Steven L. Kriz

Steve is a partner in the firm’s Trust and Estates Practice Group.  Steve’s practice primarily focuses on counseling high and ultra-high net worth individuals and families.  Steve sees himself as the quarterback for his clients, leading them through all aspects of structuring and implementing their unique estate planning goals.  A self-described “tax-nerd”, Steve concentrates his practice on estate and gift taxation, wealth preservation and asset protection, and succession for closely held businesses.  He also has a passion for advising clients on building their charitable legacies.  Steve’s goal is to make estate planning both approachable and enjoyable for his clients by drilling down complex concepts to easily digestible results.

Steve is a member of the esteemed estate planning organization, the American College of Trust and Estate Counsel (ACTEC). ACTEC membership is based on professional reputation, expertise in the fields of trusts and estates and on the basis of having made substantial contributions to these fields through lecturing, writing, teaching and bar activities.  Steve is a board member of the Chicago Estate Planning Council (CEPC).  Steve has a passion for educating others about both the technical and human aspects of estate planning.  To that end, he has written and lectured for several organizations, including the Chicago Bar Association, CEPC, the Illinois Institute of Continuing Legal Education (IICLE), the Notre Dame Tax and Estate Planning Institute, and the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants.

In his spare time, Steve enjoys spending time with his family, practicing the piano (he is a classically trained pianist and both his children are now learning as well), running the beautiful Chicago lakefront path and, when time permits, travelling the world.