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Jeffrey P. O’Kelley

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847-295-8886

Partner

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Jeffrey P. O'Kelley is a partner at Lesser Lutrey Pasquesi & Howe, LLP specializing in estate and trust litigation. He is also the lead chair of the Lake County Bar Association Trusts and Estates Committee, a role he has served in for several years. Mr. O'Kelley specializes in estate and trust disputes such as will and trust contests, claims for financial exploitation of the elderly and disabled, will and trust construction cases, complex fiduciary litigation and contested guardianship proceedings. In addition, Mr. O'Kelley has extensive appellate litigation experience, including the published decisions of In re Estate of Walsh (2012 IL App (2d) 110938) and In re Estate of LaPlume (2014 IL App (2d) 130945). Mr. O'Kelley also practices in the fields of estate planning and commercial litigation, as well as estate and trust administration. He has lectured at Loyola University School of Law, and he has written for the Illinois Bar Journal, the Illinois State Bar Association Trusts & Estates Newsletter, and the Lake County Bar Association Docket. He is an active member of both the Illinois State Bar Association and the Lake County Bar Association. Mr. O'Kelley graduated with honors from the Chicago-Kent College of Law, and he has been licensed to practice law in the State of Illinois since 2009.

Areas Of Practice

  • Estates and Trusts Litigation 70%
  • Estate Planning and Administration 20%
  • Commercial Litigation 10%

Bar Admissions

  • Illinois, 2009
  • U.S. District Court Northern District of Illinois, 2010

Education

  • Chicago-Kent College of Law, Illinois Institute of Technology, Chicago, Illinois
    • J.D. - 2009
    • Honors: With Honors
    • Honors: Recipient of Multiple CALI Awards
  • University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign, Illinois
    • B.A. - 2004
    • Major: English and Rhetoric

Published Works

  • The Evolving Law Surrounding Quantum Meruit Claims (co-author), ISBA Trusts and Estates Newsletter, Vol. 59, No. 6, 2013
  • Probate and ‘Underwater’ Real Estate: The Promise of LaPlume (co-author), Illinois Bar Journal, June, 2015
  • Financial Exploitation of an Elderly Person or Person with a Disability (co-author), Lake County Bar Association Docket, May, 2017

Representative Cases

  • In re Estate of Walsh, 2012 IL App (2d) 110938, 2012, 2nd Dist. App. Ct.
  • In re Estate of LaPlume, 2014 IL App (2d) 130945, 2014, 2nd Dist. App. Ct.

Classes/Seminars

  • Guest Lecturer at Loyola University School of Law
  • June 2015: Ethical Considerations in the Trust and Estate Context Waukegan, IL, LCBA
  • July 2015: Wills and Trusts, Everyday Law radio program, 98.3 WRLR FM
  • November 2015: Powers of Attorney, Everyday Law radio program, 98.3 WRLR FM
  • February 2016: The Basics of Estate Planning, Waukegan, IL LCBA
  • April 2016: Overview and Analysis of Estate of LaPlume, Libertyville, IL, LCBA
  • November 2016: The Ernie Banks Estate Controversy, Lake Forest, IL, LCBA
  • March 2017: An Overview of Wills and Trusts, Round Lake, IL
  • October 2017: The Deceased Debtor, Libertyville, IL, LCBA
  • October 2018: Interesting Issues in Fiduciary Litigation
  • November 2018: Probate Considerations in Litigation
  • Lake County Bar Association Trusts and Estates Committee, Annual committee seminar

Professional Associations and Memberships

  • Illinois State Bar Association, Member, 2010 to Present
  • Lake County Bar Association, Member, 2011 to Present

Past Employment Positions

  • Best, Vanderlaan & Harrington, Attorney, 2010 to 2011

Languages

  • English