Rockford Estate Lawyer, Illinois


Keith  Morse Lawyer

Keith Morse

VERIFIED
Divorce & Family Law, Collaborative Law, Wills & Probate

Attorney Keith S. Morse has more than 45 years of experience representing clients in a diverse range of practice areas. Drawing on his various experie... (more)

FREE CONSULTATION 

CONTACT

815-967-5000

Thomas  Laye Lawyer

Thomas Laye

VERIFIED
Accident & Injury, Divorce & Family Law, Estate, Bankruptcy & Debt, Business

Thomas was born and raised in Cherry Valley, Illinois. He attended Western Illinois University where he received his Bachelor’s in Law Enforcement a... (more)

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CONTACT

815-962-0044

Robert Eugene Canfield Lawyer

Robert Eugene Canfield

VERIFIED
Divorce & Family Law, Estate, Real Estate

Attorney Robert (Bob) Canfield was born and raised in Rockford, IL. He graduated from Guilford High School in 1965. After joining the Army in Februa... (more)

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CONTACT

800-804-1081

Mark C. Johnson

Lawsuit & Dispute, Real Estate, Contract, Wills & Probate
Status:  In Good Standing           Licensed:  32 Years

Theodore Liebovich

Estate, Real Estate, Business, Transactions, Business Organization
Status:  In Good Standing           Licensed:  49 Years

Gary Reese

Accident & Injury, Workers' Compensation, Criminal, Estate
Status:  In Good Standing           

FREE CONSULTATION 

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Bryan G Selander

Estate Planning, Environmental Law, Corporate, Administrative Law
Status:  In Good Standing           Licensed:  40 Years

Robert James Oliver

Litigation, International Tax, Estate Planning, Corporate
Status:  In Good Standing           Licensed:  69 Years

Marcia Lynn Mueller

Tax, Estate Planning, Employee Rights, Corporate
Status:  In Good Standing           Licensed:  46 Years

Marifran Knutson Georgis

Estate Planning, Estate
Status:  In Good Standing           Licensed:  21 Years

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Lawyer.com can help you easily and quickly find Rockford Estate Lawyers and Rockford Estate Law Firms. Refine your search by specific Estate practice areas such as Estate Planning, Trusts, Wills & Probate and Power of Attorney matters.

LEGAL TERMS

BEQUEATH

A legal term sometimes used in wills that means 'leave' -- for example, 'I bequeath my garden tools to my brother-in-law, Buster Jenkins.'

NET ESTATE

The value of all property owned at death less liabilities or debts.

ADEMPTION

The failure of a bequest of property in a will. The gift fails (is 'adeemed') because the person who made the will no longer owns the property when he or she di... (more...)
The failure of a bequest of property in a will. The gift fails (is 'adeemed') because the person who made the will no longer owns the property when he or she dies. Often this happens because the property has been sold, destroyed or given away to someone other than the beneficiary named in the will. A bequest may also be adeemed when the will maker, while still living, gives the property to the intended beneficiary (called 'ademption by satisfaction'). When a bequest is adeemed, the beneficiary named in the will is out of luck; he or she doesn't get cash or a different item of property to replace the one that was described in the will. For example, Mark writes in his will, 'I leave to Rob the family vehicle,' but then trades in his car in for a jet ski. When Mark dies, Rob will receive nothing. Frustrated beneficiaries may challenge an ademption in court, especially if the property was not clearly identified in the first place.

DOWER AND CURTESY

A surviving spouse's right to receive a set portion of the deceased spouse's estate -- usually one-third to one-half. Dower (not to be confused with a 'dowry') ... (more...)
A surviving spouse's right to receive a set portion of the deceased spouse's estate -- usually one-third to one-half. Dower (not to be confused with a 'dowry') refers to the portion to which a surviving wife is entitled, while curtesy refers to what a man may claim. Until recently, these amounts differed in a number of states. However, because discrimination on the basis of sex is now illegal in most cases, most states have abolished dower and curtesy and generally provide the same benefits regardless of sex -- and this amount is often known simply as the statutory share. Under certain circumstances, a living spouse may not be able to sell or convey property that is subject to the other spouse's dower and curtesy or statutory share rights.

GENERATION-SKIPPING TRUST

A trust designed to save on estate tax. The trust principal is preserved for the trust maker's grandchildren, with his or her children receiving only income fro... (more...)
A trust designed to save on estate tax. The trust principal is preserved for the trust maker's grandchildren, with his or her children receiving only income from the trust. Because the children (the middle generation) never legally own the property, it isn't subject to estate tax at their death. See generation-skipping transfer tax.

IN TERROREM

Latin meaning 'in fear.' This phrase is used to describe provisions in contracts or wills meant to scare a person into complying with the terms of the agreement... (more...)
Latin meaning 'in fear.' This phrase is used to describe provisions in contracts or wills meant to scare a person into complying with the terms of the agreement. For example, a will might state that an heir will forfeit her inheritance if she challenges the validity of the will. Of course, if the will is challenged and found to be invalid, then the clause itself is also invalid and the heir takes whatever she would have inherited if there were no will.

PRETERMITTED HEIR

A child or spouse who is not mentioned in a will and whom the court believes was accidentally overlooked by the person who made the will. For example, a child b... (more...)
A child or spouse who is not mentioned in a will and whom the court believes was accidentally overlooked by the person who made the will. For example, a child born or adopted after the will is made may be deemed a pretermitted heir. If the court determines that an heir was accidentally omitted, that heir is entitled to receive the same share of the estate as she would have if the deceased had died without a will. A pretermitted heir is sometimes called an 'omitted heir.'

TRUST CORPUS

Latin for 'the body' of the trust. This term refers to all the property transferred to a trust. For example, if a trust is established (funded) with $250,000, t... (more...)
Latin for 'the body' of the trust. This term refers to all the property transferred to a trust. For example, if a trust is established (funded) with $250,000, that money is the corpus. Sometimes the trust corpus is known as the 'res,' a Latin word meaning 'thing.'

CURATOR

See conservator.

SAMPLE LEGAL CASES

In re Estate of Feinberg

This case involves a dispute among the surviving children and grandchildren of Max and Erla Feinberg regarding the validity of a trust provision. The circuit court of Cook County found the trust provision unenforceable on the basis that it is contrary to the public policy of the state ...

In re Estate of Feinberg

In re ESTATE OF Max FEINBERG, Deceased (Leila R. Taylor, as Independent Coexecutor of the Will of Max Feinberg, Deceased, Plaintiff-Appellant, v. Michael B. Feinberg, Individually and as Coexecutor of the Will of Max Feinberg, Deceased; Fifth Third Bank, as Trustee under ...

In re Estate of Ellis

Grace Ellis executed a will in 1964 naming Shriners Hospitals for Children (Shriners) as beneficiary of her estate if she died without direct descendants. In 1999, she executed a new will naming James G. Bauman as sole beneficiary. Bauman was the pastor of the church of which ...