Schening & Dopke Law, LLC

Schening & Dopke Law, LLC Providing personalized counseling on estate planning techniques for people of all generations. Attorney Judith A. Ms. Further, Ms.

Schening is dedicated to providing her clients with experienced legal advice regarding both will-based and trust-based estate plans, powers of attorney, advance health directives, and related estate planning areas. Her goal is to design an estate plan that meets her client’s unique and individual needs, desires, and concerns, which are identified and discussed in personal meetings between the clie

nt and her. Schening also represents personal representatives who are charged with administering the trust or probate estate of someone who is deceased, compassionately guiding them through the responsibilities they must meet during an already difficult time. Schening’s solo law practice is designed to provide high-quality legal services at an affordable cost. By concentrating her practice on areas relating to estate planning and probate, it allows her to pay attention to details which might otherwise be overlooked by someone who practices in a large number of widely diverse areas of the law. Schening is a member of WealthCounsel, a collegial organization of approximately 2,500 estate planning attorneys nationwide. This membership provides her with access to estate-planning focused resources which enable her to stay abreast of current issues and trends in estate planning. Schening grew up in Kane County and considers the rural, farming community West of Elgin to be “home.” She began her college education at Northern Illinois University in DeKalb, IL and completed it at University of Houston in 1984. She returned to NIU College of Law for her law degree, which she received magna cm laude in 1987. She began her legal career in Dallas, TX, working as a briefing attorney for Hon. Robert Maloney, a federal judge at the United States District Court for the Northern District of Texas. She then joined the international law firm of Fulbright & Jaworski L.L.P.* in their Dallas, TX office where she practiced for more than 20 years, 13 years of which she was a partner. Schening then returned home to Illinois to be closer to family, opening her own practice in South Elgin in early 2012. Schening speaks fluent conversational Spanish and can communicate well with Spanish-speaking clients who have English as a second language. Schening is licensed to practice in Texas (1987)** and Illinois (1988). Schening was a member of the Law Review of the NIU College of Law, and authored the published Comment, Federal Products Liability Legislation: Not the Cure for Worker’s Compensation Ailments, N.I.U. Law Review, Vol. 6, Issue 2, Spring 1986. Schening received the NIU College of Law Young Alumna of the Year Award in 1995. Schening is a member of the following legal organizations:

WealthCounsel
American Bar Association
Illinois State Bar Association
Kane County Bar Association
Texas State Bar Association

* Now known as Norton Rose Fulbright.
** License currently inactive in Texas. Schening is also a member of the South Elgin Economic Development Council and the South Elgin Parks FUNdation.

Rising Lights Project is phenomenal and we love supporting all of the families who are a part of it!
02/26/2025

Rising Lights Project is phenomenal and we love supporting all of the families who are a part of it!

We will be presenting live in Elgin on September 24, but you can join remotely via Zoom if you prefer. You can RSVP to ...
09/16/2024

We will be presenting live in Elgin on September 24, but you can join remotely via Zoom if you prefer. You can RSVP to [email protected].

Hope to see you then!

This event is next Monday! RSVP now!
09/03/2024

This event is next Monday! RSVP now!

We will be presenting live at this event on September 9 at 6:30 p.m. Please RSVP now!

We will be presenting live at this event on September 9 at 6:30 p.m. Please RSVP now!
08/23/2024

We will be presenting live at this event on September 9 at 6:30 p.m. Please RSVP now!

08/08/2024

Back to school season is right around the corner and we want to make sure you know the importance of a Power of Attorney for Health Care for your college students!

At age 18 a person is legally an adult and, as such, their parents no longer have the right to access to their child’s protected medical information. School administrators, nurses, doctors and other health care providers are expressly prohibited by law from disclosing an adult’s medical information (and possibly even that a medical emergency has arisen) to anyone without the student/adult’s express authorization.

For those reasons, having a valid HIPAAA authorization and Power of Attorney for Health Care naming the specific persons who can access the student’s medical information as well as make medical decisions for him or her, is very important for young adults.

In our office, we also prepare an “in-case-of-emergency” card which contains the contact information of the client’s health care agents. It is a great idea for the student to keep this card with their student ID so, if they did experience a medical emergency, the first responders, hospital staff, and university staff can rapidly place a phone call to the agent.

With a detailed and comprehensive Health Care Power of Attorney and HIPAA Authorization in place as a student starts a new semester, he or she may rest assured that if a sudden medical emergency, illness, or accident occurs, those named on the HIPAA and Power of Attorney for Health Care can swiftly act on the student’s behalf.

QUESTIONS?
Call (630) 453-8884 for a free
estate planning consultation

Providing personalized counseling on estate planning techniques for people of all generations.

WE ARE PROUD TO ANNOUNCE THE FORMATION OF SCHENING & DOPKE LAW, LLC(F/K/A LAW OFFICE OF JUDITH A. SCHENING) Meet our Tea...
08/04/2024

WE ARE PROUD TO ANNOUNCE THE FORMATION OF SCHENING & DOPKE LAW, LLC
(F/K/A LAW OFFICE OF JUDITH A. SCHENING)

Meet our Team!

Attorney Judith Schening received her law degree magna cm laude from NIU’s College of Law in DeKalb, IL. Ms. Schening then worked as a briefing attorney for Hon. Robert Maloney, a federal judge in Dallas, Texas. She also practiced at the international law firm of Fulbright & Jaworski L.L.P.* for 20 years before opening her own estate planning practice in South Elgin, IL in 2012.

Attorney Anna Dopke received her law degree from Southern Illinois University Law School in Carbondale, Illinois. She has been licensed to practice law in Illinois since 2013 and has worked with Attorney Schening since 2014. Ms. Dopke is a member of the Kane County Bar Association and has served as Editor-in-Chief of the Kane County Bar Briefs since 2018.

Cindie Miller received her BA in Communications from the University of Illinois at Champaign-Urbana in 1994 and obtained her Paralegal certificate in 2014. She has been working with Attorneys Schening and Dopke since 2018.

We're here and ready to serve you in the areas of:
• Estate planning, including Wills, Living Trusts, and Powers of Attorney
• Estate administration, Trust administration, and Probate
• Special Needs Planning, including special needs trusts
• Guardianships of special needs children or adults needing guardians
• Residential real estate transactions

Learn more about our firm: Schening & Dopke Law, LLC (scheningdopkelaw.com)

What a great event at Edgewater by Del Webb in Elgin on Saturday. Thank you to all who worked very hard to put this eve...
05/05/2024

What a great event at Edgewater by Del Webb in Elgin on Saturday. Thank you to all who worked very hard to put this event on!

04/23/2024
I will be speaking at this event next week. All are welcome. RSVP to judith@scheninglaw.com. Please share!
10/07/2022

I will be speaking at this event next week. All are welcome. RSVP to [email protected]. Please share!

The Pitfalls of Jointly Held Property√ The jointly-held property can pass to unintended heirs.√ Jointly owned property d...
05/19/2017

The Pitfalls of Jointly Held Property

√ The jointly-held property can pass to unintended heirs.

√ Jointly owned property does not always avoid probate.

√ Adding someone to the title of your account or property can create unintended gift and estate tax consequences.

√ One joint owner can lose the entire property to the creditors of the other joint owner.

√ If one joint owner becomes mentally disabled, the other owner may not be able to sell or mortgage the property until the court appoints a guardian for the disabled owner.

√ Adding someone to the title of your real estate can cause an increase in the amount of capital gains tax when the property is sold after your death.

To learn more, call (630) 453-8884

Did you know that today is "Be Kind to Lawyers Day"? How should you celebrate this esteemed holiday, you ask?Here are so...
04/11/2017

Did you know that today is "Be Kind to Lawyers Day"?

How should you celebrate this esteemed holiday, you ask?

Here are some suggestions:

• Send your favorite lawyer a note of appreciation.
• Take your lawyer out to lunch.
• Watch tv shows or movies which have a lawyer as the main character.
• Use legal terms in your conversations.

For more information on “Be Kind to Lawyers Day,” visit www.timeanddate.com/holidays/fun/be-kind-to-lawyers-day

Be Kind to Lawyers Day is an unofficial holiday that promotes kindness towards lawyers.

Address

South Elgin, IL
60177

Opening Hours

Monday 8am - 6pm
Tuesday 8am - 6pm
Wednesday 8am - 6pm
Thursday 8am - 6pm
Friday 8am - 6pm
Saturday 8am - 12pm

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