Creating an estate plan is highly personal, and sometimes extremely sensitive, in nature given the purpose of the finished product. Given the importance of that finished product, choosing the right estate planning attorney to guide you through the process is imperative. The Cook County, Illinois estate planning attorneys at Hedeker Law, Ltd. understand what your estate plan means to you and your loved ones. Our goal is to create long term relationships with our clients so that we can help them create an initial estate plan as well as make changes to that plan when necessary throughout the course of their lives.
The History of Cook County, Illinois
The area was originally known as Cook County was created on January 15, 1831 and was carved out of Putnam County by an act of the Illinois General Assembly. Named after Daniel Cook, one of the earliest and youngest statesmen in Illinois history, Cook County was the 54th county to be established in Illinois. Less than a decade later, in 1839, the county would be diminished in size to its current land mass when DuPage County was carved out of Cook County. During the last 50 years, Cook County has seen several succession movements, although none have been successful.
Cook County, Illinois Today
Located at the very northeastern corner of Illinois along the Lake Michigan shoreline, Cook County encompasses over 1,600 square miles making it the largest county in Illinois. Thanks in large part to the fact that the City of Chicago – the third most populous city in the nation — is located in Cook County, the county has the distinction of being the second most populous county in the country after Los Angeles County. As of 2015, Cook County was home to over five million residents, with over 40 percent of all Illinois residents living in the county.
The sheer size of Cook County makes it stand out statistically, for example:
- The Cook County Department of Corrections, also known as the Cook County Jail, is the largest single-site jail in the nation.
- The Cook County Juvenile Detention Center, under the authority of the Chief Judge of the State court, is the first juvenile center in the nation and one of the largest in the nation.
- The Cook County Law Library is the second-largest county law library in the nation.
- The Bureau of Health Services administers the county’s public health services and is the third-largest public health system in the nation.
Although much of Cook County is high density residential and commercial land use, nature lovers will also find much to enjoy. The Cook County Forest Preserves, organized in 1915, includes a belt of 69,000 acres of forest reservations surrounding the city of Chicago. The Brookfield Zoo and the Chicago Botanic Garden are also located in the forest preserves.
Hedeker Law Ltd. in the Cook County, Illinois Community
Your estate plan will likely be one of the most important endeavors you undertake during your lifetime. At the Cook County, Illinois law firm of Hedeker Law ltd., we understand how important your plan is to you and to those you love which is why we have devoted our practice to helping people just like you to create an estate plan that reflects their unique estate planning goals and objectives. With that in mind, we would be honored to have the opportunity to help you create an estate plan that achieves all those estate planning goals.
We believe in creating lifelong relationship with our clients because an estate plan is not something that should be created and then not revisited. On the contrary, estate planning is a lifelong process that typically begins with a relatively simple plan that may include nothing more than a Last Will and Testament. As you move through the various stages of your life, however, your estate plan needs to be reviewed and revised to reflect that changes those stages bring. Marriage and/or parenthood, for example, may bring with it the need to include a trust in your estate plan along with incapacity planning strategies. Retirement planning and assets protection may also need to be incorporated into your plan as you get older. At some point, you will also need to think about Medicaid planning as well as funeral and burial plans to ensure that your retirement nest egg is safe and that your wishes will be honored at the end of your life. The attorneys and staff at Hedeker Law Ltd. are proud to be part of the Cook County, Illinois community and hope to have the opportunity to help you create an estate plan that protects you, your assets, and your loved ones while you are here and even after you are gone.
Contact Us
If you have additional questions or concerns regarding estate planning, or you are ready to get started on your plan, contact the Cook County, Illinois estate planning attorneys at Hedeker Law, Ltd. by calling (847) 913-5415 to schedule a consultation.
