Robert Schaller | Oak Brook Estate Lawyer

I helped a recently divorced woman rewrite a prior will to make sure the divorced husband would not receive any of the woman's estate after death. The women wanted a will that would distribute all her assets to her son. The client wanted to avoid the high cost of probate so that more money would be available to her son so a living trust was discussed. Powers of attorney were also drafted for both health and property so an agent could take care of the woman if the woman became incapacitated. An estate planning attorney can also help a divorced woman who wants to establish a trust to protect her special needs minor child in the event the woman dies prematurely. A trust can designate a guardian to take care of the minor child and a fiduciary to protect the financial well-being of the child after the mother\'s passing.

I have build a successful legal practice by putting my clients' needs first. The goal of the Schaller Law Firm is total client satisfaction. I offer the personal touch to each of my clients.

Choosing the right estate planning attorney can be difficult. Look for experience and choose an attorney with at least 25+ years of experience. Like any profession, the more experience the better. Next, examine the lawyer\'s rates and make sure they are reasonable and ask if the lawyer offers flat fees and hour-rate fees. Finally, the best lawyer is solutions-based and connects each client\'s needs with the best solutions.

I can help clients throughout the State of Illinois by meeting in my office or via Zoom conferencing. Illinois estate planning law is governed by Illinois statute and that statute applies equally throughout all 102 Illinois counties.

The initial phone conference is key. A client's first impression of the lawyer must be positive and garner a feeling that the lawyer is the right fit for the client. Not all lawyers are the same. Some are friendly that others. Some are politer that others. Clients should get the feeling that the lawyer cares about the client as a person. The client must get the feeling that the lawyer will work hard to satisfy the client's needs.

First I listen carefully to the client's desires. A lawyer must understand the client\'s goals and expectations. The Schaller Law Firm spends the necessary time to really understand the facts relating to estate planning. Some of the questions are: what is the client trying to get accomplished, why did the client contact the law firm, age, marital status, number of children, who will take care of the children if the client were to die, what is the state of the client\'s current health, what is the approximate size of the estate, any special needs children, etc.? The more information the better.

Of course I have top legal experience after practicing law for more than 37 years. Of course my legal fees are reasonable. But my client testimonials focus on the feeling clients have being serviced by the Schaller Law Firm. Clients have said the following: "my attorney took my worries away immediately," and my attorney "gets the job done and makes you feel comfortable and respected in the process," and "Attorney Bob is truly a caring and compassionate man. Bob treated us as if we were best of friends from beginning, middle and end."

I love helping clients find peace of mind knowing that there estate planning needs have been taken resolved. Life is unpredictable and clients need to know that there body and finances will be taken care of while alive through powers of attorney, and their estate distributed to loved ones upon passing in the manner the client chooses, whether through a last will and testament or living trust or both.

My family and faith are the most important parts of my life outside of the practice of law. I have been blessed with a wonderful wife and loving children. God has blessed me and I\'m a lucky man.

I have been involved in local government by serving on the Village of Hinsdale Zoning Board of Appeals and later serving on the Village of Hinsdale Park & Recreation Commission. I have enjoyed leadership roles as a board member in both the Hinsdale Rotary Club and Hinsdale Chamber of Commerce. I have been a vestry member & President of the Men\'s Group at Hinsdale Grace Church.

• Attorney Schaller is a member of the Illinois State Bar Association. He is president of the National Offer in Compromise Academy and President of the National Bankruptcy Academy. Attorney Schaller is a frequent speaker and has or will be speaking in 2023 before various committees of the Illinois State Bar Association, DuPage County Bar Association, Lake County Bar Association, Kane County Bar Association, and Will County Bar Association.

• Attorney Schaller has published more than 22 books: 1) Bankruptcy Marketing & Advertising: Learn What Every Successful Lawyer Already Knows. 2) Bankruptcy Selling & Closing Clients: Learn How to Persuade Prospects to Pay. 3) The Rainmaker’s 17 Secrets to Legal Marketing & Advertising: Learn How Successful Lawyers Earn an Additional $28,427 Thru Referrals, Direct Mail, LinkedIn, YouTube, and Facebook. 4) The Rainmaker’s 24 Secrets to Legal Selling & Closing Clients: Learn How Successful Lawyers Persuade Prospects to Pay. 5) Law School Career Advisor’s Resource for Starting a Solo Law Firm: Exploring a New Career Path 6) Career Advisor’s Guide to Starting a Solo Bankruptcy Firm: Exploring a New Career Path. 7) A Lawyer’s Guide to Filing Chapter 7 Bankruptcy: Learning the Nuts and Bolts of Filing Your First Case. 8) Bankruptcy: Why My Neighbor Had to File. 9) DIY Guide to Filing Chapter 7 Bankruptcy: Line-by-Line Instructions and Day-by-Day Timeline. 10) Starting a Solo Law Firm in 2020-2021. 11) How to Start a Law Firm: Including a $100,000 Bankruptcy Firm. 12) IRS Offer in Compromise, Installment Agreements & Innocent Spouse Relief: A Treatise for Tax Professionals 13) IRS Innocent Spouse Tax Relief: A Treatise for Attorneys, CPAs & Tax Preparers. 14) IRS Installment Agreements: A Treatise for Attorneys, CPAs, Accountants & Tax Preparers. 15) IRS Offer in Compromise: A Treatise for Attorneys, CPAs, Accountants & Tax Preparers. 16) DIY Guide to IRS Offer in Compromise & The Fresh Start Initiative. 17) National Bankruptcy Academy’s Bankruptcy MasterClass Practice System & Toolkit. Volume 1: Starting a Practice. 18) National Bankruptcy Academy’s Bankruptcy MasterClass Practice System & Toolkit. Volume2: Marketing. 19) National Bankruptcy Academy’s Bankruptcy MasterClass Practice System & Toolkit. Volume 3: Selling & Closing Clients. 20) National Bankruptcy Academy’s Bankruptcy MasterClass Practice System & Toolkit. Volume 4: Client Communications. 21) National Bankruptcy Academy’s Bankruptcy MasterClass Practice System & Toolkit. Volume 5: Processing the Petition, Schedules & Statements. 22) National Bankruptcy Academy’s Bankruptcy MasterClass Practice System & Toolkit. Volume 6: The Bankruptcy Code.

• In re Pajian, 785 F.3d 1161
  Holding that both secured and unsecured creditors were required to file bankruptcy proofs of claim and that all creditors "must file a proof of claim in order to participate in Chapter 13 plan distributions."

• Schaller published the following articles: • Banishing Back Taxes. 2023 Illinois Bar Journal 32 (Jan 2023). • Law Practice for Sale. 2022 Illinois Bar Journal 24 (Jan 2022). • Yes, Income Taxes Are Dischargeable in Bankruptcy. 2016 Illinois Bar Journal 32 (Jun 2016). • Bankruptcy Rule 3002(c) Filing Deadline Applies to Secured Creditors. 2015 American Bankruptcy Institute 38 (Sept. 2015). • Chapter 13 Debtors Need Not Pay Late-Filed Mortgage Arrearage Claims. NACBA Consumer Bankruptcy Journal (Winter 2015 Volume, Pages 20-24). • Applying the Wilko Doctrine’s Anti-Arbitration Policy in Commodities Fraud Cases. 61 Chicago-Kent Law Review 515. (co-authored with William Lynch Schaller). • FSLIC Federal Receivership Appointments for Allegedly Insolvent State Savings and Loan Associations: A Plot to Federalize State Savings and Loans Against Their Will? 33 DePaul Law Review 783.

Please call me at 630-655-1233 to schedule a FREE phone consultation.  Or, you can schedule a 15 minute phone conference by clicking this link. https://calendly.com/robert_schaller/15-minute-meeting.  If the link does not work, then copy and paste the URL into your search engine search bar. By appointment only on Saturday.

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Who Makes Medical Decision Should Something Happen to Me?  (2023-01-09 14:19:01)
A power of attorney for health care is essential to protecting a person should they become incapacitated. A power of attorney is especially important when the person is responsible for taking care of a young child.

Who Pays Your Child's Needs Should You Become Incapacitated?  (2023-01-09 14:22:03)
Your child needs financial protection should you become incapacitated because of sickness or injury. Your spouse could be barred from accessing your individual bank account without a court order. What happens if you and your spouse are both incapacitated after a devastating vehicle collision?

Who Ensures Income, Support, Maintenance, and Education for Your Child Should Something Happen to You?  (2023-01-09 14:24:48)
Good parenting requires you to remember the importance of protecting your child’s financial future should something catastrophic happen to you. Nobody plans an accidental death – that’s why it’s called an accident. But accidents do happen, and good parenting requires you to protect your child with advanced legal preparation through the Schaller Law Firm’s “New Parent Child Protection Plan.”

What is Standby Guardian Protection?  (2023-01-09 14:27:43)
Who takes care of your child should something happen to you? Advanced estate planning today can give you peace of mind – knowing that if something catastrophic were to happen to you, your child can be raised by a family member or close friend of your choosing. The Schaller Law Firm can give you peace of mind by drafting a “Standby Guardian” designation that identifies who you want to act as guardian and raise your child if you die prematurely or suffer a catastrophic accident leaving you in an irreversible vegetative state (think car or truck collision). This is a key component of the Schaller Law Firm’s “New Parent Child Protection Plan.”

What Are the Basic Core Estate Planning Documents  (2023-01-09 14:33:28)
Estate planning requires planning for the future, both while alive and after passing. Every adult, married or single, should have a power of attorney for health, power of attorney for property, a living will, and a last will and testament. A living trust should be considered for estates larger than $100,000 or involving real estate to avoid the high cost of probate.