Michael C. Craven

Illinois spendthrift trusts protect inheritance from beneficiary's creditors, divorces, and bad spending — by limiting beneficiary's right to transfer + restricting creditor access to assets in trust.

Illinois parental alienation — one parent influencing child against other parent — can lead to custody modification, contempt findings, sanctions, and reunification therapy. Difficult to prove but increasingly recognized.

Illinois blended families need careful estate planning to avoid disinheriting biological children when surviving spouse remarries — QTIP trusts, life insurance, and specific structures address the conflict.