Allison K. Pfeifle

Partner

Allison is dedicated to empowering her clients to make informed decisions about complex estate planning and fiduciary issues.

Allison Pfeifle Portrait

Allison is a strategic tax and estate planning attorney with a diverse professional background. She takes pride in translating her clients’ complex planning issues into more digestible concepts. When counseling clients, Allison draws on her experience within the legal and financial services industries, including private practice, work for a family office, and managing complex fiduciary relationships for an established trust company.

Allison advises clients on wills and revocable trusts, lifetime gifting vehicles, estate and trust administration, and tax matters. Her clients include affluent individuals and families, family business owners, executives, trustees and executors, and private foundations.

Boards, Memberships & Certifications

Professional Memberships

  • Chicago Estate Planning Council, Member
  • Chicago Estate Planning Council, Networking Committee, Immediate Past Chair, (2021–2022 season), Co-Chair (2018-2019, 2020-2021 seasons)
  • Chicago Estate Planning Council, Programming Committee, Member (2024-2025 season, 2025-2026 season)
  • Illinois State Bar Association, Section on Trusts & Estates, Member
  • Chicago Bar Association, Member
  • Young Estate Planners Discussion Group, Member

Publications, Presentations & Recognitions 

Publications

  • “Is Your Trust Agreement Politically Correct?,” Trusts & Estates (Dec. 2024)
  • “Death, Disability, Divorce, and Disputes: Know What Your Company’s Governing Documents Dictate in the Event of a Crisis,” Schiff Hardin Alert (Jan. 2021)
  • “Enhanced Opportunity for GRATs as a Powerful Estate Planning Technique,” Schiff Hardin Alert (Mar. 2020)
  • “Co-Tax Reform: House and Senate Have Agreement in Principle on Tax Reform,” Schiff Hardin Alert (Dec. 2017) 

Presentations

  • “Help me Get My Feet Back On The Ground: Understanding and Calculating the Illinois Estate Tax,” Estate Planning Short Course 2025, IICLE, Conference (May 5, 2025)
  • “Fundamentals of the Illinois Trust Code,” Chicago Estate Planning Council, Webinar (Feb. 5, 2025)
  • “Essential Estate Tax Traps to Avoid,” IICLE, Webinar (Dec. 3, 2024)
  • “Fundamentals of the Illinois Trust Code,” Chicago Estate Planning Council, Webinar (Feb. 13, 2024)
  • “Fundamentals of the Illinois Trust Code,” Chicago Estate Planning Council, Webinar (Feb. 8, 2023)
  • “Portability Revisited,” Duke University 44th Annual Estate Planning Conference, Conference (Oct.14, 2022)
  • “Fundamentals of the Illinois Trust Code,” Chicago Estate Planning Council, Webinar (Feb. 2, 2022)
  • “Pivot Planning and Drafting to Maximize Flexibility,” Chicago Estate Planning Council, Webinar (Jan. 20, 2022)
  • “Estate Planning for the 99% Boot Camp,” IICLE, Webinar (Mar. 24, 2021)
  • “Fundamentals of the Illinois Trust Code,” Chicago Estate Planning Council, Webinar (Feb. 3, 2021)
  • “Illinois Uniform Powers of Appointment Act,” Illinois State Bar Association Continuing Legal Education, Chicago, Ill. (Dec. 13, 2018)
  • “Illinois Uniform Powers of Appointment Act,” Chicago Bar Association, Trust Law Committee, Chicago, Ill. (Nov. 12, 2018)

Recognitions 

  • Best Lawyers: Ones to Watch, Best Lawyers (2021-2024)

 

Insights