At Metz & Jones LLC, we provide estate planning services for LGBTQ+ individuals and families throughout Chicago and across Illinois. Our attorneys help clients create wills, trusts, powers of attorney, and other important estate planning documents designed to protect their loved ones and financial interests.
We proudly assist clients throughout Boystown, Andersonville, Lakeview, Edgewater, Lincoln Park, and surrounding Chicago communities. Our legal team has decades of experience helping LGBTQ+ individuals and same-sex couples create estate plans that reflect their wishes and long-term goals.
Creating a thoughtful estate plan plays an important role in protecting your assets, your partner, and your family. Whether you are preparing your first will or exploring same-sex wills and trusts as part of a broader estate plan, our attorneys are here to provide clear and compassionate guidance.
At Metz & Jones LLC, we build long-standing relationships with our clients through responsive service and personalized legal support. Contact our wills and trust attorneys in Chicago today to schedule a consultation.
What Is the Difference Between a Will and a Trust?
Wills and trusts are both important estate planning tools, but they serve different purposes and become effective at different times. A trust takes effect as soon as you create and fund it, while a will only takes effect after your death.
A will allows you to outline how you want your property and finances distributed. It also names a representative to carry out your wishes. In addition to asset distribution, a will can:
- Name guardians for minor children
- Provide funeral instructions
- Clarify how personal property should be distributed
A trust offers additional flexibility by allowing you to manage assets during your lifetime and establish instructions for the future. Trusts can also help address long-term planning concerns and asset management if you become incapacitated.
When creating a trust, you appoint a trustee to manage the assets placed into the trust. Unlike a will, a trust only controls the assets specifically transferred into it.
Together, wills and trusts create a more complete estate plan that protects your interests during life and after death. Our will and trust attorneys in Chicago help LGBTQ+ individuals and families determine which estate planning tools best fit their needs.
Benefits of Trusts
Trusts offer several important advantages for individuals, couples, and families planning for the future.
Some benefits of trusts include:
- Helping loved ones avoid probate
- Allowing assets to transfer more efficiently and privately
- Providing instructions for how and when beneficiaries receive assets
- Protecting financial privacy since trusts generally do not become public record
- Supporting long-term planning in the event of disability or incapacity
- Managing a wide range of assets, including:
- Real estate
- Bank accounts
- Investment accounts
- Life insurance policies
- Personal property
For many same-sex couples and LGBTQ+ families, trusts provide an additional level of clarity and legal protection that supports long-term planning goals.
Why Wills and Trusts Are Important
Wills and trusts form the foundation of many estate plans. Without a valid will, Illinois courts distribute your property according to the state’s intestate succession laws. That process may not reflect your wishes or your family structure.
Creating a legally valid will allows you to maintain control over important decisions involving your assets, beneficiaries, and loved ones.
Trusts can further strengthen your estate plan by helping manage and protect assets over time. They can also help simplify asset transfers and reduce unnecessary complications for surviving family members.
For LGBTQ+ individuals and couples, same-sex wills and trusts remain especially important. Even with legal protections in place today, comprehensive estate planning can help address unique family, parenting, financial, and healthcare concerns. Proper legal documentation may help:
- Protect chosen family relationships
- Clarify decision-making authority
- Support non-biological parental relationships
- Outline medical and financial wishes
- Preserve assets for partners and beneficiaries
At Metz & Jones LLC, our wills and trust attorneys in Chicago work closely with LGBTQ+ clients to create estate plans tailored to their individual circumstances and goals.
Estate Planning for the LGBTQ+ Community
For more than 40 years, Metz & Jones LLC has proudly served the LGBTQ+ community throughout Chicago and Illinois. Our attorneys understand the legal and financial concerns that can affect same-sex couples, transgender individuals, unmarried partners, and LGBTQ+ families.
Estate planning needs often change over time. Marriage, civil unions, adoption, separation, retirement, property ownership, and changes in financial circumstances can all affect your estate plan.
A comprehensive estate plan can help you:
- Protect your partner and family
- Plan for healthcare decisions
- Outline financial wishes
- Prepare for unexpected life events
- Preserve assets for future generations
At Metz & Jones LLC, we provide compassionate and thoughtful legal guidance in a welcoming and affirming environment. We are committed to helping LGBTQ+ individuals and families in neighborhoods such as Lakeview, Andersonville, Boystown, Lincoln Park, and Edgewater create estate plans with confidence.
Contact Metz & Jones LLC
To schedule a consultation with one of our attorneys, contact Metz & Jones LLC today. Our wills and trust attorneys in Chicago have decades of experience helping LGBTQ+ individuals, same-sex couples, and families navigate estate planning matters throughout Illinois.
Whether you are creating your first will, exploring trusts, or updating an existing estate plan, our legal team is here to help you move forward with clarity and peace of mind.
Call (773) 878-4480 today to speak with our team.
Serving the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender Community and Friends in Chicago, Cook County, and Across Illinois.