Chicago Probate Lawyers

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

I founded The Heartland Law Firm and ElderSmart, a nonprofit organization dedicated to supporting families during the Elder Transition. With nearly three decades of experience, I have served as an attorney, mentor, and trusted guide through life’s most challenging moments. Initially, I did not always enjoy being a lawyer. In my early years, I felt the profession was overly focused on documents and fees rather than on people. This perspective shifted as I started working with families dealing with loss, aging, and uncertainty. I realized the profound impact of blending legal knowledge with compassion, and from that point, I fully committed...

Hello. My name is James J. Siwek and I have 32 years of legal experience in a number of different legal fields. At this point in time, I have restricted my practice to family and probate law, but I have wealth of information from my practice in other areas of law as well which is often quite helpful in the resolution of various legal issues. My family law practice consists mainly of divorce and paternity cases, child custody (parenting time), parental decision making, child support, maintenance, domestic violence, and a number of other issues related to family law. My probate practice consists...

I have over 35 years of experience in multiple court systems in the Chicago metro area. My practice includes contested matters as well as transactions in the area of estate planning, trusts, wills, trust administration and real estate closings.

I am a 1973 graduate of Loyola University, Chicago and a 1980 graduate of Northern IL University college of law.

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,...

Mazyar M. Hedayat is the principal of M. Hedayat & Associates, PC, a law firm that has represented Clients for nearly 25 years in the areas of business law and litigation, bankruptcy law and litigation, real property transactions and litigation, construction law and mechanics liens, corporate law, and more. After attending the University of Chicago and University of Michigan, Mr. Hedayat received his MBA from the U.M. Ross School of Business, and his J.D. from DePaul University College of Law. Mr. Hedayat is a title insurance agent and operated a full-service title company for 6 years....

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...

John Lynch became interested in debt relief and bankruptcy before he went to Law School. John was employed at Eastern Airlines in Miami, Florida, which at that time was the second largest airline in the US. Eastern Airlines filed for bankruptcy in 1990 and by 1991 it had closed its doors. John knew so many people that could not find work, had cars repossessed and faced mounting debt. Then, in 1992 Hurricane Andrew hit South Florida and Pan Am airlines also closed its doors. By that time John was a Paralegal and owner of a Title Company. He worked as...

Melissa Fernandez (Marin) graduated from DePaul University in 2015 where she received her Bachelor of Arts in English with a minor in Political Science. Melissa went on to receive her law degree from DePaul University College of Law in 2019 with a certificate in Family Law where she graduated Cum Laude and maintained herself on the Dean's list for all three years. From a very young age, Melissa knew that she was passionate about family law. As a child of divorced parents, Melissa brings a unique perspective to the firm having experienced the breakdown of her family at a young age....

Kevin G. Drendel Cornell College, cum laude, and a 1991 graduate of Northern Illinois University College of Law, magna cum laude. While at Northern Illinois University, he was a member of the Law Review, and published an article in the University’s scholarly (NIU Law Review 73, 1990). He also received the West Publishing Award for Outstanding Scholastic Achievement. He is admitted to practice in front of all Illinois State Courts and the U.S. District Court, the Northern District of Illinois. Kevin is a member of the Illinois State Bar Association and the Kane County Bar Association: Director (1999-2000), ...

Christine’s focus as an attorney is on helping her clients through the most difficult situations life offers. Whether her clients are facing criminal charges, the end of a marriage, issues related to children, or end of life concerns, Christine’s passion for helping them through these issues is evident through her honesty, patience, and ability to make even the most complex legal issues make sense to her clients. Christine attended the Northern Illinois University College of Law, where she graduated cum laude with Juris Doctorate degree. During her tenure at NIU College of Law, she earned a Certificate in Criminal Practice. She...

Lauren Jackson focuses her practice primarily in the areas of real estate and estate planning, although her background includes probate, contracts, corporate formation and business succession planning. Lauren’s unintimidating, caring approach has garnered her a respectable reputation all over Northern Illinois. With her dedication for efficient cost effective services, you will learn that with Lauren on your side you have a reachable attorney with your best intentions in mind. Lauren prides herself on quality work over quantity and it has proved she is a success based on past customer positive reviews. Lauren eagerly represents...

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...

Denice A. Gierach is a business and estate planning lawyer with more than 30 years of experience representing business owners in the formation, franchising, and dissolution of businesses; contract negotiation and reviews; business litigation; partnership disputes, succession planning; commercial real estate; and aiding individuals in matters of advanced estate planning, and charitable giving. She also leads her firm’s YourOGC program providing Outsourced General Counsel services to small and medium size businesses to assist them in preventing legal issues, providing proper planning for reaching goals, and insight into issues preventing them from further success. As a Certified Public Accountant with a master's degree...

Dan is a graduate of the University of Illinois at Urbana Champaign, with a Bachelor of Arts degree in Speech Communications and minors in Mathematics and Political Science.

Dan is a 1979 graduate of IIT/Chicago Kent College of Law earning a Juris Doctor degree and a Bar and Gavel Award. Dan was admitted to the bar in 1979 and has been a practicing attorney in Naperville ever since.

Dan is a member of the Illinois and Dupage County Bar associations. He is a current member of the DuPage County Real Estate Law Committee and the Trusts and Estate Planning Committee. His practice...

James is the principal attorney at the Law Office of James C. Siebert & Associates, P.C. / Elder Law & Estate Planning Attorneys, P.C. The Office provides legal services throughout the Chicago area concentrating in Elder Law, Medicaid Planning, Asset Preservation, Medicaid Application Representation, Child Caretaker Agreements, Appeals of Medicaid Denials or unfavorable decisions, Nursing Home Contract Review, Nursing Home Injuries and Abuse, Estate Planning, Revocable Trusts, Irrevocable Trusts, Alzheimer’s & Dementia Planning, Parkinson’s Planning, Addicted Beneficiary Planning, Special Needs Trusts, Special Needs Planning, Probate Administration, Trust Administration, Guardianship and Real Estate. James C. Siebert is one...

Robert J. Boszko (“Bob”) is an experienced family law attorney and partner at Suburban Law Group, LLC. Bob concentrates in complex financial divorce and disputes concerning the allocation of parental responsibilities in Cook, DuPage, Kane, and surrounding collar counties. Bob is a zealous advocate and skilled negotiator, he knows when to aggressively litigate and how to reasonably settle contested matters. Bob utilizes compassion and his background in psychology to counsel his client’s through the tumultuous and emotional litigation process.

Within the field of family law, Bob has handled a variety of contested and uncontested cases including pre-decree and...

Brian J. Banahan has been practicing law in DuPage, Kane and Cook County Illinois for over 20 years. He began his legal career and learned his way around the courtroom in 1997 as a full time 711 prosecutor with the Cook County State’s Attorney’s office. From there, Mr. Banahan moved to serve as chief legal counsel and Deputy Public Administrator for DuPage County for 17 years. In that job, Mr. Banahan managed, administered, litigated, settled, and closed hundreds of decedent’s estates and an extensive number of related legal matters in nearly every area of the law. In the process, he...

I am an Aurora, Illinois probate and guardianship attorney. Currently, I serve five counties in the Chicagoland area: Kane, DuPage, Cook, Will, and Kendall. In my law practice, I help families settle probate estates of loved ones who have passed away, including estates with contested issues. I also assist clients with guardianship cases for mentally disabled adult loved ones, as well as settlements to Minor children’s estates. Since starting out as a probate attorney in 2006, I have handled literally hundreds of probate and guardianship cases across several counties of the greater Chicago area. Because of...

A native of Illinois, Mr. Sotelo is the proud son of a working class family. Mr. Sotelo graduated third in his law school class, summa cum laude, at Northern Illinois University College of Law. Practicing law since 2012, Stephen prides himself in providing legal services in the areas of real estate, probate, and civil matters. A s a former real estate agent, he provides a unique perspective to the legal side of real estate transactions.

Owner and Principal Attorney at DLAW, PC As an attorney with more than 25 years of legal experience, Deanna Aguinaga Walker enjoys the flexibility that having her own law practice gives her. She is able to become personally involved with each of her clients, and she appreciates the opportunity to assist them on a wide range of legal matters. Deanna earned her Juris Doctorate degree from the Northern Illinois University School of Law in 1995. Since then, she has dedicated her career to meeting the needs of her clients. When you work with Deanna, you can expect her to provide legal advice...

Aaron J. Lytle is one of the firm's suburban Chicago attorneys who practices in several key areas: estate planning and wealth protection, wills and trusts, probate administration, trust administration, business planning, taxation, real estate and special needs planning for children with disabilities. Mr. Lytle has spent several years working in the business sector on corporate issues relating to succession planning, valuation, acquisitions and generating capital. Before joining AHR, he worked for companies such as American Express and Bank One (now JP Morgan Chase).

Mr. Lytle also previously served on the Board of Trustees for DayOne Reliance, Inc., a not-for-profit organization that...

Stella Day is a seasoned litigation attorney with a focus on probate and guardianship matters. She brings her wealth of experience to Johnston Tomei Lenczycki & Goldberg, LLC, following a successful tenure at the Lake County State’s Attorney’s Office. With over 16 years in the field, Stella has adeptly handled a variety of complex felony and misdemeanor cases, including DUI, Aggravated Battery, Sexual Assault, and Murder. Her track record includes successful litigation in numerous jury trials and evidentiary hearings across different courtrooms. Stella has also extensively dealt with cases involving mental health and competency issues. As a guest speaker on trial...

Born and raised in Chicago, Mr. Thompson earned his B.A. from the University of Iowa in 1984. In 1987 he graduated with his J.D. at the Northern Illinois University in Chicago. He is fluent in Spanish.

Mr. Thompson has 18 years of experience litigating Personal Injury claims, Workers' Compensation, Criminal Law, Chapter 7 Bankruptcy & Traffic cases. He is a member of the Chicago Bar Association, the Illinois State Bar Association, the American Bar Association, the Admission to Federal Trial Bar, and is a board member in good standing with multiple charitable organizations.

Mr. Thompson has been married for thirteen years and...

Mildred ("Millie") V. Palmer graduated Cum Laude from University of Flordia's College of Law in 1990 with a concentration in taxation and estate planning. After graduation she went to work for Ernst and Young as a tax attorney in the Special Services Group while taking LLM classes at Chicago Kent. In 1992 she moved from Ernst and Young to Gardner Carton and Douglas where she practiced tax law. As a tax attorney attached to a large firm, Millie saw a wide variety of work in the area of taxation, charitable giving, corporate work and estate planning. During this time, she...

Attorney Robert M. Kaplan has been practicing law for more than 20 years. He is dedicated to assisting clients with family law, real estate law, bankruptcy law, estate planning and probate matters. After receiving a degree in law from The University of Florida College of Law in Gainesville, and working as a Public Defender in Miami, FL, Attorney Kaplan made the move to Illinois to start his own practice in 1991.