My name is Tom Olofsson. I am a lawyer. I help families plan for the future.

My office phone is (773) 905-1193

For more info please visit my main site http://www.mytrustlawyer.com

My hope is that this site will make it easy for you to find out about estate planning and to see if you would like me to help you plan for your family’s future.

My goal is to help you decide which estate planning tools are best for you and your family. Before you go on please Bookmark this page so you can come back whenever you want.

The focus is on you.

The planning process begins with you and your wishes for your family. My first concern is you and your family. My job is to help make sure that your plans for your loved ones come true.

My practice is limited to helping individuals and families plan their estates. I do this by meeting with you to discuss your family situation and how best to pass your assets on to your loved ones.

Why I make house-calls.

I came from a large family. I remember how much work it was for my mom to load all of us into the station wagon when it was time to visit the doctor. I always thought it would have made more sense for the doctor to hop in his car and come to our house.

With this in mind, I meet with my clients in their homes. Many families have told me that my coming to them makes life easier particularly when a member of the family is elderly or has special needs. It is much easier and it makes more sense for me to hop in my car… well you get the idea.

My office is at the Southwest corner of Chicago in the Beverly area. I do not expect you to come here. I am available to meet with you in your home. I look forward to meeting you and I will be happy to talk with you about your particular situation.

Contact me.

You can contact me by e-mail at: tom@mytrustlawyer.com

My office phone is (773) 905-1193

My office is located at 9924 S. Walden Parkway, Chicago, Illinois 60643

The following pages will help you decide how to go ahead from here.

by Tom Olofsson, Attorney at Law, www.MyTrustLawyer.com (773) 905-1193

Probate is a court supervised process which helps make sure that your final bills are paid, that your final wishes are known, and that your stuff gets to those you intend to get it.

There is nothing wrong with the process. Probate allows for the orderly passing of assets from generation to generation.

The reasons which most people give for wanting to avoid probate can be boiled down to these:

1. Probate takes too long. Probate generally takes between 1 and 2 years. During the process the family must relive the death of their loved one with each new letter and each meeting with the executor. If the process can be made shorter then the family will be able to come to closure more quickly.

2. Probate costs too much. The fees for Probate in Illinois can average around 5% of the estate. With home values over $300,000, in many cases, it is easy to see why people would like more of their money to go to their children and less to court costs and fees.

3. Probate is not private. The courts are public and so are most court records. Many people I talk with keep their financial matters private during their lives and tell me that they would like to keep their information private even after their deaths. It makes sense, then, to stay keep the estate distribution process private. This can be done by staying out of court.