guardian ad Litem in adult disabled guardianship matters. She has served as the committee chair for the Trusts & Estates Committee for Lake County Bar Association. She is also a frequent presenter on the topics of adult disabled guardianship, guardianship alternatives, and special needs planning for both parents' groups and her fellow attorneys.

Experienced Estate Planning attorney serving clients in Lake Forest and surrounding areas.

Experienced Estate Planning attorney serving clients in Lake Forest and surrounding areas.

Experienced Estate Planning attorney serving clients in Lake Forest and surrounding areas.