Current Employment Position(s)

Partner

Lawyer Overview

Primary Industries Served:

Estate Planning, Probate & Trust; Real Estate Law; Business Organizations; Business Planning; Business Successions; Non-Profit & Tax-Exempt Organizations.

Representative Clients

• Littler-Charitable Trust
• Defraitis Charitable Trust
• Illinois Scottish Rite Fund
• National Recreation Foundation
• US Bank Trust Department
• JP Morgan/Chase

Bar Admissions

• Illinois, 1973
• U.S. District Court Central District of Illinois, 1974
• U.S. Supreme Court, 1980
• U.S. Tax Court, 1981

Professional Associations and Memberships

• Abraham Lincoln Association, (1993 - Present) (Treasurer, Bylaws Chair and Endowment Committee)
• Abraham Lincoln Council of the Boy Scouts of America, (1983 - 2005) (Chair of Trust Committee (2000 - 2005) & Past President, (1991 - 1992))
• American Cancer Society, Distinguished Gift Committee, (2001 - 2003) (Past Executive Advisor)
• American Heart Association, Sangamon County Unit, Special Gifts Committee (Past Chair)
• Area Three Central Region, Boy Scouts of America, (2009) (President (2009 - Present))
• Bowdoin Alumni Schools Interviewing Committee (Past Member)
• First Presbyterian Church, (1991 - 1992) (Elder and Trust Management Chair)
• Greater Springfield Chamber of Commerce, (2000 - 2004) (Chair (2003) and Liaison to Economic Development Council (2000-2003))
• Illinois Institute for Continuing Legal Education, Estate Planning Short Course, Plan Committee (Member, (2007 - Present))
• Illinois State Bar Association, Estate Planning, Probate and Trust Section Council, (1986 - 1987) (Past Chair and Past Chair of Legislative Subcommittee (1986))
• Illinois State Museum Society, (1995 - Present) (Trustee)
• JC Penny Golden Rule Awards Judges Panel, (1999) (Past Chair)
• Land of Lincoln Goodwill Industries, (1983 - 1992) (Past Member)
• Leading Lawyers Network Advisory Panel, (2003 - Present)
• Memorial Medical Center Foundation, (2001 - 2005) (Board Member)
• National Recreation Foundation, (1992 - Present) (Secretary/Legal Counsel and Executive Committee Member)
• Rotary International, (1975 - Present) (R.I. Director (2005-2007), Exec. Committee (2006-2007))
• Rotary International, (1975 - Present) (R.I. Constitution & Bylaws Committee - Chair (2008-2010))
• Rotary Centers Major Gift Initiative, (2008 - 2010) (Committee Member)
• Sangamon County Bar Association, Memorials Committee (Member and Past Chair)
• Sangamon County Historical Society, (1982) (Past President)
• Sangamon Valley Estate Planning Council (Member)
• Scottish Rite, (1991) (Past Most Wise Master)
• SIU School of Medicine, Advisory Council, (1991 - 1996) (Past Member)
• Springfield Kids at Hope, (2006) (Incorporator)
• Springfield Parks Foundation, (2004 - Present) (Trustee)
• Springfield YMCA, (1989 - 1991) (Past Board Member)
• Springfield YMCA Capital Campaign, Special Gifts Committee, (1986 - 1987) (Past Chair)
• United Way of Central Illinois, (1996) (Past Campaign Chair)
• United Way Foundation, (2000) (Past Chair)

Honors and Awards

• Fellow, American Bar Foundation, (2002 - Present)
• Fellow, American College of Trust and Estate Counsel, (1998 - Present)
• Designated a "Super Lawyer" by Chicago Magazine, (2004 - Present)
• Selected a Leading Lawyer by Leading Lawyer Network, (2004 - Present)
• Selected by Leading Lawyer Network as One of "Top 50 Leading Consumer Lawyers in Downstate Illinois." (2008)
• Silver Beaver, Boy Scouts of America, (1993)
• Distinguished Eagle, Boy Scouts of America, (2002)
• Silver Wreath, National Eagle Scout Assn. A Lincoln Council
• 33rd Degree A.A.S.R., (1990)
• Citation for Meritorious Service, Rotary Foundation, (2001)
• Distinguished Service Award, Rotary Foundation, (2009)
• Lifetime Appreciation Award by Illinois Association of Park Districts, (2008)

Classes and Seminars

• Basic Probate in Illinois, N.B.I., (2009, 2002, 1988)
• Estate Planning & Probate in Illinois, N.B.I., (2000, 1996, 1993, 1992, 1987)
• Estate Planning, N.B.I., (1991)
• Basic Drafting of Wills & Trusts in Illinois, N.B.I., (1988)
• Trust Administration in Illinois - Lorman, (2008, 2007, 2006)
• Illinois Practical Probate, P.S.I., (1987)
• Mid-Year Meeting, I.S.B.A., (1986)
• Illinois Institute CLE - Basic Estate Administration, (2007)

Past Employment Positions

• Brown, Hay & Stephens, Partner (Associate), 1973 - Present
• Honorable Discharge-U.S. Army Reserve, Captain

Education

• University of Illinois College of Law, Champaign, Illinois, 1973
  J.D.
• Bowdoin College, Brunswick, Maine, 1970
  B.A.
• New Mexico State University, New Mexico
• University of Edinburgh, Scotland

Fraternities/Sororities

• Delta Kappa Epsilon
• Phi Delta Phi

References

• US Bank, Mary Jo Janssen, Trust Officer
• JP Morgan/Chase, Jennifer Rahn, Trust Officer
• Town & Country Bank, Thomas Gallagher, Trust Officer

Published Works

• Chapter-Basic Estate Administration, IICLE, 1989-1999
• Basic Probate in Illinois, N.B.I., 1988
• Basic Drafting of Wills & Trusts in Illinois, N.B.I., 1988
• Estate Planning, N.B.I., 1991
• Estate Planning & Probate in Illinois, N.B.I., 1987, 1992, 1993, 1996, 2000
• Illinois Practical Probate, N.B.I., 1987

Address

205 S. Fifth Street
Suite 700
Springfield, IL 62701

Phones

(217) 544-8491 (ext. 248)

Faxes

(217) 241-1333

Emails

Contact Us

Websites

http://www.bhslaw.com