Jeffrey P. O'Kelley - a Lake Forest, United States Estates and Trusts Litigation Lawyer

Lake Forest Estates and Trusts Litigation Lawyer

Updated: 03/10/2026

Areas of Practice

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

Litigation: 80%

Attorney Information

Overview

Jeffrey P. O'Kelley is a partner at Lesser Lutrey Pasquesi & Howe, LLP focusing his practice on estate and trust litigation. He is on the Board of Directors for the Lake County Bar Association, and he is also the past President of the Lake County Estate Planning Council, as well as the former lead chair of the Lake County Bar Association Trusts and Estates Committee. Mr. O'Kelley has extensive experience 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 Roszkowiak v. Roszkowiak (2024 WL 520559), In re Estate of LaPlume (2014 IL App (2d) 130945), and In re Estate of Walsh (2012 IL App (2d) 110938). 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. 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.

Awards and Honors

Super Lawyers® Selectees

Jeffrey P. O'Kelley included in a Super Lawyers® list

Other Sources of Feedback About Jeffrey P. O'Kelley

Included on the 2026 Illinois Super Lawyers list

Past Lists

2025 Illinois Super Lawyers list
2019 Illinois Super Lawyers list

Education

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

Current Employment Position(s)

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Partner
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Past Positions

Best, Vanderlaan & Harrington, Attorney, 2010 - 2011

Languages

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English
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Classes and 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

Representative Cases

In re Estate of Walsh
- Citation: 2012 IL App (2d) 110938
- Court: 2nd Dist. App. Ct.
- Year: 2012
In re Estate of LaPlume
- Citation: 2014 IL App (2d) 130945
- Court: 2nd Dist. App. Ct.
- Year: 2014

Published Works

Articles

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

Bar Admissions

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

Other Affiliations

Illinois State Bar Association, 2010 - Present (Member)
Lake County Bar Association, 2011 - Present (Member)

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Contact

Lake Forest, IL

191 E. Deerpath Road
Suite 300
Lake Forest, IL 60045

Directions

Phone: 847-235-6745

Fax: 847-295-8886

Email: Send a message

Websites:

Hours: Monday-Friday: 8:30 AM - 5:00 PM

Credit Cards Accepted

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Jeffrey P. O'Kelley - Lake Forest, IL