Niles Probate Lawyers

I work with senior citizens, their families, and small business owners to get their affairs organized, safeguard their estates, and prepare succession plans. In matters of probate or trust administration, I work with personal representatives to properly manage the administration of the estate and advise them of their legal duties along the way. My experience in these practice areas has been exclusive since I have been private practice. In 2010, I expanded my practice territory to include Lake County, Indiana by obtaining an Indiana law license.

“I BELIEVE THAT CLIENTS ARE BEST SERVED BY THE PREVENTION OF LEGAL PROBLEMS THROUGH CAREFUL AND THOROUGH ADVICE GIVEN PRIOR TO THEIR ENTERING INTO TRANSACTIONS AND BUSINESS ARRANGEMENTS.”

Misty has worked hard to become an attorney, which was her dream. She earned her two undergraduate degrees while being on active duty in the United States Air Force. She graduated summa cum laude from North Carolina Wesleyan College with dual degrees. During her four years in the military, Misty was responsible for producing a weekly flying and aircraft maintenance schedule for a fleet of 24 F-15 fighter jets. Misty also provided support for Operation Noble Eagle in response to the 9/11 attacks.

At the core of Misty’s practice is her love of the law and her desire to help people....

For over 28 years, Margaret Szymansky has provided experienced representation to clients through Probate and Trust Administration proceedings. She assists clients in the effective resolution of existing claims and the transfer of assets. Margaret guides executors, trustees, and personal representatives of the estate and assists them in the successful closure of the estate. She further concentrates her practice in the area of Estate Planning, such as Wills and Trusts, including Special Needs Planning for disabled individuals and guardianship proceedings, Elder Law with a focus on Medicaid issues, and Real Estate law. For her dedication, leadership, and excellence in legal service,...

Michael A. Otte concentrates his practice on estate planning, trust administration, and contested and litigated estates and trusts. Additionally, Michael's particular area of focus is in elder law matters, including Medicaid planning, Medicaid appeals, guardianship, contested guardianships, nursing home contract review, general elder law matters requiring litigation or other court involvement, and other issues affecting the legal needs of older people. Michael has given dozens of both public and private seminars on his areas of experience in order to educate the public and fellow attorneys on important estate planning and elder law concepts. Michael is a member of the Chicago...

Izabela concentrates her practice in estate and trust planning, probate, and estate and trust administration and litigation. Izabela also assists clients in planning for disability and special needs. Izabela also handles guardianship proceedings and serves as a volunteer Guardian Ad Litem for the Cook County Circuit Court. Additionally, Izabela has experience with domestic and international income tax and business planning, and corporate and individual tax controversies. She also advises clients on business succession matters, wealth transfer and preservation, and corporate, partnership and limited liability company transactions, including drafting various business arrangements and agreements. Izabela was named as an Illinois Super...

Vicki Hathaway Gonzalez is an experienced facilitator of real estate transactions. Vicki is known for her style of representation that insists that her clients are fully informed of their rights and obligations under their real estate contract, as well as the real consequences of their decisions regarding those rights and obligations.

Vicki's interest in real estate started long before her graduation from John Marshall Law School in 1992. She started investing in real estate in the 1970's, then became a licensed real estate agent, and also taught real estate licensing for the Century 21 Real Estate Academy. As an attorney, she...

Ben Schneider is a client focused which means that it is important to him to cultivate a personal relationship with each of his clients. By doing this, he is able to give each new client’s case individual attention and analyze every legal issue thoroughly and completely.

Ben Schneider acts as the one of the principal bankruptcy attorneys for Schneider & Stone where he focuses on individual Chapter 7 and Chapter 13 filings as well as business Chapter 7 and Chapter 11 filings. Ben also practices in the areas of family law and litigation and is the point attorney for divorce and...

Rick was affiliated with and became a partner in the law firm Chandler & Greenswag, P.C. from 1979-1993. Thereafter, he operated the Law Offices of Richard A. Greenswag, P.C. from 1993 until he then became a founding member of Kaplan & Greenswag LLC until March of 2011 when Greenswag & Associates, P.C. was formed.

Rick is a member of the Chicago Bar Association, the Illinois State Bar Association and the American Bar Association. Rick is also a member of the Board of Directors and is President of PADS Crisis Services, Inc., a charitable organization serving the needs of the homeless in...

Marcia worked with the Federal Communications Commission as an attorney in the Mass Media Bureau and as Branch Manager in the Common Carrier Bureau from 1982 through 1987, and at MCI Telecommunications as a senior attorney from 1987 through 1994. Thereafter, she worked as a consultant until joining Kaplan & Greenswag LLC in January 2007.

Marcia is admitted to practice in Illinois and the District of Columbia and is a member of the Chicago Bar Association and the Illinois State Bar Association. Marcia also serves on the Northbrook Plan Commission.

Elizabeth Fink focuses her career on the practice of Elder Law, Estate Planning, Probate and Trust Administration, Guardianships, and Medicaid Planning. She has been practicing law in Chicago, IL since 2009 and has represented clients throughout the Chicago metropolitan area. Elizabeth received her Bachelor of Arts degree from Denison University and spent a semester of study at Justus-Liebig-Universität in Giessen, Germany. She received her Juris Doctorate from The John Marshall Law School in Chicago, IL and was admitted to the Illinois State Bar in May 2009. Elizabeth is a member of the National Academy of...

In estate planning: We all need an estate plan, yet we all need something different. Tracy's goal is to provide clients with a plan that addresses the unique needs of the individual and family. Tracy’s practice is focused on estate planning such as drafting wills, trusts, powers of attorney for healthcare or property, and counseling clients on the administration of estates. Tracy guides individuals to plan for the future giving them the comfort of knowing they have clearly disseminated their wishes to family.

I am a partner in a small suburban firm for over 35 years that provides excellent legal services to thousands of satisfied clients. I regularly lectures on various legal topics and am appointed by the court to mediate Family Law issues. I also love playing tennis and am on the Board of several charitable organizations

Along with his years of experience, Lake County divorce attorney Van A. Schwab has a solid educational basis for his divorce and family law practice. After receiving his undergraduate degree from the University of Michigan, he received his law degree from Southern Illinois University School of Law. Because of recent, up-to-date training, Mr. Schwab is a certified divorce mediator, and is prepared to handle family law issues through collaborative law methods. He has published an article on cohabitation in the Chicago Daily Law Bulletin. Licensed to practice family law in the states of Florida, Illinois, and New Jersey, he...

Patrick S. Sylvester is the founder of PSS Law, which At PSS LAW, which is proud to provide outstanding representation to clients who are seeking legal assistance in the greater Chicago area, Wisconsin, and Florida. We offer experienced, dedicated legal counsel, and have achieved excellent results for our clients. PSS Law attorneys are skilled at both transactional law in the areas of estate planning, probate, wills and trusts, real estate, and business law as well as courtroom battles (estate litigation and trials). PSS Law attorneys understand that each case is unique and use their knowledge of the legal system...

- Chicago-Kent College of Law - Loyola University Chicago - Former Sergeant of United States Marines

Kerry Peck is the past president of the Chicago Bar Association (CBA) and founder of the Elder Law Committee of the CBA. He is also the managing partner of the Chicago law firm, Peck Ritchey, LLC, whose clients include families, hospitals, banks, the State of Illinois, County of Cook, and City of Chicago. He provides legal representation for trust and guardianship litigation, business planning, and estate planning.

Mr. Peck is well experienced in guiding his clients through the probate process, assisting in the transfer of assets and resolution of claims, and implementing estate plans. He is also very dedicated in...

Located in Glenview, Illinois, Attorney Matthew A. Livingston is an experienced attorney who concentrates his practice on estate planning, probate & trust administration, real estate, and business formation. As the founder of The Livingston Law Office, Attorney Livingston works diligently to provide peace of mind to his clients. Representing individuals, families, and businesses throughout Cook County and Lake County, call Attorney Livingston at 847-544-6657 or visit his website to schedule a free initial consultation.

Angel M. Traub is a civil litigation attorney & principal owner of A. Traub & Assoc.. She graduated in 98 from NIU with her B.A. & was awarded the Outstanding Woman Student Award & Outstanding Communication Major Award in 98. Angel graduated from The John Marshall Law School with a J.D. In 01 where She was selected as a John Marshall Distinguished Scholar & was a member of the Order of John Marshall, Honorary Scholarship Society. She was admitted to practice in the State of Illinois & the Northern District of Illinois in 2001. Angel is trained & certified...

Jessica Wollwage-Rymut graduated from Northwestern University in 2007 with a degree in Political Science. After working for a year at a commercial real estate firm, Jessica was offered admission to the Chicago-Kent College of Law Honors Scholar Program. As an Honors Scholar, Jessica and her classmates enjoyed many unique opportunities, including working with Illinoislegalaid.org to create online tutorials for victims of domestic violence, stalking, and sexual assault.

During law school, Jessica interned at the Chicago-Kent Taxpayer clinic helping taxpayers prepare returns and negotiate with the Internal Revenue Service. She also volunteered as a Court Appointed Special Advocate with CASA of DuPage...

Attorney Bio Jeffery P. Story, Attorney at Law: Jeff Story graduated from Northeastern University School of Law in Boston, Massachusetts in 2005 and was admitted to the Illinois State Bar that same year. During the past eight years he has worked in civil litigation in Chicago. He is married to Amy Marinacci, a fellow attorney that he met in law school. Amy grew up in Evanston where her family still lives. Jeff and Amy have a young son, Gabriel who goes to Pope John XXIII School in Evanston. Jeff recently lost his mother and father within...

Edward “Ed” Stawicki, founder and principal of Stawicki Law Office, LLC, is a lifelong resident of Chicagoland who has over fifteen (15) years of experience as a civil litigator at the trial and appellate court levels. Ed concentrates his practice on:

Estate & Trust Litigation
Will Contests & Trust Contests
Recovery or Estate & Trust Assets
Contested Guardianships
Elder Law
Financial Exploitation of Elderly Persons

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BRADFORD E. BLOCK is the principal of the Law Offices of Bradford E. Block, in Northbrook, IL. He has been an attorney for more than 35 years and practices in the areas of business formation, mergers and acquisitions, not-for-profit organizations, private foundations, equity financing, tax law, and the preparation and negotiation of corporate and technology contracts. Mr. Block has lectured to various professional groups on matters related to limited liability companies, partnerships, business transactions, S-corporations, and tax exempt organizations. He is a former adjunct professor of business planning and partnership law at DePaul University. Mr. Block is also a commercial...

Barry Kreisler is a Chicago lawyer with more than 40 years legal and business experience, having served as partner in several law firms, as vice president of and legal counsel to the multi-billion dollar Chicago investment advisor of a group of Chicago based publicly held mutual funds and as president and CEO of a middle sized Chicagoland real estate brokerage, management and development company.

A highly experienced real estate developer, Kreisler has himself developed and supervised the legal work regarding acquisition, development, and sale of Chicagoland shopping centers, office buildings, mixed use buildings, and literally thousands of condominium units. Kreisler has...

Services We Provide Include: • Probate & Estate Planning: Estate Administration, Wills, Trusts, Powers of Attorney, Living Wills; • Business Formation & Transactional Matters: Creation of Business Entities (i.e. LLC, Corp., Partnerships) & Other Business Agreements including Mergers & Acquisitions; • Income Tax Returns: Planning & Preparation (Individuals, Partnerships, Corp., Trusts, Gift & Estate Tax, Tax-Exempt Org., Payroll & Others); and • Audits & Appeals: Representation in Problematic Tax & Regulatory Matters. • Personal Injury

Ms. Sexauer focuses her practice on probate matters, including: elder law, guardianship, estate planning, wills, trusts, and will contests. She is a member of the Chicago Bar Association and the Illinois State Bar Association. Stephanie speaks Spanish fluently and is regularly selected by Cook County judges to serve as a court-appointed Guardian ad Litem for disabled adults. Stephanie also serves on the Judicial Evaluation Committee of the Chicago Bar Association.

I am a lifelong Chicagoland resident with a passion for helping families plan their estates so their loved ones are cared for upon their passing. I utilize wills, trusts, powers of attorney for property and healthcare, with the goal of both ensuring that assets pass to your intended loved ones and to make sure that the right people are acting on your behalf if you are unable to make decisions. For families with a recently deceased loved one, I will represent the appointed fiduciaries in administering the estate, be it probate administration or trust administration. I am licensed to practice in...

I have been practicing law for over 35 years. I graduated 3rd in my class from law school, so I had the opportunity to work at one of Chicago's largest law firms on Michigan Avenue, Ross & Hardies, right out of law school. At that time my experience was mostly in the area of personal injury law having clerked during law school for one of the nations top personal injury lawyers, Leonard M. Ring & Associates. In April of 1991 I started my own firm that has continued to prosper under the philosophy of providing, "Quality,...

Lisa A. Copland has significant experience in several areas of the law including domestic relations, civil litigation, probate, breach of contract and real estate law. She represents men and women in divorce cases, which includes division of property, allocation of parental responsibilities, child support and parenting time. Lisa routinely represents buyers and sellers in residential and commercial real estate transactions. Through the firm's full service approach, attorneys also assist clients in estate planning and civil litigation.

Philip M. Fornaro is the managing attorney at Fornaro Law. Adopting a “never give up” attitude, Philip has become known for his ability to succeed where others fail for the last 20 years. His decision to diversify his practice in 2004 has resulted in the creation of a full service law firm which provides quality representation in a variety of legal areas. Philip follows the rule that positive energy will yield positive results. This energy is the driving force behind the success of Fornaro Law. He has become adept at creating a network and team between clients,...

Under Contract? Need a Lawyer? We excel in assisting clients buy and sell all types of real estate,including, but not limited to single family homes, condos, co-ops and multi family apartment buildings, in Chicago and the surrounding metro area (suburbs). We identify and quantify potential issues, evaluate risk and provide prompt guidance so that our clients can make educated and concrete decisions as they navigate the process of buying or selling real estate.

REAL Law Group, P.C. is a boutique law firm established in 2015 with the idea that effective representation requires both a professional commitment and personal approach that...

Jonathan Anderson is the owner and founder of Anderson Attorneys, PC. For more than 35 years, Jon Anderson owned Anderson & Associates, P.C. which grew to be a leading law firm with 12 attorneys in four offices who represented clients in divorce, family law, estate planning, probate, bankruptcy, and debtor/creditor relations and other matters. In June 2022, he sold Anderson & Associates, P.C. In 2023, he founded Anderson Attorneys, PC, a smaller, high-quality, specialized, boutique law firm that focuses on financially sophisticated divorce litigation and estate planning, and probate matters. For over 35 years, Jonathan Anderson...

J.D. Northwestern University School of Law; B. A. - S.U.N.Y. at Purchase, New York ; Emma Willard School, Troy, New York; Alumnus: Operation Crossroads Africa - Ivory Coast ; Exchange Student University of Lorraine, France.

Monika M. Blacha provides knowledgeable and experienced legal counsel in the full range of family law matters, including divorce and the difficult decisions that must be made when ending a relationship. Because she understands how stressful resolving divorce issues can be, Monika emphasizes a personal approach with every client, tailoring her legal strategies to each individual’s unique needs. She provides clear communication throughout so her clients understand their options and are always informed on the status of their case.

In addition to family law issues, Monika helps clients navigate the Illinois probate process if a loved one has died. Whether you...