Sam is one of Chicago’s premier estate and trust litigation attorneys with more than 20 years of problem-solving experience in helping clients resolve sensitive family disputes and complex matters. Sam is widely cited as an authority on estate and trust litigation, and she co-authored the original IICLE treatise on this subject, a practical guide for Illinois attorneys.
Sam begins each new representation by listening carefully to ensure a clear understanding of her client’s goals. Always striving to find the most swift and equitable solution, Sam protects the rights of individual beneficiaries and advises individual and corporate fiduciaries as they carry out their critical obligations.
Sam’s practice encompasses all aspects of estate, trust and fiduciary controversies, including:
Sam is highly skilled at resolving difficult family disputes, both in and out of court. She recognizes that litigation is not the answer to every controversy, and Sam excels at de-escalating disputes, finding creative, non-judicial solutions for her clients. If litigation is necessary or ongoing, however, Sam is a zealous advocate with years of experience in both state and federal courts.
Representative Matters
When not supporting her clients, Sam loves reading, cooking, and spending time with her husband, five children, and their German Shepherd, Zoe.
• “Fallible Fiduciaries” (June 1, 2004)
• “Settlors’ Advsory” (June 15, 2006)
• “Don’t Play a Game of Hearsay Russian Roulette” (July 13, 2006)
• “Attorneys’ Fees” (January 11, 2007)
• “Beware the Powers of Attorney” (March i, 2007)
• “Who’s in Charge?” (April 26, 2007)
• “The Do-It-Yourself Spirit in Big Sky Country” (May 30, 2007)
• “Three Hots and a Cot” (June 27, 2007)
• “Sunshine State Welcomes Deadbeats” (July 25, 2007)
• “Negative Energy Haunts the House of Ken Lay” (August 29, 2007)
• “Corporate Trustees Beware” (February 10, 2008)
• “Barred by Lunatics Law” (August 21, 2008)
• “Stung by the Slayer Statute” (November 19, 2008)
• “Court Leaves Florida Elderly Vulnerable” (January 24, 2009)
• “Philanthropy or Spite?” (July 28, 2009)
• “Protect Trust Assets in Bankruptcy” (September 23, 2009)
• “Posthumously Conceived Children and Their Survivor Benefit” (October 21, 2009)
• “Wrestling with the Privacy Rights of John E. DuPont, Convicted Murderer” (January 27, 2010)
• “A Pitch for Privacy Rights” (February 18, 2010)
• “Marrying for the Money: A New Twist?” (April 20, 2010)
• “Filing Follies” (October 27, 2010)
• “Expanding Breaches” (January 19, 2011)
• “Kiss-immee of Death” (April 20, 2011) (this article was the basis for a quote in a June, 2011 article by Kelly Greene in The Wall Street Journal entitled, “Unholy Marriage: How to Fight Back”)
• “The Walls have e-Ears” (May 17, 2011)
• “Trustees and the Attorney-Client Privilege” (August 24, 2011)
• “Assessing Older Clients’ Capacity” (September 21, 2011)
• “Keeping Trusts Out of Court” (October 19, 2011)
• “The Estate Tax and Wrongful Death” (November 5, 2012)
• ”Father’s Will Dictates Sham Marriage” (December 21, 2012)
• “Seeds of Controversy” (January 28, 2013)
• “A Reckless Act?” (February 26, 2013)
• “Stripping Away the Mysteries of the Probate Exception” (April 23, 2013)
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Please be advised that any response to this email does not create an attorney-client relationship and, therefore, no attorney-client privilege is attached by this communication. You should not send any confidential information to the firm until you have received a written agreement from the firm to perform legal services on your behalf. Unless you have received such a written agreement, we will not consider any correspondence you send us as confidential. Do you agree with these terms?
ACCEPT the terms or Cancel the email.