On March 5, 2013 at 12:15 p.m. at the Chicago Bar Association headquarters (321 South Plymouth Ct., Chicago), Jason T. Johns will present to the Chicago Bar Association / Young Lawyers Section Estate Planning Committee on the issue of Estate Planning for Same-Sex Couples.

While estate planning for same-sex couples includes many of the same documents and strategies as for traditionally married couples, the risks are heightened.  Unsupportive family members, accidental gifts to the other partner, travel to states hostile to same-sex couples, and the unavailability of marital deductions/exemptions, among other issues, all necessitate special attention when developing an estate plan for a same-sex couple.  This presentation reviews the current state of same-sex marriage in Illinois, and at the federal level, and addresses some of the pitfalls about which the estate planner should be aware.