Peace Of Mind
By Elaine Doremus
By Elaine Doremus
It’s that time of the year—to reflect on 2018 and celebrate holidays, start thinking about New Year’s resolutions, and acknowledge that nagging feeling that there is something you’ve been putting off that needs to be addressed: estate, tax, and small business planning.
“The best time to do your plan is now, just do it,” says Mark O. Stern, business partner alongside Melanie Witt of Witt Law, P.C., and a North Shore native and current Lake Forester who understands the needs of discerning North Shore residents.
Often, the first hurdle (and one that leads to putting it off) is in finding the right firm to represent you. It seems like a daunting task but it doesn’t have to be. Now, there is a law firm servicing the North Shore, northwest suburbs, and Chicago that offers the perfect blend of a high-touch boutique office with the services and caliber of a downtown law firm.
Melanie Witt and Mark Stern, attorneys at Witt Law, P.C., are celebrating the first anniversary of the firm, which has offices downtown and in the North suburbs.
“We offer a level of personalized attention that distinguishes us from a large firm, yet we have the big law firm expertise,” says Witt, a University of Michigan and Notre Dame graduate, who was recently named one of the “10 Best Attorneys” in Illinois for estate planning. Before establishing her own firm, Witt was vice president and Trust Counsel at BMO Harris Bank, and then a partner in a large Chicago law firm.
Witt and Stern represent corporate fiduciaries and individuals in estate planning as well as executives, entrepreneurs, and small to medium size business owners. Their services range from the management of trusts and estates to philanthropic planning and business transaction planning, as well as premarital agreements and estate and tax issues raised by divorce or separation.
“The majority of my work is with entrepreneurs and small businesses needing responsive legal services with a nimbleness to respond to what people in the area deserve,” adds Stern, who brings a University of Chicago Law School degree and more than 20 years experience to the table, having practiced at the same Chicago firm with Witt.
The fact that Witt and Stern have worked together for 17 years brings its own level of synergy to the equation. She says, “Our experience working together offers a perfect blending of specialties for what most people need. Everyone needs an estate plan; everyone needs help with real estate from time to time; and business owners need and deserve the same level of expert legal advice and careful planning as large companies.”
“Yet, we are much more responsive and cost-effective for individual and small business clients,” adds Stern.
Witt says that the estate planning field in particular has changed immensely throughout the years, as people’s lifestyle and expectations have evolved at a rapid pace. “People want to not only live a full life, but they also want to leave a legacy for future generations,” she says.
“People tend to be busy at end of year,” adds Stern. “Having said that, I encourage everyone to make a resolution to get their plans organized and gain comfort in knowing that their affairs are in order.”
Call today and ring in 2019 with comfort and joy.
Witt Law, P.C. is located at 127 E. Main Street in Barrington, 847-387-3946, and at 77 W. Washington Street, Suite 1014, in Chicago, 312-613-6305, wittlaw.net.
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