Lauren J. Wolven
Professional Bio
LAUREN J. WOLVEN is a partner in the Trusts and Estates Group. She concentrates her practice on estate planning, wealth protection, estate and trust administration, tax and succession planning for privately held businesses, and trust and estate litigation. Prior to rejoining Horwood Marcus & Berk in 2009, Lauren spent two years as the regional head of trust and wealth advisory services for a financial services institution.
Lauren has become known as a frequent lecturer and author on a variety of estate planning and trust administration topics. She is the co-author of two BNA portfolios, "Estate Planning for Unmarried Adults" and "Managing Litigation Risks of Fiduciaries," part of BNA's Tax Management Portfolio series. She has authored a third portfolio tentatively titled "Drafting Considerations for Intergenerational Wealth Transfer" and currently being edited for publication. Lauren also has been published in the ACTEC Journal and in Estate Planning, among others. Her speaking engagements have included presentations for the Heckerling Institute on Estate Planning, ALI-ABA, the American Bar Association Section of Real Property, Probate and Trust Law, the Illinois Institute for Continuing Legal Education, the Chicago Bar Association, and the Duke Estate Planning Conference.
Lauren serves on the Board of Directors of the Chicago Estate Planning Council. She is a past Board Member of the Illinois Institute for Continuing Legal Education and served several terms on the Executive Committee of the Chicago Bar Association Trust Law Committee. She was named by Chicago Lawyer as one of the "40 Under 40" in 2010, and was listed by Super Lawyers as an Illinois Rising Star for 2010, 2011 and 2012. Lauren was named to Best Lawyers in America for 2012 and 2013. Additionally, she was named a Fellow by the American College of Trust and Estate Counsel (ACTEC) and has been awarded the IICLE Distinguished Service Award.
Lauren received her B.A. in Spanish with high honors from Indiana University, where she was a Wells Scholar and was elected to Phi Beta Kappa. Lauren received her J.D. magna cum laude from the University of Illinois College of Law. She is admitted to practice law in Illinois.
Honors
- 40 Illinois Attorneys Under 40 to Watch, Chicago Lawyer (2010)
- Illinois Rising Star, Super Lawyers (2010-2012)
- Best Lawyers in America (2012-2013)
- Fellow, The American College of Trust and Estate Counsel (ACTEC) (2012)
- IICLE Distinguished Service Award (2012)
Memberships
- Illinois Institute for Continuing Legal Education, Board of Directors (2007-2011)
- Chicago Estate Planning Council, Board of Directors (2005-present)
- Chicago Bar Association, Trust Law Executive Committee (2002-2008)
- Shedd Aquarium, Planned Giving Advisory Committee (2009-present)
- Oak Park Temple B'Nai Abraham Zion, Membership Co-Chair (2011-present)
- Gannon Center for Women and Leadership at Loyola University, Advisory Council Member (2007-2008)
- American Heart Association - Greater Midwest Affiliate, Heart Ball Auction Committee Chair (2009)
Practice Areas
Publications
- Insights and Lessons for Surviving the Sale of a Family Business
- Educating Younger Generations Through the Estate Plan
- Real Estate and Divorce: Breaking Up Is Hard To Do
- Lessons That Planners Can Learn From Celebrity Estate Battles
- Human Issues In Estate Planning For The Family Business Owner
- Life Insurance Litigation Post-Divorce: Easy to Avoid, Commonly Neglected
- Practical Guidance for Trustee Risk Management, Spring 2007
- Tips for Minimizing the Risk of Fiduciary Litigation, August 2012
Presentations
News & Events
- IMCA 2011 Advanced Wealth Management Conference, October 2011
- McGladrey's Tax Conference, November 2011
- ALI-ABA "Drafting Buy-Sell Agreements" Seminar, November 2011
- ACTEC Big Ten Regional Meeting, December 2011
- 46th Annual Heckerling Institute on Estate Planning, January 2012
- HMB Attorneys selected as 2012 Super Lawyers, January 2012
- Wolven Named as American College of Trust and Estate Counsel (ACTEC) Fellow, March 2012
- Wolven Makes Top 10 List in Steve Leimberg's Charitable Planning Newsletter, March 2012
- 55th Annual IICLE Estate Planning Short Course, April 2012
- ICLEF Midwest Estate, Tax & Business Planning Institute, June 2012
- 41st Annual ALI-ABA Course of Study: Estate Planning in Depth, June 2012
- Lauren Wolven Receives IICLE Distinguished Service Award, April 2012
- Horwood Marcus & Berk's Richard Horwood, Todd Schneider, Lauren Wolven and Jeffrey Zaluda Included in the 2012 Edition of Chicago's Best Lawyers, May 2012
- Lauren Wolven Elected Vice President of the Chicago Estate Planning Council for 2012-2013, May 2012
- IMCA Certified Private Wealth Advisor Program, July 2012
- Lauren Wolven Quoted in Wall Street Journal article "How to Control Your Heirs From the Grave", August 2012
- Notre Dame Tax and Estate Planning Institute, September 2012
- First Midwest Bank's 7th Annual Continuing Legal Education Event, October 2012
- McGladrey 2012 National Tax Conference, November 2012
- ALI CLE Advanced Estate Planning Techniques Conference, February 2013
- Northwestern University Practice Tracks Presentation, February 2013
- IIT Chicago-Kent College of Law Course Presentation, February 2013
Cases

- Bar Admissions
- Illinois (1999)
- Education
- University of Illinois College of Law, J.D., magna cum laude, 1999
- Indiana University, B.A., Phi Beta Kappa, 1996
- Peer Review Rating
- AV Rated
- Assistant
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