Sarah Kerr Severson

Client Work

• Guiding individuals and multigenerational families through estate, trust and guardianship litigation and administration.
• Serving as special counsel to individuals and multigenerational families when conflicts arise.  
• Assisting multigenerational families with developing and adopting a business succession plan, including educating the next generation.
• Educating clients about charitable planning techniques, establishing the charitable entity and advising on all administrative processes.
• Creating the blueprint and facilitating implementation of comprehensive, client-specific, leveraged wealth transfer techniques.
• Counseling clients through the unique planning and solutions available to individuals with special needs and disabilities, ranging from special needs trusts to guardianships.
• Advising individual and corporate fiduciaries on all aspects of administration and liability, ranging from fiduciary best practices and risk management to representation in litigation. 
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Publications, Presentations & Recognitions

Presentations

Sarah frequently lectures on a wide range of estate planning topics. Her audiences include professional advisory groups, employer-sponsored seminars, corporate clients and the Illinois Institute of Continuing Legal Education (IICLE). Topics on which Sarah has spoken include:

• “AI in Estate Planning: Ethical and Practical Considerations”
• “Incapacity: How to Talk About It, Identify It, and Prepare For It”
• “The Engaged Beneficiary: What You Need to Know” 
• “Diagnostic Tools for Estate and Business Succession Planning”
• “Becoming Financially Savvy”
• “Planning with Life Insurance: Opportunities and Obstacles”
• “Personal Wealth Action Plans for Private Equity Professionals”
• “How to Inform, Inspire and Integrate the Next Generation”
• “Time-Sensitive Estate and Gift Planning Opportunities”
• “Managing Fiduciary Risk”
• “Successful Women Invest in Themselves”
• “Am I Too Young For Estate Planning?”
• “Preparer Guide to the Federal Estate Tax Return”
• “Planning With Disclaimers”
• “Planning For Disabled Beneficiaries”
• “A Roadmap Through the Estate Planning Process”
• “Business Succession Planning Tips”
• “Special Issues in Illinois Guardianships”
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Publications

• Litigation in Illinois Guardianships,” in Estate, Trust, and Guardianship Litigation, 2002 Edition (2006 Update), Illinois Institute of Continuing Legal Education 

Recognitions

• Chambers High Net Worth – Private Wealth Law, Illinois (2018-2024)
• The Best Lawyers in America, Best Lawyers (2021-2024)
• Illinois Leading Lawyer, Law Bulletin’s Illinois Leading Lawyers Network (2011-2021)
• Top 100 Women Consumer Lawyers, Law Bulletin’s Illinois Leading Lawyer’s Network (2013)
• Rising Star, Anti-Defamation League (2010)
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Boards, Memberships & Certifications

Boards

• Mark Morton Memorial Fund, President

Memberships

• Chicago Bar Association
• Family Wealth Alliance
• Illinois State Bar Association
• La Grange Lawyers League