Thomas W. Abendroth concentrates his practice in the fields of estate planning, federal transfer taxation, and estate and trust administration. His practice encompasses all phases of wealth preservation and transmittal, ranging from the preparation of wills and trusts to the implementation of multi-faceted transactions that reorganize business holdings in order to minimize transfer taxes.

Mr. Abendroth also advises banks and trust companies on fiduciary law and charitable issues. He has extensive trust and estate litigation experience, representing both beneficiaries and fiduciaries.

Mr. Abendroth has authored and co-authored numerous articles for industry publications, including Trusts & Estates and ABA Trust & Investments.

Experience

After assuming representation of one of the executors of the estate of George S. Halas Sr. (founder of the Chicago Bears Football Club) in 1988, Mr. Abendroth successfully resolved several longstanding disputes with claimants and beneficiaries and closed the estate.

Mr. Abendroth worked with the owners of a privately held company to transfer stock out of their estates as it began to diversify its ownerships and then go public. Through the use of grantor retained income trusts and grantor retained annuity trusts, the owners were able to transfer over $200 million out of their estates.

Publications

"Estate Planning in 2009: A New Playing Field," (co-author) ABA Trust & Investments (January/February 2009)

"The Doctor Is In, School Is In Session," (co-author) ABA Trust & Investments (May/June 2008)

"Ticking Time Bombs in Irrevocable Life Insurance Trusts," (co-author) ABA Trust & Investments (March/April 2008)

"Competency Issues With Elderly Clients," (co-author) ABA Trust & Investments (September/October 2007)

"Rethinking Marital Deduction Planning," ABA Trust & Investments (May/June 2007)

"Outright Does Not Always Mean Outright," (co-author) ACTEC Journal (Spring 2007)

Estate Planning Strategies After Estate Tax Reform: Insights and Analysis, (co-editor) CCH (2001)

Illinois Estate Planning, Will Drafting and Estate Administration Forms - Practice (two-volume treatise, supplemented annually), Lexis Law Publishing, 3d ed. (1999)

Estate and Personal Financial Planning, chapter on sophisticated tax planning techniques, Thomson/West (1988)

Speeches and Presentations

American Bankers Association's 2012 Trust and Estate Planning Telephone Briefing Series:

• "Recent Developments in Estate and Trust Administration," (Dec. 6, 2012)
• "Diversification or Concentration of Assets: What Should a Trustee Do?" (Nov. 1, 2012)
• "The Uses and Misuses of Decanting and Change of Situs," (Oct, 4, 2012)
• "The Increasing Importance of International Estate Planning," (Sept. 6, 2012)
• "Sales to Defector Grantor Trusts and Other Key Gifting Strategies for 2012 and Beyond," (June 7, 2012)
• "Fiduciary Litigation Panel," (May 3, 2012)
• "The Eroding Protection of Trusts in Divorce," (April 5, 2012)
• "Top Ten Fiduciary Income Tax Issues," (March 1, 2012)
• "Issues Facing Fiduciaries in Post-Death Administration," (Feb. 2, 2012)

"Portability: The New Estate Planning Wonder Drug?," 46th Annual Heckerling Institute on Estate Planning (January 10, 2012)

"Covering Your Assets: The Illusory Protection of LLCs and the Eroding Protection of Trusts," Louis Sussman Memorial Tax Seminar (November 10, 2011)

"The Tax Relief Act of 2010—The Less Than 1% Solution, and Other Recent Developments," Spring Tax Institute, Iowa City, Iowa (May 6, 2011)

"The Tax Relief Act of 2010—The Less Than 1% Solution, and Other Recent Developments," Red River Estate Planning Council, Fargo, N.D. (February 23, 2011)

"Common Estate Planning Problems in the Medium Sized Estate," Greater Joliet Estate Planning Council (February 17, 2011)

"Common Estate Planning Problems in the Medium Sized Estate; Meet the New GST Tax: Same as the Old GST Tax?," Cincinnati Bar Advanced Estate Planning Institute (February 11, 2011)

"The Practical Lawyer’s Guide to the New Federal Estate Tax Legislation," IICLE New Tax Act Telephone Briefing (January 24, 2011)

"Estate Planning for the Medium Estate," American Bankers Association Trust School, Atlanta, Ga. (October 27, 2010)

"Generation-Skipping Tax," American Bankers Association Trust School, Atlanta, Ga. (October 26, 2010)

"FLPs and LLCs: Is there Still a Pulse?" Fiduciary Education Foundation, CTFA, Harrisburg, Penn. (May 26-27, 2010)

"The Fantastic Flexible Charitable Remainder Trust," Illinois CPA Society, Chicago, Ill. (May 19, 2010)

"Tales from the Crypt," ACTEC Annual Meeting, Bonita Springs, Fla. (March 11-12, 2010)

"FLPs and LLCs: Is there Still A Pulse?" Estate Planning Council of Louisville, Louisville, Ky. (February 24, 2010)

"Planning for the Closely Held Business - Exit Strategies During Life," Heckerling Estate Planning Institute, Coral Gables, Fla. (January 28, 2010)

"(Estate) Planning Ahead: Numbers to Consider for 2009 and Beyond," Chicago Botanic Garden (October 28, 2009)

"The Duty of Fiduciaries to Disclose Information to Beneficiaries" and "What Fiduciaries Need to Know About S Corporations," Midwest Trust and Wealth Management Conference (October 15, 2009)

"Updates and Trends in the Law," American Banker's Association Trust Forum (August 20, 2009)

"Ticking Time Bombs in ILITs," Fiduciary Education Foundation (May 20-21, 2009)

"Estate Planning with a $3.5 Million Applicable Exclusion Amount," Fiduciary Education Foundation (May 20-21, 2009)

"Estate Planning for the Medium Size Estate," American Bankers Association Trust School (May 18-19, 2009)

"Advanced Planning for the Generation-Skipping Tax," American Bankers Association Trust School (May 18-19, 2009)

Awards and Honors

APEX 2007 Award for Publication Excellence

Best Lawyers in America, Trusts and Estates

Fellow, American College of Trust and Estate Counsel

Illinois Super Lawyers, Estate Planning and Probate

Leading Lawyer - Wealth Management, Chambers USA - America's Leading Lawyers for Business

Leading Lawyer - Trust, Will and Estate Planning Law, Illinois Leading Lawyers Network

Martindale-Hubbell — A/V Rated

PLC Which Lawyer? - U.S.A. - Private Client Lawyer

Top 100 Attorneys - Worth Magazine (2007)