One of the most often misunderstand terms in estate planning is “probate” and what it means so we answer the most common FAQs about probate here: WHAT IS PROBATE? The term “probate” refers generally to the process by which the estate of a decedent (person who died) is administrated and distributed to the heirs and/or people named…
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These are the some of the most dangerous words a business person can speak: “It is not about the money; it is about the principle.” I cannot tell you how often I have heard those words spoken to me as I sat across the table from a client, or would-be client. I shudder to think…
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The Drendel & Jansons Law Group is very pleased to announce that Roman J. Seckel has been selected as one of the top 10 lawyers in Illinois under the age of 40 by the National Academy of Family Law Attorneys. The NAFLA is an organization that is committed to recognizing the top family law attorneys in…
DetailsThe Magna Carta is 800 years old this month. I was signed 800 years ago on June 15, 1215, (to be exact) at Runnymede, England. The Magna Carta is a pivotal document. It set a foundation for the Rule of Law in the West unsurpassed by any written document other than Scripture. The Magna Carta was…
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The recent Kane County Bar Association (KCBA) election and swearing in of the new KCBA officers and board members that took place on June 11, 2015, was historic for two reasons. The 2015 election and swearing in marks the first time in the history of the Bar Association, which dates back to the days when Abraham…
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Social pundits have said that kids who grew up in the 1970’s are part of the “me generation”. They are forty and fifty somethings now. Our survival-of-the-fittest world encourages people to “look out for number one”. In that context, the fiduciary idea is counter-cultural.
During the time that I have been representing people doing estate planning, handling probate estates and other estate administration and similar matters, I have come across many, many stories, both good and bad, of examples what to do and what not to do in regard to estate planning. Most of the bad stories involve not…
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If you have an estate plan, count yourself among the responsible few. Most people do not have one. Even if you have an estate plan, however, you need to review it periodically to be sure it will meet your needs as times and circumstances and how you view your world change – and they will.
President Dwight D. Eisenhower declared May 1st to be Law Day during his presidency on February 5, 1958, and it was made official by Act of Congress on April 7, 1961. In the President’s Declaration, he declared, “In a very real sense, the world no longer has a choice between force and law. If civilization is…
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I have been doing estate planning for nearly 20 years, and I am surprised at the relatively small number of my clients who have incorporated charitable giving into their estate planning. Many of those same people have been charitable during their lives, giving to various organizations and their places of worship, but people do not…
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