The Stejkowski Law Firm, LLC

05/02/2026

Estate planning should not feel like a form-filling exercise.

Every family is different. The right plan depends on your assets, your people, your goals, and the problems you want to avoid.

At The Stejkowski Law Firm, you work directly with me. The goal is simple: clear guidance, practical documents, and a plan that works when it matters.

04/24/2026

Had a call yesterday with a prospective client.

Their relative passed away about a month ago. A trust was prepared by a large firm in the late 1980s and the relative amended it several times over the years.

Sounds like good planning, right?

Except for one problem:

Neither of his real estate properties were ever transferred into the trust.

So now… probatesville.

This is the part people miss. A trust only controls what it actually owns. If assets aren’t properly titled, the plan doesn’t work the way you think it does.

Estate planning is not just signing documents. It’s making sure everything is coordinated and funded correctly.

If you’re not sure whether your plan is fully implemented, it’s worth checking.

04/10/2026

We took the week off to go to Paris with my our 83 year old mom! Looking forward to returning and earning your business and your five star reviews like this one!

04/01/2026

Ready to receive our first clients at our new signing table!

03/29/2026

However undeserved I think this honor was, I was nonetheless very pleased to receive an award last night from the Santacruzan Cultural Society of Greater Chicago for outstanding religious service. The fashion show, dinner, and awards were held at the Naperville Embassy Suites. It was also a great opportunity to spend the night at our Hampton Inn hotel next door!

03/16/2026

It is not always easy to say no when someone comes to you with a real problem.

Part of practicing in narrow areas, though, is recognizing what I handle, what I don't handle, and when someone would be better served by another lawyer.

A recent example was an inquiry about tornado-related personal property loss. Especially given all the damage we have had here lately after the storms, that is a serious situation, but it is not the kind of matter I handle. I do not take property damage claims, insurance disputes, or any kind of litigation or matter that involves a court appearance.

I am also careful about how much I take on at one time. Sometimes I have to ask prospective clients to wait so I can serve the clients I am already working with properly.

My practice is and always has been intentionally limited, and I am highly selective about the matters I accept even within those narrow areas. That is by design. It allows me to stay focused and provide a high level of service to the people who have trusted me with important matters.

Sometimes the right answer is a candid no. Sometimes it is not yet. Either way, good service and good lawyering starts with honesty.

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02/27/2026

So true. Whenever I record a deed, the client gets a true correct copy of that emailed to them immediately. There’s no need to avail yourself of these scammers.

02/03/2026

My not-so-secret weapon.

This is my wife, Maria. She’s a physician. She’s brilliant. She knows the hard questions to ask. She’s the best businessperson I know. And she’s the calm, steady presence behind much of what we do at the firm.

When she’s not seeing patients, she joins me for intake meetings—often in clients’ homes, where people are most at ease and have important documents close at hand.

Estate planning lives at the intersection of law, medicine, and real life. Having a doctor—and someone of Maria’s caliber—in the room changes the conversation for the better.

I’m grateful every day for her insight, judgment, and perspective.

01/28/2026

Will + Transfer-on-Death Instrument vs. Revocable Living Trust: Which One’s Right for You?

I get this question constantly: “Do I really need a trust, or can I just do a will with a transfer-on-death instrument (TODI)?”

The honest answer: both work, depending on your situation.

The Will/TODI approach is simpler and cheaper upfront. You keep a will, add transfer-on-death designations to your real estate and bank accounts, and everything passes directly to your beneficiaries when you die. No probate, no court.

The catch? You have to remember to add those designations every time you buy property or open a new account. Miss one, and that asset goes through probate anyway. And if you become incapacitated and need to sell real estate, your power of attorney *should* work, but banks and title companies can be skittish, which sometimes means court intervention.

The trust approach costs more upfront and requires retitling your assets into the trust. But once it’s funded, everything passes privately without court involvement, your successor trustee can step in seamlessly if you’re incapacitated, and you can add protections if your kids are minors, have creditor issues, are in rocky marriages, or just aren’t great with money yet.

Think of it this way: the will/TODI plan is a direct handoff. Clean and simple if nothing goes wrong. The trust is a controlled landing. More structure, more protection, more flexibility if life gets complicated.

Which one makes sense depends on your assets, your family situation, and how much risk you’re comfortable with. That’s what the conversation is really about.

Questions? That’s what we’re here for.

01/25/2026

I’ve been receiving a lot of inquiries lately about reviewing estate plans drafted by other attorneys.

I don’t do second-opinion reviews because I can’t second-guess drafting decisions and judgment calls made by someone else.

What I do: prepare new planning that I draft personally and take full responsibility for after getting to know you and understanding your needs.

If your original attorney is available, start there: they know your file and the drafting decisions behind it. If you want or need fresh planning, please reach out.

01/22/2026

I’m honored to be named a 2026 Super Lawyers® honoree in Real Estate Law.

This recognition reflects peer review and independent research, and I’m especially proud to be the only real estate attorney recognized outside the Chicagoland market in Illinois this year.

Thank you to colleagues and clients for the trust you place in my work.

01/17/2026

California is one of the most demanding jurisdictions in the country for legal practice.

To properly advise clients whose assets or planning involve multiple states—without shortcuts or assumptions—I have reactivated my California law license, originally earned in 1993.

When the law is complex, experience and jurisdiction matter.