Jim Gau, Our Newest Member Here At Stock Legal!

When I graduated law school, I didn’t immediately know that I would end up as an “estate planning attorney.”  Like many people, I assumed I would be in and out of court every day, helping fix family member’s speeding tickets (which actually still happens), fighting for civil judgments, and maybe have a contract or Will to be drafted here and there.

Then, reality happened. I got my first real job out of law school working at a small elder law firm in Wood River, Illinois and immediately knew that this was much more rewarding than defending criminals or fighting large court battles.  Estate planning is the area of law that new families turn to when they have their first child.  It is the also the area of law that people turn to when they have a parent whose health has started to decline and needs to appoint someone to make their decisions. Eventually, family members will need to consult a probate attorney when a loved one passes away. 

Estate planning and probate attorneys see their clients at their happiest times and in their darkest times, and need to work with a good balance of empathy while still knowing the law and how to explain it to clients in varying situations and levels of emotion. This is what being an attorney means to me.  Estate planners are true counselors at law, and everyone needs to address their estate planning needs at some point in their lives, it all depends on what the circumstances are that bring you into the office.

I have been at a few law firms now, but when I met the team at Stock Legal I knew I was in the right place. It takes a special combination of people to be able to handle clients in a respectful manner and still provide efficient legal service.  Flat rate fees for estate planning just make sense, and allows us to provide services that other attorneys just can’t on an hourly rate, like funding a client’s trust. Without funding, a trust is only worth the paper on which it is written.

I don’t know what the future holds for me, but I am looking forward to working with new clients at Stock Legal.

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