Chicago Female Lawyer

April 1, 2025

Gene Hackman’s Death Underscores Need for Fleshed Out Estate Documents

The recent deaths of Hollywood legend Gene Hackman and his wife of the past three decades, Betsy Arakawa, very close in time to one another have led to a potentially messy situation in which one of Hackman’s children might be contesting his will. The scenario highlights why it’s important that trust and estate documents account for all possible outcomes and give those you leave behind an unambiguous path to disbursing your assets.

Official reports appear to show that Arakawa died from the rare disease hantavirus and that Hackman—suffering from Alzheimer’s disease and likely not lucid enough to have called police about his wife’s death—passed away about a week later from cardiovascular disease.

Hackman’s 2005 Living Trust names Arakawa as his sole beneficiary for his $80 million estate, but since she appears to have died first, it’s not entirely clear what happens next. His daughters Leslie and Elizabeth and son Christopher are not named anywhere in the documents.

December 12, 2023

Going Through a Divorce? Don’t Forget to Disinherit Your Soon-to-be Ex

by George Bellas

Guest Blogger: Attorney Tracy Ries

For parents going through a divorce, the right-now priority is to retain matrimonial attorneys to negotiate or litigate a plan to divide up assets, determine alimony and child support payments, and haggle over children’s residency and visitation schedules.

And it’s understandable that’s the top focus from a legal standpoint. But assuming you and your soon-to-be former spouse have, at some point, put into place estate planning documents—wills, trusts, powers-of-attorney, life insurance policies or anything else—you will want to revisit those ASAP.

December 3, 2023

Estate Planning Insights: The Widespread Impact of Wills

by Bellas & Wachowski - Attorneys at Law

Did you know that according to recent statistics, a significant percentage of adults still don’t have a will in place? Here’s a glimpse into the current state of estate planning:

1. Widespread Gap: Surprisingly, approximately 60% of adults worldwide do not have a valid will. This means the majority of individuals are yet to formalize their wishes regarding asset distribution, guardianship, and more.

2. Age and Preparedness: Studies indicate that the younger demographic tends to procrastinate on estate planning. About 78% of millennials and 64% of Generation X don’t have a will, assuming that this is a concern for later stages of life.