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Illinois follows the "reasonable compensation" standard for trustees760 ILCS 3/708Verified May 31, 2026. Courts decide what's reasonable on a case-by-case basis, looking at trust size, complexity, and the trustee's actual work. Family-member trustees often waive the fee entirely. Professional trustees (banks, trust companies, attorneys) typically charge between 0.5% and 1.5% of trust assets per year, with corporate fiduciaries usually applying minimum annual fees. The Illinois trustee compensation calculator breaks it down by trust situation.
Trust administration in Illinois is typically faster than probate because trusts don't require court supervision. The main floor is the creditor claim period — 9 months in Illinois — during which the trustee can't safely make final distributions. Simple trusts often wrap up in 6-9 months; trusts that hold business interests, real property in multiple states, or that need to file estate tax returns can take longer. See the Illinois trustee checklist for the full process.
Estate planning attorneys in Illinois average $334 per hourClio Legal Trends Report 2025Verified Jan 1, 2025 for wills and estates work. Flat-fee packages run roughly $1,002–$2,004 for a simple individual will and $3,680–$5,520 for a basic revocable trust. Online and DIY services cost $30–$300 for the same documents — see the will cost calculator for a side-by-side comparison.
Illinois has a generous small-estate threshold of $150,000. Estates under that line can use the Small Estate Affidavit procedure, which is a form rather than a court case — most families can handle it without an attorney. For estates above the threshold, formal probate generally benefits from counsel because of the procedural overhead, even when nothing is contested. The Illinois probate calculator estimates total costs based on estate value.
In Illinois, the situations where retaining counsel is typically worth the cost are: blended families with children from prior relationships; ownership of a business, rental property, or significant investment assets; special-needs dependents who need a special-needs trust to preserve benefits; estates near or above the Illinois estate tax threshold; substantial property held in multiple states. If none of these describe your situation, the simpler online and DIY tools are often enough.
Search 3,941 estate law firms across 51 states.
Firm listings are for informational purposes only. SimplyTrust does not endorse or recommend any specific firm or attorney. Contact firms directly to discuss your situation and verify their current practice areas and availability.
22 firms
One of the largest and most established law firms in Kane County, with over 35 years advising clients on estate planning, asset protection, and tax matters. Offices in South Elgin and Huntley serving the greater Fox Valley and Chicago suburban area.
Location
2000 McDonald Road, Suite 200South Elgin, IL 60177
Phone
(847) 695-2400
Established
1986
Service Area
6 counties
Park Ridge firm with over 40 years of experience in estate planning, wills, trusts, probate, and trust/estate litigation including disputes over undue influence, fraud, and fiduciary matters.
Location
15 N. Northwest HighwayPark Ridge, IL 60068
Phone
(847) 823-9030
Service Area
1 county
Mount Vernon law firm established in 1990 with eight attorneys providing estate planning, wills, trusts, probate, and corporate law services to Jefferson County and surrounding southern Illinois.
Location
108 South Ninth StreetMount Vernon, IL 62864
Phone
(618) 242-3310
Established
1990
Service Area
5 counties
Peoria-based law firm providing estate planning and probate services to families in Peoria, Tazewell, Woodford, Fulton, Marshall, and Stark counties.
Location
330 NE Perry AvePeoria, IL 61603
Phone
(309) 685-7900
Service Area
6 counties
Mattoon-based estate planning firm whose attorneys regularly prepare wills, trusts, powers of attorney, living wills, and transfer-on-death instruments. The firm also handles probate, non-probate, and trust administration matters for Coles County and surrounding communities.
Location
1400 Charleston Avenue, Suite 200Mattoon, IL 61938
Phone
(217) 234-7123
Service Area
7 counties
Chicago estate planning firm on the Magnificent Mile providing wills, trusts, kids protection planning, guardianship, asset protection planning, conservatorship, special needs planning, estate tax protection, probate, and trust administration with a flat-fee billing model.
Location
875 N. Michigan Avenue, Floor 31Chicago, IL 60611
Phone
(312) 248-4304
Service Area
1 county
One of the largest law firms in southern Illinois, established in 1909. Provides estate planning, probate, trust administration, asset protection, and business succession planning throughout the region.
Location
2001 W. Main Street, Suite 101Carbondale, IL 62901
Phone
(618) 529-3000
Established
1909
Service Area
5 counties
Frankfort-based firm advising clients through estate planning and probate issues, covering Will and Cook counties.
Location
10075 W. Lincoln Highway, Floor 1Frankfort, IL 60423
Phone
(708) 766-7333
Service Area
2 counties
Established in 1982 (formerly Glenn & West, rebranded as West & Ginos), the firm serves clients throughout Montgomery County and surrounding communities with estate planning, wills, trusts, guardianships, and probate and non-probate estate administration. Every legal professional at the firm is a native or current resident of Montgomery County.
Location
118 West Ryder StreetLitchfield, IL 62056
Phone
(217) 324-7777
Established
1982
Service Area
6 counties
Established Peoria firm with a robust estate planning team of seven attorneys covering estate planning, probate, trust administration, and elder law throughout central Illinois.
Location
401 Main Street, Suite 1400Peoria, IL 61602
Phone
(309) 637-1400
Established
1997
Service Area
4 counties