Northbrook Estate Planning Lawyers

At the northern edge of Cook County, Northbrook is home to many families and aging residents. The median age of the population is 48, and close to a quarter of the population is 65 or older. Some of the older adults in the area live in nursing homes such as the Rosewood Care Center, the Grove of Northbrook, and Glen Oaks Nursing Home. For more than three decades, the Northbrook estate planning lawyers at Wilson & Wilson have been committed to guiding individuals and families through the nuances of legal matters related to the aging process. Our family-owned firm provides compassionate and detail-oriented assistance to each and every client. We handle issues related to estate planning, elder law, children with special needs, as well as probate trust and estate administration, health care planning, guardianships, and more.

Wilson & Wilson understands the importance of developing the estate planning instruments that you need to articulate your wishes. Without these documents, you may not be able to control the way your assets are distributed among your loved ones. Estate planning tools like trusts also offer options to reduce the tax burden on your family members. Assets in a trust do not pass through the lengthy probate process, as would assets in a will. We can assist you with implementing trusts as well as wills, powers of attorney for property or finances, health care directives, and more. Each of these documents must meet certain technical requirements to be valid, however, drafting these documents can be difficult without consulting an estate planning attorney.

Our elder law attorneys understand the importance of obtaining government benefits as you get older. Social Security can make a huge difference to an aging Northbrook resident’s financial stability, while programs such as Medicaid and Medicare can help them cover the costs of health care bills. Unfortunately, not every deserving claim is immediately approved, and often an appeal becomes necessary. In addition to guiding you through your initial claim, we can help you collect evidence and present arguments in an appeal. We also can devise asset protection strategies to help you protect your resources while keeping up with health care costs.

The federal and state governments offer benefits through the Medicaid program for people who lack substantial resources. Our estate planning lawyers can help Northbrook residents preserve their eligibility for these benefits so that they do not need to cover costly health care bills. Medicaid planning involves balancing the goal of asset preservation with the need to stay within the limits of the program’s income requirements. For example, we may be able to help you create a trust for non-exempt assets so that your family later can benefit from them. In other cases, our attorneys can craft a plan to shelter assets that would otherwise be spent on nursing home expenses.

An important and meaningful part of our practice is to assist families with children who are dealing with serious health conditions and their families. An important tool to protect their wellbeing is a Special or Supplemental Needs Trust. By using this type of trust, you can protect assets for a child with special needs while preserving their right to receive government benefits. Special and Supplemental Needs Trusts are more nuanced than the typical estate planning instrument. We have accumulated considerable experience in this area of the law and can advise you on how to create these trusts as well as how to use the funds in them.

There are two types of guardianships. The first type involves the financial affairs of the person who needs the guardianship, and it is known as a guardianship of the estate. The second type of guardianship covers more personal issues, such as medical treatment, and it is known as a guardianship of the person. If your loved one is unable to handle his own affairs, we can assist you with setting up the appropriate form of guardianship for him. We understand the importance of respecting your loved one’s dignity while making sure that his wellbeing is protected.

The experience of losing a loved one is challenging on many levels. Let us take the stress associated with the probate process off your shoulders. Probate is the term for collecting the assets of someone who has died and distributing them according to the terms of their estate planning documents. Our experience in probate court allows us to ensure that a decedent’s assets pass as smoothly and efficiently as possible under the circumstances.

The duties of a fiduciary must be taken very seriously. These people or entities are responsible for properly carrying out the terms of an estate planning instrument, such as a trust or a power of attorney. They must avoid conflicts of interest or self-dealing and adhere to the interests of the beneficiaries. Our attorneys can assume a fiduciary role at your request. We pledge to honor your wishes or the wishes of your loved one at every step of the way.

Decisions made in starting a business can be critical. A business owner will need to think carefully about the type of business entity that would be appropriate for their needs. Choosing among a partnership, a corporation, or a limited liability corporation, for example, can have a long-term impact on your finances, taxes and your relationship with any co-owners. At Wilson & Wilson, we will listen to your needs and goals before advising you on the business form that may best serve your needs. We also can review contracts for your business to protect you from unwanted surprises.

We recognize the significance of a driver’s license to preserving the autonomy of a Northbrook resident as they get older. At the same time, we know that aging inevitably takes a toll on faculties that are essential to driving. Our attorneys can assist an older adult to preserve their license if the state is attempting to suspend or revoke this privilege. This may involve handling a license suspension or revocation hearing, or it may consist of contesting a traffic ticket. In other situations, we can help concerned family members of an aging driver develop a strategy to take them off the road without harming their self-esteem.

The complexities of getting older can be hard to face, but our attorneys have the sensitivity and skill to help you address them smoothly. At Wilson & Wilson, we take the time to listen to each client’s story, which helps us develop a unique strategy for each of them. You can contact us online or at (708) 482-7090 to set up a consultation. We can visit you at home or in another location if our office is not convenient for you. We know that these issues can be difficult to contemplate for aging people and their family members, but we are committed to putting your mind at ease.