Ryan W. Gardner

Ryan W. Gardner

5.0
Rating: 8.4

Licensed for 10 years

Estate planning Lawyer at Chicago, IL
Practice Areas: Estate Planning, Probate, Guardianship, Business

200 S. Michigan Avenue, Suite #1100, Chicago, IL

About Ryan

Biography

Practice Areas

4

Practice Areas

Estate Planning 70%

Wills, Living/Revocable Trusts, Medical/Financial Powers of Attorney, Special Needs Planning, LLCs, Deeds, Irrevocable Instruments, Gifting Trusts, Family Settlement Agreements, Land Trusts, Real Estate Planning, Succession Planning

70%
Business 10%

LLCs, Operating Agreements, Shareholder Agreements, Corporate Formation, Tax Planning, Business Succession Planning

10%
Guardianship 10%

Disabled Adults, Minor Estates, Accountings, All Aspects of Court-Administered Guardianship Proceedings

10%
Probate 10%

Decedent's Estates, Guardianship Estates, Small Estate Affidavits, Non-Judicial Settlement Agreements, Virtual Representation, All Aspects of Court-Administered Probate Estates

10%

Fees and Rates

Cost

Free Consultation

$0 first 90 minutes

Hourly Rates

$ 395-495 per hour

Retainer

Sometimes


Payment Methods

  • Cash
  • Check
  • Credit Card

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Licenses

Licensed in Michigan for 3 years

State: Michigan

Acquired: 2022

Active in Good Standing

No misconduct found

Licensed in Illinois for 10 years

State: Illinois

Acquired: 2015

Active and Authorized to Practice Law

No misconduct found

Location

Howard & Howard, Attorneys, PLLC

200 S. Michigan Avenue, Suite #1100, Chicago, IL, 60604

Howard & Howard, Attorneys, PLLC

450 West Fourth Street, Royal Oak, MI, 48067

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Ryan W. Gardner's Reviews

Avvo Review Score

5.0 /5.0

52 Client Reviews

Filter Avvo Reviews (52) Refine reviews to match your needs. Use the filters to quickly surface reviews that align with your case or priorities.

Showing 1 - 4 of 4 reviews | Probate

Posted by Igor Zhizhin | March 13, 2021 | Hired Attorney | Probate

Porbate case

Ryan was hired by our family to assist with the probate case for my grandfather. He was compassionate, responsive, and always took the time to explain every step of the process to establish clear and realistic expectations. The fee for his service was also very reasonable. It was a pleasure working ...with him and I highly recommend hiring Ryan for probate representation.

Ryan Gardner

Replied last March 13, 2021

Thank you, Igor. I am glad I was able to help and achieve such great results for you and your family.

Posted by Jo Anne | April 04, 2018 | Hired Attorney | Probate

Excellent Attorney to meet my needs

Ryan is extremely knowledgeable in the probate process as well as the estate planning needs of individuals and families. Ryan helped tremendously during a very difficult time in my life, and I would not see the light of day without all of his guidance, knowledge and contacts along with the many serv...ices offered by Lavelle Law.

Posted by Marlene Frykman | March 06, 2017 | Hired Attorney | Probate

Parent Estate case

Ryan proved to be a very bright, most amazing, energetic, hard-working, considerate and compassionate estate attorney who never once wavered, knowing all the while I was innocent of what was being brought against me in the case of my mother’s estate. For over a year, he worked tirelessly for me, alwa...ys responding in a timely manner to my calls, emails and texts every time I had a question, or just needed to talk. We ended up with a favorable outcome, which I will forever be grateful. I would recommend him without hesitation to anyone having an estate issue. Thank you, Ryan, for all your hard work.

Posted by Roman | August 27, 2016 | Hired Attorney | Probate

Probate Lawyer - Highly Recommended

After having finished the probate process, I ran into an issue with the bank that handled my house mortgage where they wouldn't accept the pay-off good through. I was told by Ryan Gardner and another lawyer, Brian Waren, that I was good to pay off the mortgage without having to go through any paperw...ork that would indicate a change in ownership as I already have the quit-claim deed under my name. Unfortunately, the bank in question refused the full payment and a hole in their procedure kept me from fully paying off the mortgage while at the same time threatened to put the mortgage account in default. Ryan Gardner and his team helped represent me and brought the issue to the bank. There were glaring discrepancies when documents were mailed back to me from the bank such as the account being moved over to my already deceased father instead of my name, or a request being made asking for a Letter of Administration (which Ryan made clear that I didn't need to give considering how I have already given a copy of the quit claim deed, my identification, and the death certificates of my parents). It was 3 months of back-and-forth communication with the bank, but I finally was able to finish paying off the mortgage in the end, and received a check for any excess payments made. I'm very glad I was recommended over to Lavelle Law, Ltd. and I'm very happy to have had Ryan and his team represent me for the mortgage issues and for any questions I have regarding my probate. I recommend him and his team to anyone dealing with issues regarding probate or documents regarding ownership.

See All Client Reviews

Ryan W. Gardner's Lawyer Endorsements

Endorse Ryan
Colleen Mary Breems headshot
Colleen Breems

Estate planning lawyer | Nov 20

Relationship: Co-worker

"Ryan is knowledgeable, ethical, caring, and attentive when it comes to helping clients navigate estate planning issues. He can be counted on to provide personalized attention and a quality deliverable. I highly recommend him!"

Adam Edward Urbanczyk headshot
Adam Urbanczyk

Business lawyer | Nov 15

Relationship: Fellow lawyer in community

"Ryan is an attentive, experienced, and pragmatic business attorney."

Jordan David Rosenberg headshot
Jordan Rosenberg

Estate planning lawyer | Nov 15

Relationship: Fellow lawyer in community

"Your search for a lawyer ends here. Ryan is a stand up person, is intelligent and is committed to his practice. I highly highly endorse Ryan for all areas of law and is just a great person to know all together. Added bonus: Ryan has an expansive network which he isn't hesitant to utilize to assist others."

Bibek Das headshot
Bibek Das

Estate planning lawyer | Nov 14

Relationship: Fellow lawyer in community

"Ryan is an excellent attorney with great character. He is diligent and attentive to his client's needs. He is extremely knowledgeable in estate planning. I would not hesitate to recommend him to my clients."

Christina M. White headshot
Christina White

Estate planning lawyer | Jul 03

Relationship: Fellow lawyer in community

"As a former classmate and fellow attorney in the community, I endorse Ryan as a trustworthy and competent lawyer. For this reason, my husband and I engaged his services for our estate planning, and we were completely satisfied with his representation. His knowledge, care for his clients, and diligence were obvious from the moment we met with him for a consultation. I highly endorse Ryan Gardner as a fellow attorney."

Jon Adler headshot
Jon Adler

Estate planning lawyer | Oct 12

Relationship: Worked together on matter

"Ryan is a fantastic estate planning attorney. I have referred clients to him, and have heard nothing but great things from them about his work performance. I will continue to refer clients his way, and recommend others do so as well."

Steven A. Migala headshot
Steven Migala

Unknown lawyer | Feb 24

Relationship: Co-worker

"Ryan is an excellent addition to our estate planning team whose enthusiasm is refreshing. He is highly committed to preparing customized estate plans which meet client objectives."

Kristina Buchthal Regal headshot
Kristina Regal

Probate lawyer | Jan 18

Relationship: Worked together on matter

"Ryan is a talented, smart lawyer. He uses his substantial savvy to deliver excellent results for his clients. I can't say enough good things about Ryan. Not only does he possess great business sense, he also is a tireless advocate on behalf of his clients."

Michael Thomas Roth headshot
Michael Roth

Estate planning lawyer | Nov 18

Relationship: Co-worker

"Ryan is an enormous asset to Lavelle Law and the Clients we serve via our estate planning practice. He is an incredibly knowledgeable and diligent lawyer who takes a very personal approach to representing his clients."

Kerry M. Lavelle headshot
Kerry Lavelle

Estate planning lawyer | Nov 10

Relationship: Supervised lawyer

"I endorse this lawyer. Ryan has really jumped into our firm and has added value to our estate planning group from the day he started. He is very thorough in his documentation of estate plans."

Chance William Badertscher headshot
Chance Badertscher

Estate planning lawyer | Nov 10

Relationship: Co-worker

"Ryan is a motivated and driven attorney. He is committed to exceeding client expectations and I am constantly impressed with his knowledge in all areas of estate planning."

Sarah Flohr headshot
Sarah Flohr

Estate planning lawyer | Nov 10

Relationship: Co-worker

"Ryan is passionate about his clients and will ensure their questions are answered and their needs are met at every step of the estate planning process."

Heather Leigh Glaser headshot
Heather Glaser

Unknown lawyer | Nov 10

Relationship: Co-worker

"Ryan works tirelessly for his clients and guides them through every step, ensuring they are getting the results the client desires. He has set a high standard for both professionalism and ethics. I highly recommend this attorney."

Heather Guilette Walser headshot
Heather Walser

Estate planning lawyer | Nov 09

Relationship: Supervised lawyer

"Ryan's enthusiasm and commitment to high-level client service are second to none. He is an asset to our estate planning practice group, and I endorse him without reservation."

Michael Ricciardello headshot
Michael Ricciardello

Estate planning lawyer | Oct 19

Relationship: Fellow lawyer in community

"Mr. Gardner is through and through a great attorney. His wealth of knowledge in the Estate Planning, Probate, Medicare, Medicaid and Guardianship fields make him an impressive mind to have in your corner. I know that he is knowledgable, respectful, personable and diligent. This makes him my first selection in referring anyone to an attorney in the aforementioned fields."

James David Voigt headshot
James Voigt

Estate planning lawyer | Oct 12

Relationship: Co-worker

"Ryan brings a high level of energy to any case he is handling, and is a strong advocate for all of his clients. He's a great problem solver and genuinely cares about the outcomes he is seeking for his clients. I definitely endorse Ryan."

Amil Alkass headshot
Amil Alkass

Estate planning lawyer | Oct 09

Relationship: Co-worker

"I highly recommend Ryan. He is very knowledgeable about complex estate planning and probate issues. He is very hard-working and extremely talented and provides excellent representation and counsel for his clients."

James R. Doerr headshot
James Doerr

Estate planning lawyer | Oct 09

Relationship: Co-worker

"Ryan is a very conscientious, diligent and focused lawyer. I recommend and endorse Ryan."

Jenet Gonzalez Pequeno headshot
Jenet Pequeno

Estate planning lawyer | Oct 09

Relationship: Co-worker

"Ryan has shown an eagerness and a passion for excellence in his legal work. He wants to put his client's interests first and foremost and walk them through the estate planning process to accomplish their goals. He is a budding future star in the legal community."

Matthew J. Sheahin headshot
Matthew Sheahin

Estate planning lawyer | Oct 09

Relationship: Supervised lawyer

"I endorse this lawyer. Ryan has shown a strong work ethic and great understanding of the law in regards to estate planning and probate that enables him to provide high quality legal services to clients at an affordable price."

View All Endorsements
Jordan David Rosenberg headshot
Jordan Rosenberg

Unknown lawyer

Calvin V. Boyd Jr. headshot
Calvin Boyd

Unknown lawyer

Jon Adler headshot
Jon Adler

Unknown lawyer

Steven A. Migala headshot
Steven Migala

Unknown lawyer

Michael Thomas Roth headshot
Michael Roth

Unknown lawyer

Kristina Buchthal Regal headshot
Kristina Regal

Unknown lawyer

Jennifer Susan Burt headshot
Jennifer Burt

Unknown lawyer

Heather Leigh Glaser headshot
Heather Glaser

Unknown lawyer

Chance William Badertscher headshot
Chance Badertscher

Unknown lawyer

Timothy M. Hughes headshot
Timothy Hughes

Unknown lawyer

Amil Alkass headshot
Amil Alkass

Unknown lawyer

James R. Doerr headshot
James Doerr

Unknown lawyer

Kelly A. Anderson headshot
Kelly Anderson

Unknown lawyer

Jenet Gonzalez Pequeno headshot
Jenet Pequeno

Family lawyer

Matthew J. Sheahin headshot
Matthew Sheahin

Unknown lawyer

Theodore M. Mcginn headshot
Theodore Mcginn

Unknown lawyer

Heather Guilette Walser headshot
Heather Walser

Estate planning lawyer

Experience

Rating:  8.4 (Excellent)

Honors

2013

CALI Excellence for the Future Award, DePaul University College of Law

Work Experience

2021 - Present

Partner, Howard & Howard Attorneys, PLLC

2015 - 2021

Associate Attorney, Lavelle Law, Ltd.

2014 - 2014

Judicial Extern for the Honorable Aurelia Pucinski, Illinois Appellate Court 1st Judicial District

2008 - 2014

Paralegal/Law Clerk, Novack & Macey, LLP

Associations

2018 - Present

III Gentlemen

Board Member

2016 - Present

Kicks 4 The City

Ambassador

2015 - Present

Illinois State Bar Association

Member

2015 - Present

American Bar Association

Member

2015 - Present

Legal Assistance Foundation (LAF)

Volunteer / Pro Bono Attorney

2012 - Present

Chicago Bar Association

Member

Sample of Legal Cases

Special Needs Trust

Happy clients

Business Succession Plan

Happy clients

See More Legal Cases

Education

2014

DePaul University College of Law

JD - Juris Doctor

2008

Michigan State University

BA - Bachelor of Arts

Speaking Engagements

2019

Monthly Continuing Education

The Importance of Estate Planning

2017

KW Lunch & Learn

Protecting Rental and Investment Properties

2017

Career Builder Mentoring

Why Everyone Needs Estate Planning

2015

SBA Connections

Non-Tax Benefits of Revocable Trusts

Publications

Languages

English

Activity

Avvo Rating

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  • Experience & background Years licensed, work experience, education
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