Estate Planning

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One of the most rewarding parts of estate planning is guiding individuals and families as they prepare for the future. We discuss protecting children, preserving family assets, planning for retirement, and creating a legacy for the next generation. Occasionally, those conversations lead to the topic of a Marital Property Agreement (MPA), sometimes called a prenuptial or postnuptial agreement. When that happens, many couples become understandably uncomfortable.
A common reaction is:

“If we’re planning to spend the rest of…
Continue Reading Marital Property Agreements: Planning for the Future, Not Planning for Divorce

If your typical Wednesday involves writing a college tuition check in the morning and interviewing in-home nurses for your parents by lunch, then you are officially part of the “Sandwich Generation.” It is a role rooted in deep family loyalty, but let’s be honest: Being in the middle can feel more like a pressure cooker than a privilege. Between the emotional weight and the financial complexity, it is easy to feel like you are constantly reacting to the next

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Continue Reading The Sandwich Generation Survival Guide: Protecting Your Family and Your Sanity

Bypass the delays and costs of Wisconsin probate without losing an ounce of control over your estate. Here is how to protect your family legacy on your own terms.
You don’t have to give up control of your assets today to protect your family tomorrow. Discover how to use Wisconsin law to completely bypass the delays, privacy loss, and costs of probate court while retaining 100% ownership and management of your estate for the rest of your life.
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Continue Reading How to Avoid Wisconsin Probate without Losing Control of Your Family Legacy

When a loved one passes away, families are often left with emotional stress, financial responsibilities, and legal questions. One of the most common legal processes families may face is Legal Probate. Probate is the court-supervised process of validating a will, identifying assets, paying debts, and distributing property to the rightful heirs or beneficiaries.
While probate can feel overwhelming, understanding the basic steps, expected timeline, and common mistakes can help families move through the process with more confidence.

What Is

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Continue Reading Legal Probate Explained: Steps, Timeline, and Common Mistakes to Avoid

Many lawyers are not aware of website accessibility. Oftentimes a lawyer’s exposure to the issue of website accessibility is communications from a client receiving a letter stating that their website is not accessible or dealing with a potential lawsuit.

Unfortunately, due to the frequency of dealing with these letters and the often quick settlements, these letters have attracted a reputation as being filed by lawyers interested in nuisance settlements. However, that is frequently not the case, and a particular…
Continue Reading Why Website Accessibility Should Be on Every Lawyer’s Radar

My father loved the sea. By extension he also loved all sea-related tchotchkes, i.e., model sailing vessels, fake shark’s teeth, lighthouses big and small, cute little fishermen in bright yellow rain slickers. You name it, he had one. How did he explain this passion? Growing up in western Wisconsin, he was far from the sea. In a former life he believed he was … a whale. Many years ago, he wandered into an antique store in Florida on the

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Continue Reading The ‘Masterpiece’ and a Daughter’s Burden, Relieved

One of the most common issues that arises in estate and succession planning has little to do with taxes, documents, or legal mechanics. It’s family dynamics. 

Parents often come into the process with the goal of being fair. But fairness is rarely as simple as dividing everything equally. When clients ask whether I think their plan is fair, I’m candid: my personal view doesn’t matter. What I can offer is perspective into how other families in similar situations typically…
Continue Reading Fairness is Personal: Estate Planning Lessons for Families with Unequal Assets

If you’re a homeowner in Illinois, especially in areas like Lake County, there’s an important warning you shouldn’t ignore: the property deed scam Illinois residents are receiving by mail is back—and it’s targeting unsuspecting homeowners with official-looking notices.
These solicitations can be confusing, and even savvy professionals have been caught off guard. As part of smart estate planning, protecting your assets doesn’t stop with legal documents—it also means staying alert to scams that try to exploit public records.

What

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Continue Reading Property Deed Scam Alert: What Illinois Homeowners Need to Know

When families blend through second marriages, later-in-life relationships, or remarriage after divorce, estate planning becomes more complex, and more important. This is especially true when one or both spouses have children from prior relationships.

A recent Wisconsin Court of Appeals decision, Sterling L. North v. Estate of William James North II, 2024AP1908 (Wis. Ct. App. Dec. 30, 2025) shows how a lack of planning can result in an unintended division of property between the spouses’ children, particularly when…
Continue Reading Wisconsin’s 120-Hour Rule, Survivorship Marital Property, and Blended Families

For many high-net-worth families and business owners, the shift happens gradually.
Your parents—who once handled everything—begin to need help. Maybe it starts with small things, like managing bills or attending doctor’s appointments. But over time, those responsibilities grow.
This is where estate planning for aging parents becomes critical.
Without proper planning, families often find themselves navigating court processes, probate delays, and unnecessary financial exposure—all during an already emotional time. The reality is, estate planning for aging parents is not

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Continue Reading Estate Planning for Aging Parents: Avoid Probate Nightmares

While a client who has capacity can clearly file a divorce action, what happens when the client has capacity issues?

This is becoming more common as we see older adults divorcing, especially those in second marriages whose adult children do not get along. A case can be dismissed where the person filing does not have capacity to see.[1] “It is an accepted principle of law that an action cannot be maintained by one who has no capacity to

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Continue Reading Who Can File and Maintain a Divorce When a Client is Incapacitated?

For many successful professionals, estate planning feels like something you complete once and check off your list. You sign a will, create a trust, and assume everything will pass according to the plan you carefully designed.
But one overlooked detail can quietly undo even the most sophisticated estate plan.
Beneficiary designations.
For high-earning professionals and families in Libertyville and across Lake County, beneficiary forms attached to retirement accounts, life insurance policies, and certain investment accounts often control who receives

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Continue Reading Beneficiary Designations vs. Your Estate Plan: The Costly Mistake Many High-Earners Make

On July 3, 2025, Congress passed the One Big Beautiful Bill Act (“OBBBA”). This legislation was officially signed into law on July 4, 2025, and makes permanent a number of provisions first introduced in the 2017 Tax Cuts and Jobs Act (TCJA). Below are some of the highlights from the OBBBA as they pertain to estate planning and personal tax strategies.
Gift and Estate Tax Exemption
Under the TCJA, the estate and gift tax exemption amounts were increased, with

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Continue Reading Tax Changes Under the OBBBA Relevant to Estate Planning

The One Big Beautiful Bill Act (OBBBA) was signed into law on July 4, 2025, by President Trump. OBBBA represents a significant recalibration of the federal tax framework with direct and lasting consequences for estate planning.

At its core, OBBBA extends or makes permanent many of the tax cuts originally enacted under the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act of 2017 (TCJA), but stopping there misses the point. OBBBA not only locks in the TCJA’s framework – it adds additional

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Continue Reading The Impact of the One Big Beautiful Bill Act on Estate Planning

Valentine’s Day is often celebrated with flowers and fine dining, but the ultimate expression of commitment is ensuring your partner’s future is secure. Whether you are navigating the complexities of a family business, managing significant real estate holdings, or protecting the interests of a blended family, strategic estate planning for couples ensures your legacy remains intact and your wishes are legally enforceable.
At Lexern Law Group, we specialize in helping couples in Illinois and Wisconsin navigate these sensitive

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Continue Reading Strategic Estate Planning for Couples in 2026

It is February 2026. Tax season is underway, and like most people, you are gathering W-2s, 1099s, and receipts, trying to make sure nothing important is missing before your return is filed.

Every What many people do not realize is that this same stack of tax documents also provides one of the clearest snapshots of their financial life they will see all year. From an estate planning perspective, that snapshot is invaluable.has its own rhythm, milestones and turning points.
Continue Reading More than a Refund: The Strategic Link Between Tax Season and Estate Planning