Practice Areas:

• Estate planning
  
• Business succession planning
  
• Probate and guardianships
  
• Commercial and residential real estate
  
• New business formation
  
• Elder Law and Medicaid planning
  

Deborah B. Cole is a partner with Hoogendoorn & Talbot LLP.  Ms. Cole’s areas of practice include estate planning, guardianship, probate, estate and trust administration and commercial and residential real estate.  Ms. Cole’s professional work and civic contributions reflect her belief that estate planning is essential for every adult.  She feels that while every estate is unique, the basic goals of the process are the same for all: retaining maximum control over a client’s own assets and affairs, and achieving the greatest protection available from the ravages of excessive taxes, lengthy public probate, and/or guardianship proceedings and unnecessary expenses.  Ms. Cole is dedicated to ensuring that her clients achieve these goals.  Ms. Cole’s clients have saved millions of dollars in estate taxes, probate costs and expensive litigation.  It is Ms. Cole’s belief that preservation of family relationships and protecting legacies are her greatest achievements.

Education:

• Chicago-Kent College of Law, J.D.
• Washington University, M.S.
• Bradley University, B.A., Economics 
• Center for Conflict Resolution, Certification as Mediator
  
  

Professional Activities:

• Black Women Lawyers Association of Greater Chicago former
  Co-Chair, CableTV Show Committee
  
• Illinois State Bar Association
  Former Chair and Current Member, Trusts and Estates Section Council
  Former Member, Real Estate Section Council
  
• Cook County Bar Association
  
• National Bar Association
  
• Chicago Estate Planning Council

Civic Activities:

• Board of Advisors of the African American Legacy Fund of the Chicago Community Trust
  
• Lawyers in the Classroom, Volunteer
• Member Board of Directors, Community Service Options (CSO) Volunteer Mediator
• Delta Sigma Theta Sorority Inc., Chicago Alumnae Chapter

Publications:

• Author, Estate Planner's Checklist, ISBA Trusts and Estates Section Newsletter, August, 2003; Reprinted in the Young Lawyer’s Section Newsletter and the Wisconsin Bar Association Newsletter
  
• Author, Ask Attorney Cole, Contributing Columnist, Culture Newspaper
  
• Contributing Author, Your Life, Your Legacy: The Fundamentals of Effective Estate Planning, Publisher's ExpressPress 
  

Presentations:

Ms. Cole often speaks to professional organizations, financial services companies, churches, investment clubs and other groups interested in learning how individuals, families and business owners can create legacies that last for generations and protect their assets.  Recent topics include: “Top Ten Reasons for Estate Planning,” “Integrating Charitable Giving With Estate Planning,” “Supercharging Your IRA” and “Succession Planning for Business Owners.”