Polish Speaking Estate Planning Lawyer

Legal Help With Trusts, Wills, and Advance Directives in Your Language

The Chicago area plays host to a thriving Polish community. Between our lovely Polish Village downtown and smaller Polish neighborhoods throughout the region, the Chicago Metropolitan area is home to an estimated 1.5 million people with Polish heritage. Chicago has often been billed as the most Polish city outside of Poland, and it is easy to see why. Many members of this celebrated population are Polish immigrants who speak Polish, rather than English, as a first language.

Whitacre & Stefanczuk LTD serves this population by providing Polish-language legal services, with a focus on estate planning. The "legalese" that comes with estate planning can sometimes be confusing even for native English speakers. We value clear communication with our clients, which means speaking to you in your own language. At our firm, you can communicate with your estate planning attorney in your native Polish language.

Polish-Speaking Chicago Lawyer for Wills and Trusts

Testamentary estate planning involves using a will or trust to decide how your remaining property should be distributed after you pass away. Both wills and trusts come with advantages and disadvantages, which we will discuss with you to help you make the best possible decisions.

Wills are submitted to the probate court after the testator's death. The probate court's role is to supervise the process of settling debts, taking an inventory of the estate's assets, and finally, making distributions to your chosen beneficiaries. It can sometimes be a difficult process with a lot of steps and potential pitfalls.

If you have minor children, you should use a will so that you can name the person you would want to raise your children in your absence should the need arise.

Trusts, on the other hand, do not need to go through a probate court. The person you choose to take over managing your trust when you can no longer do so (the "successor trustee") can begin making distributions immediately with no court oversight. You can use a trust to make more gradual distributions over time, or you can offer your successor trustee some discretion.

There are multiple different types of trusts. Our lawyers will help you determine which type or types of trusts will best serve you and your future beneficiaries.

Many Polish immigrants and their descendants still own some property in Poland. This can create a complicated legal situation that we can work with you to help resolve during the process of estate planning and estate administration.

Attorney for Advance Directives in Cook County

For many people of Polish heritage, attitudes toward end-of-life care are culturally informed. It may be difficult for you to deal with the subjects of terminal illness, palliative care, and care following age-related incapacity. You have choices regarding these matters, and these choices belong only to you.

In Illinois, you can use several different types of documents collectively called "advance directives" to make many of these decisions for yourself. Living wills allow you to directly make decisions about whether you would want life-prolonging care if you were terminally ill and mentally incapacitated. These subjects can be very personal and very emotionally driven, which is why it is so important for you to take control now.

Powers of attorney allow you to appoint trusted family members or close friends to start making decisions for you in the event that you can no longer manage your own health care or finances. It is wise to choose individuals who you believe will respect your personal wishes completely. You can use separate powers of attorney for health care decisions and financial management. You can also set out specifically what your agent can and cannot do.

Our goal is to help you make sure that your wishes regarding health care will be followed, even if you reach a point where you can no longer express your preferences and desires.

Contact a Polish-Speaking Illinois Estate Planning Lawyer

Whitacre & Stefanczuk LTD can help you create a comprehensive estate plan that suits your unique personal and cultural needs, and we can do so in your own native Polish language. Our experienced Polish-speaking attorneys will work to ensure that your testamentary and health care wishes will be respected. Call us at 773-622-6100 for a free consultation or fill out an online contact form to arrange a free consultation. We serve clients throughout the greater Chicago area.