Estate Planning · DuPage County, Illinois
Wills, trusts, powers of attorney, and the planning that keeps your family out of court and in control. The same DuPage County firm since 1990.
Estate planning is the work of writing down, clearly, legally, in advance, what you want to happen with your assets, your minor children, your medical decisions, and your business if something happens to you. Done properly, it spares your family from court proceedings, family conflict, and decisions made by people who don’t know what you would have wanted.
Most families need: a will, a living trust (often), durable powers of attorney for healthcare and finances, advance directives, and proper beneficiary designations on retirement accounts and life insurance. Some need more, special needs trusts, business succession, estate tax planning. We help you understand what your situation requires.
Related reading: How much does estate planning cost in Illinois?
From simple wills to sophisticated multi-generational planning.
Illinois last will and testament with guardianship provisions, specific bequests, and executor designations.
Revocable and irrevocable trusts that avoid Illinois probate and provide ongoing asset management.
Healthcare and financial POAs with proper Illinois statutory language and successor provisions.
Living wills, healthcare directives, HIPAA authorizations, and POLST coordination.
Minor, adult, and special needs guardianship through DuPage County probate court.
Illinois and federal estate tax minimization strategies for estates above the $4M IL threshold.
Trust-based and entity-based asset protection for Illinois professionals and business owners.
First-party and third-party SNTs that preserve Medicaid and SSI eligibility for beneficiaries with disabilities.
Ownership transitions, buy-sell agreements, and generational transfers for family-owned businesses.
Charitable remainder trusts, donor-advised funds, and strategic philanthropic planning.
We discuss your family, assets, and goals. 30-45 minutes, no charge, no obligation.
We recommend the right plan for your situation and quote flat-fee pricing upfront.
We draft your documents, walk you through every clause in plain English, and revise as needed.
Proper Illinois signing ceremony. We help fund the trust so it actually does what it’s designed to do.
Chris J. Aiello and John Pizinger have practiced estate law in DuPage County for over three decades. We’ve seen the situations that template plans don’t cover.
Your plan is drafted by Chris or John personally. No handoffs to paralegals or junior attorneys.
We walk through every clause in plain English. You understand what you’re signing.
Most plans quoted at flat fees so you know costs before we start. No hourly surprises.
Will, trust, POAs, and beneficiary designations designed to work together, not contradict each other.
We help retitle assets into your trust. Many attorneys draft and disappear. The trust must be funded to work.
Most clients return periodically for plan reviews and updates. We’re here when life changes.
Existing estate plan that needs updating? Bring it in. Initial review is free.
From our Villa Park office, we represent clients across DuPage County and the western suburbs of Chicago.
Estate planning is the legal documentation of what you want to happen with your assets, healthcare decisions, and minor children if you become incapacitated or pass away. It typically includes a will, often a trust, powers of attorney, and advance healthcare directives, designed to work together.
Yes. Estate planning isn’t only for the wealthy. If you have minor children, you need a will to name guardians. If you have any assets, beneficiary planning matters. If you might become incapacitated, POAs prevent court guardianship. The vast majority of adults benefit from at least basic planning.
A will is read at the probate court after death, assets pass through probate. A trust takes effect during your lifetime, avoids probate, manages incapacity, and continues after death. Most families benefit from both, a ‘pour-over will’ working with the trust as the backstop.
A standard plan (will, trust, POAs, advance directives) is flat-fee. Pricing varies based on family situation, asset complexity, and whether trust funding is needed. We quote exact pricing at the free consultation.
Formal review every 3-5 years, and immediately after major life events: marriage, divorce, birth of a child, death of a beneficiary, major change in assets, change of state residency, or significant tax law changes.
Online templates work for the simplest situations. They miss Illinois-specific requirements, blended family considerations, special needs planning, business interests, and the coordination between documents. Most DIY plans we see have errors that would cause problems in court. The cost difference is small compared to the cost of fixing a flawed plan after a death.
If everything is in a properly funded trust, no probate is needed for trust-held assets. Assets outside the trust (forgotten accounts, real estate not retitled, personal property) may still go through probate, which is why proper funding matters.
Yes. Illinois imposes its own estate tax on estates above $4 million, much lower than the federal threshold ($13.99M in 2026). Many DuPage County families with appreciated homes, retirement accounts, and life insurance hit this threshold without realizing it. Proper planning can mitigate or eliminate Illinois estate tax.
A free consultation tells you exactly what you need and what it costs. No pressure, no obligation. Most clients are surprised at how straightforward the process is.