Lorraine Cavataio

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314-425-8433

About

Lorraine joined Sandberg Phoenix in 2012, and she focuses her practice in business law, estate planning, estate and trust administration, litigation and real estate.

Lorraine has more than 17 years experience in representing a wide range of clients in matters involving mergers and acquisitions, commercial and residential leasing, trusts and wills, estate and trust administration, tortious interference, and tax objections. She is a Certified Public Accountant and has effectively resolved numerous estate tax issues over the years. Her proficient knowledge of the court systems throughout the Illinois and Missouri state courts has also been beneficial in providing superior legal counsel to her clients.

Lorraine’s experience in the estate planning practice has made her a well-respected informational lecturer, and she has been invited to various seminars on numerous occasions to speak on several different topics pertaining to estate planning. She has also authored chapters for the Illinois Institute of Continued Legal Education. Lorraine is a Fellow of the American College of Trust and Estate Counsel.

Background

Civic Activities
Lorraine has been involved with the Greater Belleville Chamber of Commerce since 2000, and she is currently a member of the Government Affairs Committee and Entertainment Committee. She also serves on the Membership Committee of the St. Clair County Country Club. She sits on the Inaugural Board for Girl Scouts of Southern Illinois and serves on St. Teresa’s School board.

In the past, Lorraine has volunteered her time to help Epilepsy Foundation of Greater Southern Illinois, Cardinal Glennon Children’s Hospital, the Make-A-Wish Foundation, Downtown Belleville YMCA, Big Brothers Big Sisters, Meredith Memorial Home, March of Dimes and as a mentor for Southwestern Illinois College. During Pope John Paul II’s visit to St. Louis in 1999, Lorraine also served on the Steering Committee and coordinated the transportation of all dignitaries to the Mass.

Lorraine was the St. Clair County (West) Rotary Club District 6510 former president and District Conference co-chair, and she was previously a board member for the St. Clair County (West) Rotary Foundation.

Professional Activities
Lorraine is licensed to practice in Missouri, Illinois, the United States District Court for the Southern District of Illinois, the United States Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit, and the United States Tax Court.

Lorraine is a long-time member of IICLE. She currently serves on the organization’s Board of Directors as secretary and Chairs the Strategic Planning Committee. Lorraine’s other memberships include Fellow of the American College of Trust and Estate Council, the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants, the Illinois Society of Certified Public Accountants, the American Bar Association and Missouri Bar Association. She also serves in the Probate Section of the Illinois State Bar Association.

Locally, Lorraine is a member of the St. Clair County Bar Association, where she served as the organization’s secretary in 2003 and was previously a board member. Lorraine is also a founding director of the St. Clair County Bar Foundation and she currently serves as President and member of the Board of Directors.

Education
Lorraine received her Juris Doctor from Washington University in 1995.

She earned her B.S. in Accounting and Business Administration at the University of Kansas in 1991.

Successes

Publications
“Disability Provisions in General (non-SNT) Living Trusts” – Illinois Institute for Continuing Legal Education, 2007 Special Needs Trust Handbook, Chapter 13.

“Basic Estate Planning: Introductory Drafting and Tax Issues” – Illinois Institute for Continuing Legal Education, 2003, 2004, 2005 and 2006 Practice Handbook, Chapters 3 and 4.

“Drafting Wills and Trusts for Smaller Estates” – Illinois Institute for Continuing Legal Education, 2004 Practice Handbook, Chapter 3.

“Management of Decedent’s Personal and Real Property” – Illinois Institute for Continuing Legal Education, 2003 and 2009 Illinois Estate Administration Practice Handbook, Chapter 5.

“Estate, Gift and Generation-Skipping Transfer Taxes” - Illinois Institute for Continuing Legal Education, 2000 Illinois Estate Planning: The Basics and Beyond Practice Handbook, Chapter 6 and 2003 Supplement.

“Counseling the Personal Representative, Marshaling Assets and Inventory” - Illinois Institute for Continuing Legal Education, 1999 Illinois Estate Administration Practice Handbook, Chapter 3.

“Medicaid Planning Criminalized?” - American Bar Association General Practice, Solo and Small Firm Section Business Advice & Financial Planning Committee Update Newsletter, 1997-1998, Vol.

Speaking Engagements
“Inventory, Annual Reports and Fiduciary Accounting” Speech for ISBA Guardianship Bootcamp in Bloomington February 2013

“Estate Planning Issues” Speech for Country Companies District Sales Caravan Meeting December 2012

“Choice of Entities” Speech for TABS Board November 2012

Midwest Business Institute Speech on Business Issues November 2012

Estate Planning Speech for Scott Credit Union June 2012

“Practice Management: Specifically, Baby Boomers, the Age Wave and Legal Zoom – How Estate Planners Can Survive the Tsunami” – Illinois Institute for Continuing Legal Education 55th Annual Estate Planning Short Course in Champaign May 2012

Illinois Institute for Continuing Legal Education (IICLE) 55th Annual Estate Planning Short Course Practice Management: Specifically, Baby Boomers, the Age Wave and Legal Zoom - How Estate Planners Can Survive the Tsunami Speech (Champaign, IL, May 18, 2012)

Covered for Illinois Institute for Continuing Legal Education (IICLE) 55th Annual Estate Planning Short Course 25 Insurance Mistakes in Estate Planning Speech (Champaign, IL, May 17, 2012)

Illinois Institute for Continuing Legal Education (IICLE) 55th Annual Estate Planning Short Course Primer: Essentials and What I Wish I Knew Speech (Champaign, IL, May 16, 2012)

State Retirement Systems speech for State of Illinois Education for Tomorrow Program (Collinsville, IL, May 9, 2012)

Illinois Institute for Continuing Legal Education (IICLE) 55th Annual Estate Plan Short Course Primer: Essentials and What I Wish I Knew Speech (Chicago, IL, April 25, 2012)

I-Day speech for NAIFA East Side regard Tax Law Updates (Fairview Heights, IL, April 12, 2012)

State Retirement Systems speech for State of Illinois Education for Tomorrow Program (Collinsville, IL, April 12, 2012)

“Organizing the Process Within Your Office and Increasing Profitability” – Illinois Institute for Continuing Legal Education Financial Planning Tools for Small Estates Course in Springfield January 2012

“Ethical and Legal Concerns Impacting Practice Management”. - Illinois Institute for Continuing Legal Education 54th Annual Estate Planning Short Course in Chicago & Springfield May 2011

Panelist for Illinois Institute for Continuing Legal Education “Professional Lawyers – Civil Pursuit of a Nobel Profession” in Chicago November 2010

“Estate Planning for Disability” – ISBA Solo and Small Firm Conference October 2010

“Potential Pitfalls of Representing Illinois Residents or Clients with Illinois Real Estate” – UMKC Estate Planning Internship October 2010

“Planning for Clients with Disabilities” – Mathis, Marifian & Richter, Ltd. September 2010

Moderator for “53rd Annual Estate Planning Short Course (Champagne)” - Illinois Institute for Continuing Legal Education 2010

“The Business of Estate Planning or Estate Planning in Business” – St. Clair County Bar Association 2010

“Estate Planning – Why you need it and what I do” – Metro East Underwriter Association Young Agents 2010

“Lurking Malpractice in the Mundane” – Illinois Institute of Continuing Legal Education Estate Planning Teleconference Series 2009.

“Starting Points for Basic Estate Planning” - Illinois Institute of Continuing Legal Education 2009.

“Estate Planning – Importance of Will, POA, Trust” – Business Professional Women, Highland, Illinois Chapter 2009.

“2032A Recapture Tax” – Illinois Institute of Continuing Legal Education 52nd Annual Estate Planning Short Course in Champaign, Illinois 2009.

“Special Needs Trusts & Special Situations” - Illinois Institute of Continuing Legal Education 51st Annual Estate Planning Short Course in Chicago and Champaign, Illinois 2008.

“Special Needs Trusts” – St. Clair County Bar Association CLE Program 2008.

“Ethical Dilemmas in Estate Planning” - Illinois Institute of Continuing Legal Education Champaign, Illinois 2008.

“Hot Topics in Probate Law” – Illinois State Bar Association 2008.

“Deciphering the Boilerplate” - Illinois Institute of Continuing Legal Education 50th Annual Estate Planning Short Course in Chicago, Illinois 2007.

“Fundamentals of Drafting Basic Wills and Trusts” – Illinois Institute for Continuing Legal Education Planning Committee, Moderator and Speaker 2005 to 2010.

“Drafting Wills and Trusts for the Smaller Estates” – Illinois Institute for Continuing Legal Education Planning Committee, Moderator and Speaker, Springfield, Illinois and Chicago, Illinois 2004.

“Basic Estate Planning: Introductory Drafting and Tax Issues” – Illinois Institute for Continuing Legal Education 2003 to 2007.

“Estate Planning” – East Side Association of Insurance and Financial Advisors 2002, 2003, 2006 and 2007.

“Estate Planning” – State Retirement Systems, Investing in Your Future 2003 to 2011.

“Estate Planning” - State Retirement Systems, Countdown to Retirement 2002 to 2011.

“Estate Planning” - State Retirement Systems, Education for Tomorrow’s Choices 2002 to 2012.

“Tax Update” – IDay for NAIFA 2012.

“Tax Issues and Choice of Entities” – I Day for East Side Association of Insurance and Financial Advisors 2003.

“Estate Planning from the Beginning” – Illinois Institute for Continuing Legal Education 2002

Moderator for “Balancing Work and Life” - Leadership Illinois 2006

Moderator for “Panel of Entrepreneurial Business Women” – Leadership Illinois 2002

“District 6510 Estate Planning Seminar” - Rotary International, District 6510 July, August and October 2002, January 2003

“The Basics of Estate Planning” - Illinois Institute for Continuing Legal Education 2001

“Practice Skills for Young Lawyers - Estate Administration”- Illinois State Bar Association 2000.

“Tax Update and Planning Seminar” - Mathis, Marifian, Richter & Grandy, Ltd., September 1997, 1999, 2001 to 2003, 2005, 2006 and 2008.

“Estate Planning” - St. Clair County Legal Professionals