Best Lawyers in Illinois, United States for Trusts and Estates
Peter S. Coorlas is a senior associate of the Chicago law firm Peck Ritchey, LLC . Peter was an Assistant State’s Attorney for Cook County for 30 years, serving in the Special Litigation and Municipal Litigation Sections of the Civil Actions Bureau. Although Peter served in various areas while at the State’s Attorneys Office, he has primarily represented the interests of Cook County in probate matters, spending much of his time on contested litigation, including will contests, con...
Susan is a partner in the Private Wealth Services practice group. Susan focuses her practice on sophisticated estate planning for business owners, wealthy individuals and entrepreneurs. She helps her clients transfer wealth to younger generations to achieve tax efficiencies as well as protection for beneficiaries and counsels her clients in connection with complex intrafamily issues that wealthy families often face. In addition to helping clients structure their estate plans, Susan advises cl...
Thomas P. Ward is a lawyer recognized by Best Lawyers in the practice area of Trusts and Estates. Thomas P. practices law in Chicago, Illinois Best Lawyers has recognized Thomas P. Ward since 2027. The Best Lawyers recognition is based on a peer-review survey of lawyers in the same geographic region and legal practice area. The recognition reflects the professional regard in which Thomas P. Ward is held by other lawyers.
Tye Klooster counsels high-net-worth families on how best to preserve their legacies and transfer wealth to future generations. A fellow of the American College of Trusts and Estates Counsel, Tye serves clients who rely on him to design and implement sophisticated and personalized estate plans. Tye designs estate plans which allow high-net-worth individuals to leverage use of their gift, estate and generation-skipping transfer tax (GST) exemptions and to pass wealth to the next generation in ...
James H. Cundiff advises clients on family wealth and business planning, federal estate, gift and generation-skipping tax planning, and estate and trust administration. James represents entrepreneurs, corporate executives, and other business leaders and wealthy individuals on estate and tax planning matters. Counseling closely held businesses and family members, James is actively engaged in the structuring of family businesses as well as business control and succession planning, multi-generat...
Jordan Klein’s broad-based trust and estate practice encompasses all aspects of estate planning, trust and estate administration and settlement, wealth transfer, philanthropy and fiduciary counseling services. His clients include corporate executives, families with dynastic wealth, privately held business owners, professionals, fund managers, family offices and private foundations. Jordan has significant experience designing creative solutions to achieve his clients’ estate planni...
Jesse A. Footlik is a Partner with Peck Ritchey, LLC. In addition to representing individuals and families as heirs and beneficiaries, Jesse represents corporate and individual fiduciaries, including financial institutions and healthcare providers. Further, Jesse regularly advises clients involved in various Power of Attorney (POA) disputes, breach of fiduciary duty cases, contested heirships, wrongful death dependency hearings, and will and trust construction or interpretation matters. For o...
Charles Harris helps high-net-worth individuals and owners of closely held businesses on matters related to tax and estate planning. Charles is recognized as a leading lawyer on tax and estate planning by the Chambers High Net Worth guide, which cited his "expertise in handling planning for US citizens with foreign interests, including US citizens who live elsewhere, or who are marrying a non-US citizen. As a certified public accountant as well as a private practicing attorney, Charles helps ...
Louis S. Harrison has long been recognized as one of the premier estate planning attorneys in the country. A founding partner of Harrison & Held, LLP – one of the nation’s most elite estate planning firms – Lou’s practice encompasses all aspects of trust and estate planning, including estate and business planning for closely held companies. In addition to individuals in need of sophisticated planning, Lou represents numerous family offices, public figures, CEOs of ...
David A. Handler is a partner in the Trusts and Estates Practice Group of Kirkland & Ellis LLP. He concentrates his practice on trust and estate planning and administration, representing owners of closely-held businesses, family offices, principals of private equity and venture capital funds, individuals and families of significant wealth, and establishing and administering private foundations and other charitable organizations. David is a fellow of the American College of Trust and Estat...
Thomas C. Wedgwood is an associate attorney at Peck Ritchey, LLC. In addition to representing individuals and families, Thomas represents financial institutions, medical institutions, and various fiduciaries. Thomas graduated with his Juris Doctor from Chicago-Kent College of Law where he graduated cum laude and was named to the Dean’s List each of his three years. Thomas was involved in several organizations in law school, including the Law Review and C-K Law Group’s Federal Heal...
Katherine L. Keating is a lawyer recognized by Best Lawyers in the practice areas of Corporate Law and Trusts and Estates. Katherine L. practices law in Chicago, Illinois Best Lawyers has recognized Katherine L. Keating since 2022. The Best Lawyers recognition is based on a peer-review survey of lawyers in the same geographic region and legal practice area. The recognition reflects the professional regard in which Katherine L. Keating is held by other lawyers.
Soffia H. Kuehner Gray is a lawyer recognized by Best Lawyers in the practice area of Trusts and Estates. Soffia H. practices law in Chicago, Illinois Best Lawyers has recognized Soffia H. Kuehner Gray since 2027. The Best Lawyers recognition is based on a peer-review survey of lawyers in the same geographic region and legal practice area. The recognition reflects the professional regard in which Soffia H. Kuehner Gray is held by other lawyers.
Our Methodology
Recognition by Best Lawyers is based entirely on peer review. Our methodology is designed to capture, as accurately as possible, the consensus opinion of leading lawyers about the professional abilities of their colleagues within the same geographical area and legal practice area.
The Process
Best Lawyers employs a sophisticated, conscientious, rational, and transparent survey process designed to elicit meaningful and substantive evaluations of the quality of legal services. Our belief has always been that the quality of a peer review survey is directly related to the quality of the voters.
