Illinois Probate: The Basics

UPDATED: Aug 28, 2024

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UPDATED: Aug 28, 2024Fact Checked

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Jeffrey Johnson

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Jeffrey Johnson is a legal writer with a focus on personal injury. He has worked on personal injury and sovereign immunity litigation in addition to experience in family, estate, and criminal law. He earned a J.D. from the University of Baltimore and has worked in legal offices and non-profits in Maryland, Texas, and North Carolina. He has also earned an MFA in screenwriting from Chapman Univer...

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Mary Martin has been a legal writer and editor for over 20 years, responsible for ensuring that content is straightforward, correct, and helpful for the consumer. In addition, she worked on writing monthly newsletter columns for media, lawyers, and consumers. Ms. Martin also has experience with internal staff and HR operations. Mary was employed for almost 30 years by the nationwide legal publi...

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UPDATED: Aug 28, 2024

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It’s all about you. We want to help you make the right legal decisions.

We strive to help you make confident insurance and legal decisions. Finding trusted and reliable insurance quotes and legal advice should be easy. This doesn’t influence our content. Our opinions are our own.

Editorial Guidelines: We are a free online resource for anyone interested in learning more about legal topics and insurance. Our goal is to be an objective, third-party resource for everything legal and insurance related. We update our site regularly, and all content is reviewed by experts.

UPDATED: Aug 28, 2024

Advertiser Disclosure

It’s all about you. We want to help you make the right legal decisions.

We strive to help you make confident insurance and legal decisions. Finding trusted and reliable insurance quotes and legal advice should be easy. This doesn’t influence our content. Our opinions are our own.

UPDATED: Aug 28, 2024Fact Checked

Illinois probate, the laws that deal with the collection and distribution of a dead person’s estate, can seem complex and unapproachable. However, it is possible in many cases to approach Illinois probate yourself. Read on for more information about do-it-yourself Illinois probate.

How to Bypass Illinois Probate

Luckily, some types of property can bypass the Illinois probate process altogether. These include property that is jointly held (co-owned houses, cars, or bank accounts) and contract assets such as IRAs, living trusts, or life insurance policies. Consult with an experienced Illinois probate attorney to discuss the potential tax consequences of planning an estate with non-probate assets.

Additional Illinois Probate Resources:

Illinois Circuit Courts Website

Illinois Probate Code

First Circuit
Second Circuit
Third Circuit
Fourth Circuit
Fifth Circuit
Sixth Circuit
Seventh Circuit
Eighth Circuit
Ninth Circuit
Tenth Circuit
Eleventh Circuit
Twelfth Circuit
Thirteenth Circuit 
Fourteenth Circuit
Fifteenth Circuit
Sixteenth Circuit
Seventeenth Circuit
Eighteenth Circuit
Nineteenth Circuit — Probate Court
Twentieth Circuit
Twenty-first Circuit
Twenty-second Circuit
Twenty-third Circuit

Also, see our article on Illinois Probate Procedure

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Jeffrey Johnson

Insurance Lawyer

Jeffrey Johnson is a legal writer with a focus on personal injury. He has worked on personal injury and sovereign immunity litigation in addition to experience in family, estate, and criminal law. He earned a J.D. from the University of Baltimore and has worked in legal offices and non-profits in Maryland, Texas, and North Carolina. He has also earned an MFA in screenwriting from Chapman Univer...

Insurance Lawyer

Mary Martin

Published Legal Expert

Mary Martin has been a legal writer and editor for over 20 years, responsible for ensuring that content is straightforward, correct, and helpful for the consumer. In addition, she worked on writing monthly newsletter columns for media, lawyers, and consumers. Ms. Martin also has experience with internal staff and HR operations. Mary was employed for almost 30 years by the nationwide legal publi...

Published Legal Expert

Editorial Guidelines: We are a free online resource for anyone interested in learning more about legal topics and insurance. Our goal is to be an objective, third-party resource for everything legal and insurance related. We update our site regularly, and all content is reviewed by experts.

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