SUCCESSFUL EXECUTION OF ESTATE PLAN TO PREVENT WILL CONTEST, ILLINOIS, ST. CLAIR COUNTY, BELLEVILLE, PLANNERS FOR ESTATES, WILLS, TRUSTS AND POWER OF ATTORNEYS, QUINCY, ADAMS COUNTY, HAMILTON, HANCOCK COUNTY, RUSHVILLE, SCHUYLER COUNTY, ILLINOIS. WE WERE CONTACTED BY A NIECE WHO INDICATED THAT HER ELDERLY AUNT WISHED TO LEAVE EVERYTHING TO HER. WE HAD A CONCERN IN REGARD TO THE REQUEST AND WE PREPARED INITIAL DRAFTS OF DOCUMENTS, AFTER THAT WE REFUSED TO AGREE THAT THE NIECE COULD BE IN CHARGE OF THE AUNT SIGNING THE DOCUMENTS INCLUDING BECAUSE WE HAD A CONCERN THAT THE NINETY-TWO-YEAR-OLD (92) AUNT WAS COMPETENT, KNEW WHAT SHE WAS DOING AND WAS NOT BEING PRESSURED BY THE NIECE. WE ASKED THE NIECE TO TAKE OFF OF WORK TO BRING THE AUNT TO OUR OFFICE. THE AUNT WAS IN A NURSING HOME AND WAS BROUGHT TO OUR OFFICE AND SHE WAS IN A WHEELCHAIR. AFTER INTRODUCTIONS IN REGARD TO THE NIECE AND AUNT, WITH MEMBERS OF OUR LAW FIRM, WE TOOK THE NIECE TO A SEPARATE AREA IN OUR OFFICE SO THAT WE COULD MEET PRIVATELY WITH THE ELDERLY AUNT. WE INQUIRED VIGOROUSLY IN REGARD TO THE RELATIONSHIP THAT THE ELDERLY AUNT HAD WITH HER NIECE. IT TURNED OUT THAT THE ELDERLY AUNT DID NOT HAVE A HUSBAND, DID NOT HAVE CHILDREN AND BASICALLY HAD NO RELATIONSHIP WITH THE ELEVEN (11) OTHER NIECES AND NEPHEWS OF THE AUNT. RATHER, THE NIECE WHO HAD CONTACTED US HAD A WARM AND LOVING RELATIONSHIP WITH HER ELDERLY AUNT AND THE ELDERLY AUNT EXPLAINED TO US, IN DETAIL, HOW THE NIECE HAD TAKEN CARE OF HER, INCLUDING PROVIDING FOR HER HEALTH, CARE AND COMFORT FOR MANY YEARS AND THAT WAS THE REASON FOR THE ELDERLY AUNT WISHING TO LEAVE EVERYTHING TO THE NIECE. FURTHER, BEYOND THE ESTATE PLANNING DOCUMENTS, THE ELDERLY AUNT ALREADY HAD IN PLACE BEFORE WE WERE CONTACTED VARIOUS JOINT TENANCY AND PAYABLE ON DEATH OR BENEFICIARY DESIGNATED ASSETS SET UP THE WAY SHE WISHED. AFTER A LENGTHY MEETING WITH THREE (3) LEGAL PROFESSIONALS IN OUR OFFICE, WE CONCLUDED THAT EVERYTHING WAS ON THE UP AND UP AND THAT THE ELDERLY AUNT WAS COMPETENT TO KNOW WHAT SHE WAS DOING AND THAT SHE WAS OF SOUND AND DISPOSING MIND AND MEMORY AND OUR OFFICE HAD A LEVEL OF COMFORT THAT WE COULD PROCEED WITH THE EXECUTION OF THE ESTATE PLANNING AND DOCUMENTS THAT WE WERE REQUESTED TO PREPARE. AFTER THE ESTATE PLANNING DOCUMENTS THAT WE WERE REQUESTED TO PREPARE HAD BEEN SIGNED, AND WITNESSED, BEFORE A NOTARY, WE PROVIDED THE ORIGINALS AND THE COPIES TO OUR CLIENT, THE ELDERLY AUNT, AND AT THAT POINT WE BROUGHT THE NIECE BACK INTO THE ROOM WITH HER ELDERLY AUNT AND THAT CONCLUDED OUR MEETING AND EXECUTION OF ESTATE PLANNING DOCUMENTS WITH THE ELDERLY AUNT. WE APPRECIATED THE NIECE TAKING TIME OFF FROM WORK TO TRANSPORT HER AUNT TO OUR OFFICE. WE APPRECIATED THE EFFORTS MADE BY OUR CLIENT TO TRAVEL FROM THE NURSING HOME, TO OUR LAW OFFICE. OUR CLIENT WAS A DELIGHTFUL PERSON. SHE HAD BEEN AN EDUCATOR IN A LOCAL SCHOOL SYSTEM FOR MANY DECADES. SHE NEVER MARRIED. SHE NEVER HAD ANY CHILDREN. AFTER DETAILED DISCUSSIONS WITH THE ELDERLY AUNT IN REGARD TO THE NATURE AND EXTENT OF HER ASSETS, AND HER BACKGROUND, AND AFTER HAVING OBSERVED THE WAY SHE SPOKE, AND ANSWERED QUESTIONS, WE WERE CONVINCED THAT SHE WAS COMPETENT AND THAT SHE KNEW WHAT SHE WAS DOING AND HER ESTATE PLANNING DIRECTIONS MADE ALL THE SENSE IN THE WORLD TO US. ESTATE PLANNING ATTORNEYS, ILLINOIS, ST. CLAIR COUNTY, BELLEVILLE.