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Estate Planning Law
Estate planning, including wills, trusts and advance directives of all kinds, is a primary concentration of the LAW OFFICES OF RALPH J. SCHUMANN. The firm also has expertise in the area of probate administration. Depending on your circumstances, an attorney well-versed in estate planning and estate tax issues might recommend more complex techniques, such as trusts, family limited partnerships (FLP's), limited liability companies (LLC's), charitable remainder trusts, and charitable lead trusts, to name a few.
Your attorney is an essential part in assuring that your estate planning goals are properly determined and carried out. If you do have any estate planning questions, feel free to contact our firm today to schedule a consultation with one of our experienced estate planning lawyers.
At a minimum, your estate plan should include a will and Durable Powers of Attorney for Property and for Health Care. A will is a document that reflects the plan for distributing your assets to your loved ones after death. The will also names guardians for any minor children. A Durable Power of Attorney for Property allows a person to designate a trusted relative or friend as an agent to make financial decisions during the lifetime of the individual, especially in the event that you are not able to make such decisions due to incapacity. A Durable Power of Attorney for Health Care allows a designated agent to speak for you regarding health care issues and directions if you are not able to speak for yourself.
Ralph J. Schumann is an attorney with over thirty years of experience in estate planning, is a former Vice-President of the Northwest Suburban Estate Planning Council, and has helped hundreds of clients meet their estate planning goals.
Download a brief bio on Ralph J. Schumann and the firm's estate planning practice.
To access and download a short information form to begin the estate planning process, click on Initial Estate Planning Form.
To access and download a more detailed form to begin the estate planning process, click on Initial Information Form with Fillable Fields.
To access and download a form to use to indicate the location of your important documents.
We are often asked to provide guidance in situations where someone has lost a loved one. We have prepared a brief Memo discussing steps to consider taking after a death. While not intended to be comprehensive or to take the place of legal advice addressing specific circumstances, it does contain some helpful suggestions. To access and download the Memo: Steps To Consider Taking Following A Death