Estate Planning: Wills

Palatine Wills Lawyers

A Will is a statement which controls the disposition of assets of person at his or her death. Wills may take other forms than being written; however, the most common will form is a written will.

The most common types of written Wills may be characterized as a Simple Will, a Complex Will or a Pour Over Will.

Wills should be executed under the law of the state where the person writing the will, sometimes called the Testator, lives. Under Illinois law, in order for a written will to be valid, it must have the following characteristics:

1. The Testator must have capacity- that is, he or she must have the appropriate mental state to write a will;
2. The Will must be witnessed by persons who have obtained the minimum statutory age and who are not "interested" in the estate of the person writing the Will.
3. The Testator must not be unduly influenced or otherwise under duress when writing the Will.

At Waltz, Palmer & Dawson, LLC, we take these minimal statutory considerations to heart. When executing documents, we take care to ensure that the document itself is correctly written and to establish the mental state and desires of the Testator. Clients are assured that their Wills are executed with appropriate formality and attention to detail.

There are many benefits to signing a valid will. By signing a will, a client may achieve the following:

• Reduce Probate Costs by Using Independent Probate
• Eliminate the Bond Fee in Probate
• Name Beneficiaries Outside of Statutory Scheme
• Name the Executor
• Detail the Role of the Executor
• Detail Burial/Final Disposition Requests
• Name Guardian of Minor Children
• Provide for Contingent Beneficiaries/ Guardians and Executors

Learn more about Probate

Learn more about Simple Wills

Learn more about Complex Wills

Learn more about Pour Over Wills

Learn more about Trusts

For more information contact us at 847-253-8800 or This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it