Brian M. Bentrup is a senior associate at Pluymert, MacDonald, Hargrove & Lee, Ltd., working in the firm’s Des Plaines and Hoffman Estates offices. Mr. Bentrup focuses his practice on trusts and estates, probate and trust administration, and guardianships. He is a member of the Chicago, Cook County, and DuPage County Bar Associations and writes for the CBA blog, @theBar. Mr. Bentrup is a graduate of Loyola University Chicago and received his law degree from The John Marshall Law School.
Kathleen Eggers Buchar is Senior Vice President and Senior Legal Counsel at The Northern Trust Company’s Chicago office and is a member of its Trust Counsel Practice Group. She is a member of the Chicago Bar Association and the American Bar Association’s Real Property, Trust and Estate Section, and is speaker on trusts and estate topics for IICLE, the Chicago Estate Planning Council, and the CBA. She received her B.S. magna cum laude from Truman State University and her J.D. cum laude from the University of Michigan Law School.
Jamie L. Burns is Senior Counsel with Levenfeld Pearlstein, LLC, in Chicago, where she concentrates her practice on commercial litigation. Ms. Burns has been named an Emerging Lawyer by the Leading Lawyers Network and is a member of the International Women’s Insolvency & Restructuring Confederation. Prior to joining Levenfeld Pearlstein, Ms. Burns served as outside counsel to a large national bank. She received her B.A. magna cum laude from Eastern Illinois University and her J.D. from Chicago-Kent College of Law, Illinois Institute of Technology.
Tejal S. Desai is a Partner at Howard & Howard, in Chicago, where she focuses her practice on creditors’ rights and business transactions. Ms. Desai is a member of the Chicago, Illinois State, and Indiana State Bar Associations. She earned her B.S. with high distinction from Iowa State University and her J.D. from DePaul University College of Law.
Richard S. Duffy is an associate at Schiff Hardin LLP, in Chicago, and focuses his practice on private clients, trusts, and estates. He is admitted to practice in Illinois and New York and is a member of the Chicago Bar Association and its Trust Law Committee, as well as the American and New York Bar Associations. Mr. Duffy received his B.B.A. from the University of Wisconsin-Madison and his J.D. from Northwestern Pritzker School of Law.
William A. Ensing, of Buckley Fine, LLC, in Barrington, concentrates his practice in providing international and domestic estate and asset protection planning. Mr. Ensing is a two-time Past Chair and Cochair of the Chicago Bar Association Asset Protection Committee and is or has been a member of WealthCounsel, the Offshore Institute, the Sovereign Society, and the Society of Trust Practitioners as well as the Chicago, Lake County, Illinois State, and American Bar Associations. He received his B.A. from Lake Forest College and his J.D. from IIT-Chicago Kent College of Law.
Linda S. Fine is Cofounder of Buckley Fine, LLC, in Barrington, and Chair of the firm’s Estate Planning practice group. Ms. Fine focuses her practice on estate planning, succession planning, estate and gift taxation, and the formation and operation of business. She is an Illinois Super Lawyer (2022) and is a member of the Wealth Counsel Illinois Forum, the Illinois State Bar Association, and the DuPage County Estate Planning Council. Ms. Fine received her B.A. from the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign and her J.D. from the Illinois Institute of Technology Chicago-Kent College of Law.
Jeffrey D. Glickman is an associate at Katten Muchin Rosenman LLP, in Chicago, where his practice is focused on private wealth, fiduciary litigation, and private client services. He is a member of the Chicago Bar Association. Mr. Glickman received both his B.S. and M.A.S. with honors from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign and his J.D. from Northwestern University Pritzker School of Law.
Margot Gordon is Of Counsel to Monahan Law Group, LLC, in Chicago, a law firm focused on guardianship, estate planning, estate and trust administration, and mental health and disability law, where she concentrates her practice in estate planning and guardianship. Ms. Gordon has extensive experience handling the full range of estate planning matters for both high-net-worth and smaller clients, including planning for business succession, special needs, and charitable purposes and handling trust and estate administration. She also routinely represents corporate and individual trustees, trust beneficiaries, guardians, and agents. Ms. Gordon was the first attorney to obtain authority to engage in estate planning in a minor’s guardianship matter in Cook County. Prior to entering private practice, she was a staff attorney at the Cook County Public Guardian’s Office, where she represented abused and neglected children, handled appeals in both state and federal appellate court, and represented the Public Guardian in matters involving adults with a disability. She has written predominantly on issues related to estate planning in guardianship matters for IICLE®, the
Kim Kamin is the Principal and Chief Wealth Strategist Member at Gresham Partners, LLC, in Chicago. She leads the development and implementation of estate, wealth transfer, philanthropic, educational, and fiduciary planning activities. Ms. Kamin is a Regent of the American College of Trust and Estate Counsel, serves on the Editorial Advisory Board of Trusts and Estates Magazine, is an adjunct professor at the Northwestern University Pritzker School of Law, where she was awarded the William M. Trumbull Lectureship, and is Past President of the Chicago Estate Planning Council. Ms. Kamin received her B.A. with distinction and departmental honors from Stanford University and her J.D. from the University of Chicago Law School.
Steven L. Kriz is a Partner at Levenfeld Pearlstein, LLC, in Chicago, where he concentrates his practice in trusts and estates. Mr. Kriz is a member of the Chicago Estate Planning Council and was named a 2022 Super Lawyers Rising Star. He received his B.A. from the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, his LL.M. from Northwestern University, and his J.D. from the University of Illinois Chicago.
Alfred S. Lee is a Partner at Pluymert, MacDonald, Hargrove & Lee, Ltd., in Hoffman Estates, and focuses his practice on estate planning and administration and asset protection. Mr. Lee is a member of the Estate Planning Committee of the American Bar Association, the Estate Planning Committee of the Kingdom Advisors, and the Christian Legal Society. He received his B.A. from Dartmouth College, where he was a Presidential Scholar, and his J.D. from the University of Notre Dame.
Janet Rae Montgomery is Of Counsel at Nisen & Elliott, LLC, in Chicago, where she concentrates her practice in estate planning and administration. Ms. Montgomery is a Fellow of the American College of Trust and Estate Counsel, is Past Chair of the Fiduciary Income Tax Committee, and is a member of the Chicago Estate Planning Council and member and Past President of the DuPage County Estate Planning Council. Ms. Montgomery completed her undergraduate work at the University of Southern California and at Trinity College, University of Dublin, Ireland, earned her B.A. magna cum laude and Phi Beta Kappa from USC, and earned her J.D. from Stanford Law School, where she was a member of the Law Review.
James E. Morgan is an attorney with Howard & Howard, in Chicago, where he focuses on creditors’ rights, helping clients navigate all legal issues raised by financially distressed companies. Mr. Morgan is a member of the Chicago Bar Association, the American Bankruptcy Institute, and the Turnaround Management Association. He served for many years as an Associate Editor of Litigation News (an ABA Section of Litigation publication). While in law school, he served as Assistant Editor of the Indiana Law Journal. Mr. Morgan was also an adjunct instructor of appellate advocacy at Ohio State University College of Law. Mr. Morgan received his B.S. with high distinction and departmental honors from Indiana University and his J.D. cum laude from Indiana University School of Law-Bloomington.
Amy E. Orlando is an attorney at Monahan Law Group, LLC, in Chicago, where she focuses her practice on probate, mental health, confidentiality, and healthcare law. Ms. Orlando is Past Chair (2013 – 2014) of the Chicago Bar Association’s Mental Health and Disability Law Committee and has been a presenter on Illinois mental health and the law at PESI. Ms. Orlando received her B.S. from Illinois State University and her J.D. from The John Marshall Law School, where she was the Executive Justice of the Moot Court Honors Program.
Stephanie N. Ross is an associate at Levenfeld Pearlstein, LLC, in Chicago, and focuses her practice on trusts and estates. Ms. Ross is a member of the Chicago Estate Planning Council. She received both her B.A. and J.D. from Loyola University Chicago.
Sandra M. Schildgen is a Partner at Wilson & Wilson Estate Planning & Elder Law LLC in Northbrook and LaGrange, where she focuses her practice on estate planning and elder law. She is a former Board Member of Life’s Plan and a member of the Illinois State Bar Association. Ms. Schildgen received her B.A. from Columbia University and her J.D. from the University of Iowa College of Law.
RonaldSchreiberisa PartnerintheChicago officeofSeyfarthShawLLPand concentrateshispracticeintrusts and estates. Mr. Schreiberalsohas extensiveexperiencewithbusinesssuccession planning,planningfordisability, charitable planning,generation-skippingtaxplanning,prenuptial agreements, andguardianships for adults with disabilities and minors.He has been chosen as a Leading Lawyer and isamember ofthe Chicago Estate Planning Council and the Chicago and Illinois State Bar Associations. Mr.SchreiberreceivedhisB.A.magna cumlaudefromQueensCollegeof theCityUniversityof NewYorkandhisJ.D.fromtheUniversity ofChicagoLawSchool.
Melisa Seyhun is an associate at ArentFox Schiff LLP in Chicago, where she focuses her practice on private clients, trusts, and estates. She is a Young Leader in ACTEC’s Dennis I. Belcher Young Leaders Program (Class of 2021 – 2023) and a Fellow of the ABA’s Real Property, Trust, and Estate Law Section (Class of 2019 – 2021). Seyhun is also coauthor of Probate & Property magazine’s Best Overall Article in the Trust and Estate category in the 2020 Excellence in Writing Awards for the article, Life Insurance: What Attorneys and Trustees Should Know. She received her B.A. from George Washington University, her J.D. from George Washington University Law School, and her LL.M. from Loyola Marymount University, Loyola Law School. Seyhun is also a member of the Illinois Bar.
Jennifer J. Thurswell is a member of the Trusts and Estates group at Harrison and Held LLP, in Chicago. She focuses her practice on estate and gift tax planning, business succession, and asset protection. Ms. Thurswell also counsels individual and corporate fiduciaries regarding complex estate and trust administration and related tax issues.
Elizabeth B. Vandesteegis a Partner at Levenfeld Pearlstein, LLC, in Chicago, where she concentrates in restructuring. She is a member of the American Bankruptcy Institute, theInternational Women’s Insolvency & Restructuring Confederation, and the International Association of Privacy Professionals. Ms. Vandesteeg received her B.A. from Columbia University and her J.D. from Boston College Law School.
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