Barrington Office: 224.848.4646       Oak Brook Office: 224.633.1932

Kenneth A. Piercey

Kenneth A. Piercey, Partner

kenneth@pierceyassociates.com*
224-848-4645

Ken assists high net worth clients with proper estate planning, estate tax elimination, asset protection, special needs planning, probate, medicaid and long term care planning, business success planning, and tax reduction strategies. His approach to client relationships is one of simplifying the overall choices available to them. As such, they make the best decisions for themselves and their heirs. As a Christian attorney, Ken is one of the few Qualified Member Attorneys of Kingdom Advisors – a nonprofit organization dedicated to providing Biblical wisdom to financial and estate planning. He handles probate and guardianship cases in Cook, Lake, McHenry, DuPage, Kane, DeKalb, and Winnebago Counties in Illinois as well as all Wisconsin counties.

Representative Experience

  • Has successfully completed over one thousand estate plans
  • Has served as trustee for trusts with assets in excess of $10 million
  • With frequency, is asked to review and comment on existing estate plans created by other attorneys
  • Has reduced Federal and state estate taxes for clients with assets in excess of $15 million
  • Protected a beneficiary of a trust against a potential claim in excess of $700K, so that no amount was due
  • Frequently retained to prove heirship, remove funds from the County Treasurer and distribute the funds to their rightful owners
  • Has represented a corporate client with assets in excess of $1 trillion
  • Obtained over $5 million in judgment orders for clients and heirs whom might otherwise not have received any inheritance
  • Successfully disinherited a beneficiary of a trust who was convicted of murdering the grantor of the trust
  • Successfully removed a trustee from a trust for the benefit of the trust beneficiaries
  • Assisted in the creation of the Legacy Defender Trust®.

Elder and Disability Law

  • Has assisted clients with applying for Veteran’s Affairs benefits for the elderly and disabled
  • With frequency, advises clients on various long-term care strategies – many of which are exempt from the five (5) year Medicaid look-back period
  • Successfully drafted and implemented irrevocable trusts compliant with the Medicaid exemption rules
  • Frequently advises clients regarding guardianship and incapacitation issues

    Publications and Distinctions

    • Author of “Creative Estate Planning: Solving Common Estate Planning Problems with Innovative Solutions” published by the Illinois State Bar Association.
    • Author of “Trusts Used for Tax Reduction” and “Grantor Trusts” Published by the National Business Institute™.
    • Lectured to attorneys, CPAs, and retired IRS agents on the taxation of trusts and tax reduction strategies
    • Served as an expert witness on trust interpretation in a murder trial by jury
    • Quoted by the Daily Herald
    • Was a guest speaker on AM 560
    • Recognized by the Chicago Tribune, the Wall Street Journal, The American Lawyer, The National Law Journal, and Corporate Counsel magazines.

    Education

    • John Marshall Law School, Chicago, Illinois
    • Regularly participates in the Heckerling Institute on Estate Planning’s educational program – one of the nation’s leading (if not the best) conference on estate planning
    • Licensed to practice law in Illinois and Wisconsin