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Leonard J. LeRose, Jr., is the founder and owner of Leonard J. LeRose, Jr., Ltd. and has practiced law in the Chicagoland area for 35 years. Len concentrates his practice in contested and non-contested decedent's estates, guardianships, and minor's estate cases, and has been involved in numerous Probate and Chancery proceedings involving will contests, trust contests, discovery and recovery citations, accounting actions, fraud and conversion, actions involving Powers of Attorney, capacity hearings and removal hearings.
Len represents individuals, financial institutions, and estate representatives in all areas of his practice, and he has received several hundred court appointments over the past 20 years, as Guardian ad Litem and Special Administrator, to address probate issues in contested and non-contested cases in the Probate Division, Law Division, and Divorce Division in the Circuit Court of Cook County.
Len has been involved in litigating several cases of first impression in the State of Illinois, in both the trial court and appellate levels. In 2019, Len was named a "Super Lawyer" for Estate & Trust Litigtion and Probate, which is a distinction given to only 5% of attorneys in Illinois.
Professional Achievements
- Appointed Trustee by the Honorable Judge Wayne R. Anderson, to administer trust funds for the benefit of several victims of sexual abuse.
- Litigated as Guardian ad Litem a recovery citation against a disabled adult's caretaker, resulting in a judgment of $2 Million in compensatory damages and $1 Million in punitive damages.
- Numerous court appointments as Guardian ad Litem and Special Administrator, to address probate issues in contested and non-contested cases in the Probate Division, Law Division, and Divorce Division in the Circuit Court of Cook County.
Cases of First Impression
- Prosecuted comity and slayer statute action against daughter who was convicted in foreign country of assisting with the premeditated murder of her mother.
- Litigated (as Guardian ad Litem for minor beneficiary) the issue of whether a Decedent's father was an "eligible parent" under 755 ILCS 5/2-2,
- Litigated (as Guardian ad Litem) case which determined the standard and burden of proof to be employed by the Court when ruling on a petition brought pursuant to 755 ILCS 5/11a-18(a-5),
- Litigated (as Guardian ad Litem) case of first impression which determined the allocation of payback from an OBRA Trust to several states, under 755 ILCS 5/11a-18(a-5),
- Litigated (as Guardian ad Litem) case of first impression which determined notice requirements under 755 ILCS 5/11a-18(a-5),
- First attorney in the State of Illinois to withdraw property from "an Act Concerning Land Titles" (Torrens registration).
Appeals
- Drafted and successfully argued appeal affirming the trial court's dismissal of a $7 Million claim against a Decedent's estate,
- Represented Executor in successful appeal affirming the trial court's dismissal of a claim for over $1 Million against a Decedent's Estate,
- Represented Guardian in successful appeal on a case of First Impression regarding a guardian's ability to prepare an estate plan which deviates from intestacy for an adult disabled person.
Retention as Expert Witness
- Expert witness in dispute regarding representative's breach of fiduciary duty, including issues of Proximate Cause and Standard of Care,
- Expert witness in dispute over attorney's fees,
- Expert witness in dispute over trustee's fees and attorney's fees,
- Expert witness testimony in dispute over Guardian ad Litem fees.
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