Heinz Brisske - Wheaton, IL

Heinz J. Brisske concentrates his practice primarily in the areas of Wealth Transfer and Estate Planning. Heinz believes that estate planning involves much more than providing for the transfer of physical assets at death, and he has spent the better part of his legal career helping people with their life and death family planning situations. Planning for the unexpected and unforeseen requires experience that comes only with years of working with individuals and families in various situations, including family legacy planning, business succession planning, planning for the education of children, working toward retirement, planning for disability, incapacity and, ultimately, death. Heinz helps his clients achieve proactive, not reactive, solutions to the various issues that confront them during the different phases of their lives.

After receiving his Juris Doctor (JD) degree from Duke University School of Law, Heinz began his legal career as an associate with a large litigation firm in Chicago. He left the big-city practice and helped found the firm of Greene, Jones & Brisske, which was active in the legal community in DuPage County for more than 20 years. During those years, Heinz learned a great deal about family relationships and dynamics, lessons that have helped him immensely as he subsequently developed his estate planning practice.

Heinz earned a Master of Laws (LL.M.) in Taxation from the John Marshall Law School in 1997. In 1999, he co-founded the boutique estate planning firm of Huck & Brisske, LLC, with Kevin Huck. After Kevin's retirement at the end of 2012, the law firm of Huck & Brisske merged its practice into Huck Bouma, PC. Together, they formed the Life & Legacy Planning Group of Huck Bouma. Built on a "Legacy of Trust," the attorneys in the Life & Legacy Planning Group are highly respected estate planning, estate administration and elder law attorneys.

Currently residing in Wheaton with Ellen, his wife of 49 years, Heinz still enjoys spending time with his two children, Laura and David. The Brisske family has a close relationship and spends time together regularly. Laura is a stay-at-home mom, married to Corey, a packaging engineer in Kalamazoo, Michigan. They have two girls, Lilia and Josephine. David is the Managing Director for Skky Partners, a private equity firm headquartered in Boston, MA; he and his wife, Jona, a designer and author and illustrator of children's books, have two daughter, Klara and Hazel.

An avid photographer and wine collector, Heinz also enjoys the occasional round of golf. Heinz and Ellen also enjoy spending time at their mountain home in Waynesville, North Carolina.

Speaking Engagements and Publications:

Estate Planning Traps and Pitfalls, DCBA Brief, 1995
Implementation of and Substitutes for Advance Medical Directives, DCBA Brief, 1996
The Family Limited Partnership: An Overview, DCBA Brief, 1997
Helping Clients Leave a Legacy.. not Just an Inheritance, Wealth Counsel Quarterly, 2017, Q1; 2017

Heinz has spoken on the subjects of Estate Planning and Retirement Planning in numerous forums for the clients of various financial planning firms and independent financial planners. He has also been a presenter in various programs for the DuPage County Bar Association.
Heinz was a principal speaker at Provena Mercy Medical Center Foundation's Philanthropic & Legacy Planning for Professional Advisors on the topic of Estate and Gift Tax Update: Crystal Ball Anyone? in 2010.

Heinz has been an active presenter on behalf of WealthCounsel, LLC. In 2013, he taught a series of two and one-half day seminars, or "practice-building boot camps," which were taught to estate planning practitioners in various cities around the country. The topic of the programs was Comprehensive Revocable Living Trusts and Practice Development Solutions. In 2014, he co-presented a course for WealthCounsel in Cambridge, Massachusetts called Estate Planning Essentials. In October, 2017, he presented an interactive workshop at the WealthCounsel Symposium 2017, in Hollywood, California, leading a discussion on the topic "Navigating the Transition to Estate Planning". The workshop explored the pitfalls and opportunities involved in starting an estate planning practice for attorneys who have been engaged in any number of other practice areas.

"Reopening Together" with Heinz Brisske (June, 2020). ElderCounsel members across the country were interviewed to hear how their law firms were handling the changes needed to continue business during COVID-19. Everything from document signings to marketing plans were discussed. https://eldercounsel.com/reopening-together-with-heinz-brisske/
Heinz has also presented various online webinars for WealthCounsel and the Advisors Forum.