James M. Lestikow

About James

James Lestikow is an experienced estate planning, business and real estate lawyer. He focuses his practice in a number of distinct areas, including: Estate Planning, Administration, Litigation and Asset Protection Mr. Lestikow’s estate planning and wealth preservation practice includes the drafting of wills and trusts, family limited partnerships and other devices that help clients achieve their financial goals in the most tax efficient manner and protect their assets for retirement and the next generation. He also handles estate and trust administration, as well as handling estate and trust administration disputes through alternate dispute resolution or through litigation in court and has testified as an expert witness on duties of executors / trustees, fees of executors and trustees and in attorney malpractice cases. Reflecting his substantial estate planning experience, he was elected to Fellowship in the prestigious American College of Trust and Estate Counsel in 2001, and in 2006 was appointed a member of its Asset Protection Committee. Corporate and Business Law Mr. Lestikow represents businesses (many of them family and closely held), not-for-profit associations and foundations, limited liability companies and partnerships. He helps them with their choice of business entity, and advises them on such day-to-day issues as employment discrimination, credit, contracts and management activities. He advises on succession plans for closely held and family held businesses including buy-sell agreements, and offers transactional advice on asset sales, mergers, acquisitions, financing and dissolutions. Some of Mr. Lestikow’s clients in this area include the Springfield Airport Authority; Community Care Systems, Inc.; and Springfield Farm & Home Supply, Inc. d/b/a Big R. Commercial Real Estate In this area Mr. Lestikow handles commercial real estate matters including financing, tax-free exchanges, purchases, sales, leasing, annexation, construction and zoning. He has testified as an expert witness on the subject of attornment agreements in a commercial lease.

Practice Areas

Education

• University of Illinois at Urbana–Champaign, J.D., graduated 1973
• Northern Illinois University, BA, graduated 1970

Bar Admissions

• Illinois, 1973

Languages