If you live in Illinois and don't have a will, the State writes one for you.
Most Illinois residents don't think about estate planning until something — a parent's death, a baby, a real-estate purchase — forces it. By then, you're already behind. Without a valid will or the right trusts, Illinois's intestacy and probate rules quietly decide who inherits what, who controls minor children's money, and how much of your estate the IRS or Illinois estate tax consumes.
These 10 Chicago firms specialize in wills, revocable trusts, irrevocable trusts, probate administration, and elder-law planning. Most offer flat fees for the basics and free or low-cost initial meetings. Illinois has its own state estate tax with a $4M exemption — much lower than the federal exemption — so estate tax planning matters even for moderate estates.
How we picked these 10: We reviewed published verdicts and settlements, peer rankings (Best Lawyers, Super Lawyers, Chambers and Partners, Avvo), client review patterns, and bar association recognition. Firms that appeared consistently across independent sources made the list. We do not accept payment for placement, and we do not write sponsored reviews. More on our methodology →
Practice focus: Estate planning, probate, trust administration, elder law, guardianship
100+ years of Chicago T&E practice. Multiple Super Lawyers, Top 40 Under 40, and Leading Lawyers in Illinois.
Practice focus: Estate planning, wills, trusts, probate, elder law
Helped thousands of Chicagoland clients. Strong individual + family-business practice.
Practice focus: Estate planning, probate, guardianship, healthcare directives
Founder Mary Liberty named 2025 and 2026 Rising Star by SuperLawyers. Client-first approach.
Practice focus: Customized trusts, wills, asset protection, guardianship
10+ years of estate planning. Strong Protect Your Kids Plan and asset-protection practice.
Practice focus: Estate planning, elder law, wills, trusts, probate
Personalized legal strategies for incapacity, illness, or loss. Bilingual Spanish intake.
Practice focus: Trusts and estates, tax planning, business succession
Multiple Best Lawyers attorneys. Strong tax-and-estate planning for Chicagoland HNW families.
Practice focus: Trusts and estates, probate, elder law, business succession
Multiple Best Lawyers attorneys. Strong family-business succession and high-asset estate practice.
Practice focus: HNW estate planning, family wealth, fiduciary
One of Chicago's oldest law firms. Premier T&E practice for HNW families and family offices. Chambers ranked.
Practice focus: Trusts and estates, fiduciary, tax
T&E-focused boutique. Multiple Best Lawyers attorneys. Strong on complex family-wealth transfers.
Practice focus: Estate litigation, probate, elder law
Strong contested-estate and elder-law practice. Multiple Super Lawyers attorneys.
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Request Free Consultation →Most basic plans (will, healthcare power of attorney, durable POA, HIPAA release) come together in 2-4 weeks. Trust-based plans (revocable trust, life-insurance trust, special-needs trust) take 4-8 weeks and may include real-estate retitling and beneficiary updates. Larger estates with Illinois estate tax exposure (above $4M) require additional gifting and trust design. Probate after a death typically runs 9-18 months in the Cook County Circuit Court Probate Division.
Basic flat-fee will package: $1,500-$3,500 individual, $2,500-$5,000 couple. Revocable trust packages: $3,500-$7,500. More complex plans involving life-insurance trusts, GST planning, or business succession run $10,000-$25,000+. Cook County probate is typically billed hourly ($300-$500/hr) or as a percentage of the estate.
The legal directory you find on Google has thousands of Chicago estate planning firms. Most are competent. A few are problematic. The patterns to avoid:
Guaranteed outcomes. No ethical attorney can guarantee a result. If a firm promises a specific recovery, dismissal, or visa approval, walk away.
The disappearing partner. You meet a senior partner at intake, then never speak to them again. The case is handled by an unsupervised junior or a paralegal. Ask in writing who will be your day-to-day attorney.
Pressure to sign immediately. Reputable firms give you the retainer in writing, time to read it, and the option to take it home. High-pressure intake is almost always a sign of a volume mill, not a craftsperson's practice.
No verifiable track record. The firm should be able to point to verdicts, settlements, peer rankings, or bar association recognition. "We've helped thousands of clients" is marketing copy. Specific numbers, named cases, and third-party rankings are evidence.
Vague fee terms. "Don't worry about cost" is a red flag. Every legitimate Chicago lawyer will give you a written engagement letter with the fee structure, what's covered, what triggers extra charges, and what happens if you fire them.
Most Chicago firms on this list offer a free initial consultation. Use it. Bring a list of questions and write down the answers. Compare across at least two firms before you sign.
Chicago is its own market. The procedure, the courts, and the strategy are city- and state-specific in ways that matter to your outcome.
Local courthouses matter. the Daley Center (Cook County Circuit Court) and the Northern District of Illinois have judges, calendars, and procedures that shape how cases move. A firm that knows the local courthouse has an advantage.
Filing deadlines are strict. Notice of Claim windows for cases against the City or County, Statute of Limitations periods, and pre-suit certification requirements vary by case type and are unforgiving. A missed deadline often means a lost case — full stop.
Local procedure rules matter. Each court has its own forms, motion practice, and judge preferences. The right Chicago firm will know not just the law, but the unwritten rules of the courthouse you'll be in.
Local plaintiffs/defendants do well in front of local juries. Verdict patterns vary by venue, and a trial-capable firm uses venue strategically.
Your estate passes by Illinois intestacy rules (755 ILCS 5/2-1). Spouse and children share. No spouse? Children take everything. No children? Parents, then siblings. The Cook County Probate Court appoints an administrator (not necessarily who you'd want).
Most Illinoisans need both. A revocable living trust avoids probate, keeps things private, and manages assets if you become incapacitated. A will is still needed as a 'pour-over' to catch assets outside the trust and to name guardians for minor children.
The Illinois estate tax exemption is $4 million per individual (2026). Above the exemption, rates rise to 16%. The federal exemption is much higher (~$13.99M). Many moderate Illinois estates pay state tax that they wouldn't pay federally.
An Illinois Statutory Short Form Power of Attorney for Health Care (755 ILCS 45/4) names someone to make medical decisions if you can't. Pair with a HIPAA release and durable financial POA. Hospitals ask for them at admission. Cost is essentially nothing alongside a will package.
For very simple, modest estates with no minor children and no real estate — sometimes. For anyone with a house, blended family, business, special-needs beneficiary, or estate tax exposure (above $4M IL), the savings of online services often disappear in the first probate fight or tax mistake.
One last thing. Choosing a lawyer is personal. Read the reviews. Call two or three firms before you sign. Ask each one: How many cases like mine have you taken to verdict in the last three years? The answer tells you everything. — The LawFirmSquare team