Illinois: Elder Law Lawyers

As time passes, baby boomers, as well as the generations that follow them, will face many serious choices related to retirement planning and elder care. An elder law attorney can help you make the right decisions that apply to your own future and to the care of your loved ones.

FindLaw's Lawyer Directory is the largest online directory of attorneys. Whether you need to connect with a general estate planning attorney or talk about more complicated legal matters related to elder law, the attorneys on this list can help you with your legal needs.

Use FindLaw to hire a local elder law attorney to assist with issues related to:

• Elder care transactions and planning
• Social Security retirement benefits and other Social Security topics
• Medicare and health insurance/health care issues
• Medicaid planning and other forms of asset protection
• Retirement planning
• Long-term care planning (which may involve nursing home care or assisted living facility options, or potentially home care)
• Estate planning
• Special needs planning
• Powers of attorney and advance directives (sometimes called a living will or medical directive)

Elder law attorneys are also able to help you protect elderly family members from issues such as elder abuse and financial scams that target elderly victims. A lawyer can help you determine whether this should involve a conservatorship or other type of protective measure.

In Illinois, a general estimate of the per-hour cost for a lawyer can range from about $130 to $400 per hour, depending on location, expertise and the complexity of the case in question.

In some cases, attorneys may opt to offer clients a flat-rate fee instead of a per-hour fee. This typically arises in criminal defense law as well as certain divorce court proceedings. A fee for a misdemeanor defense is usually far less than the flat fee for a felony defense. Representation on issues related to juvenile offenses and traffic offenses may cost you less than the representation on situations involving corporate law or bankruptcies.

Finally, certain lawyers, such as personal injury lawyers, typically offer clients representation based on contingency. If you win a settlement from such a case, such as slipping and falling at a business establishment and incurring a serious injury, your personal injury lawyer will retain a percentage of your total settlement, rather than charging you any per-hour or flat-rate fees.

If you cannot afford representation in a legal matter, legal aid may be an option to consider.

What Types of Cases Can an Illinois Lawyer Help With?

While an Illinois lawyer can take on cases of any sort, the most common criminal cases in Illinois involve simple assault or aggravated assault, sexual assault, violations of the Controlled Substances Act, burglary (business and residential), driving while under the influence (DUI) and severe violent crime such as homicide and armed robbery.

Illinois lawyers are also typically called upon to represent parties in marital disputes leading to divorce or separation, the custody battles common to such cases, and other civil proceedings.