Insights
Practical information from Mahou Law for Illinois families, founders, and professionals.
Forming an Illinois LLC creates a business entity. Trademark law governs the names customers use to identify what you sell. Your business may need both, and the filing does not substitute for the search.
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Signing the trust is only the start. Learn how Illinois revocable living trusts work, which assets need funding, and what your successor trustee can manage.
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Illinois calls it a transfer on death instrument. Learn how it can keep real estate out of probate, what signing and recording require, and when a trust adds needed management.
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A property power of attorney ends when the principal dies, but certain health care powers survive. Learn what authority remains and what replaces it.
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Illinois uses separate property and health care powers of attorney. Learn what each form controls, when authority begins, and which signing rules matter.
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The conversation stalls because nobody knows how to start it without sounding like they're counting the money. Start with who decides, not with what things are worth.
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Execution mistakes can make an Illinois property power of attorney ineffective, and a valid health care power may not provide immediate record access unless the student chooses that authority. HIPAA, FERPA, and Illinois mental health law each add separate rules.
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A will works. It just works in a courtroom. What Illinois probate timelines, the $4 million estate tax exemption, and a business interest mean for the choice between a will and a trust.
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Illinois raised the limit to $150,000 in August 2025 and took vehicles out of the calculation entirely. Many guides online still cite the old number. Here's the current rule and how the affidavit actually works.
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Naming a guardian in your will is a nomination, not an appointment, and courts take time. In the hours immediately after a crisis, a trusted family member may have no legal authority to act. Illinois gives parents a document that closes that gap the moment they sign it.
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Most advice on this topic still cites a small estate threshold that changed in 2025. What actually triggers an Illinois probate case, the tools that keep you out, and the rare situation where probate is the smarter choice.
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Congress made the $15 million federal exemption permanent. Illinois has taxed estates above $4 million since 2013, with no portability and no inflation adjustment. That gap is where Illinois families actually get hurt.
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Pets are legally property in Illinois, which means they can't inherit directly under a will. Here's how a properly drafted pet trust protects the animals you leave behind.
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Filing Articles of Organization online creates your Illinois LLC. It does not settle who owns what, who decides, or what happens when an owner leaves or dies. Here is what the filing covers and what it leaves to you.
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Many business owners wait until there's a problem to think about trademarks. By then, the options are fewer and the costs are higher. Here's when to act. Here's why.
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Most people assume a will is enough. In Illinois, it often isn't. Here's what a complete estate plan typically looks like — and why each piece matters.
Read ArticleThese articles are for general informational purposes and do not constitute legal advice. No attorney-client relationship is created by reading this content.
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