On behalf of Jill Metz After the ruling issued on June 26, 2015, by the U.S. Supreme Court, marriage for gay and lesbian couples is now a possibility in all 50 states. Although Illinois has had marriage equality since 2014, the Court’s ruling in the marriage equality case Obergefell v Hodges has made marriage for... Read More

On behalf of Jill Metz Legal and financial tools can help families plan for Alzheimer’s, dementia, and the need for long-term care. Alzheimer’s and dementia are terrifying diseases. Upon diagnosis, numerous fears present themselves, among them issues of estate planning. People diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease and dementia fear that they will become a burden on... Read More

A MESSAGE FROM JILL METZ 2013 was an amazing year in the law for inclusiveness and equality. This year the constitutional framework of our country was reinforced and strengthened with the overturn of the Defense of Marriage Act and one state after another, including Illinois, recognizing same-sex marriages. After my 35 years in the law,... Read More

On behalf of Jill Metz Most people are at least generally aware of the importance of estate planning. Typically, when one thinks about estate planning, it brings to mind someone executing a last will and testament so their worldly possessions can pass as they desire to their intended beneficiaries. Somewhat more rarely does estate planning... Read More

Illinois’ new law allowing same-sex marriage has brought equality — and unique family law issues — to the state. The Illinois Freedom of Religion and Marriage Fairness Act went into effect in the beginning of June. According to Equality Illinois, over 5,000 same-sex couples have since tied the knot and become entitled to the same... Read More

Publicity surrounding actor Philip Seymour Hoffman’s death has sparked awareness about the importance of creating an estate plan. The death of Oscar-winning actor Philip Seymour Hoffman has brought widespread media attention since his passing this past February. News outlets everywhere profiled the details surrounding his death and now many are talking about his estate plan.... Read More

Same-sex couples can now take advantage of state and federal tax benefits. The Pew Research Center reports that over 70,000 same-sex couples have legally married following the repeal of key provisions of the federal Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA) in 2013. Since that time, several states – Illinois among them – have legalized the marriage... Read More

Before you leave for a vacation, take the time to review and update your estate plan’s beneficiary designations, incapacity documents and insurance coverage. Now that the weather has turned warm, many are eagerly planning their summer vacations. Few people include “review estate plans” on their “to do” list prior to departing, but it should be... Read More

McAfee reports that a global study asked consumers to assign values to digital assets such as photograph libraries, entertainment files and personal information which is stored on and/or readily accessible via computers, tablets and smartphones. According to the study, consumers placed an average value of over $37,000 on the digital assets they own. In the... Read More

Illinois passed a law last year that allowed for same-sex marriages within the state. While it had previously allowed for civil unions for these couples, the new law confers many more opportunities and benefits for couples who choose to marry. Some changes have already gone into effect and the remaining changes will go into effect... Read More