Education: New Trier Township High School, Winnetka IL; BA, Magna Cum Laude, Carleton College, 1969; Master of Arts in Teaching, joint Harvard-Radcliff program, 1970; Juris Doctor, University of Chicago, 1976.
Memberships: National Lawyers Guild, Lesbian and Gay Bar Association of Chicago, Illinois State Bar Association, Chicago Bar Association.
I was born on December 3, 1946, at the leading edge of the baby boom that followed the sudden release of hundreds of thousands of World War II veterans. Family legend has it that women were giving birth in the hallways while nurses were asking,“Why did they let all those men out at once?”
After law school, I went to work at Foss, Schuman & Drake, a mid-size firm where my father Stanton was senior partner. From Stanton, I learned the importance of exercising sound judgment, of taking a practical no-nonsense approach, and of keeping the focus on the big picture. From Morton Barnard, Stanton’s partner (and eventually mine), known as “the dean of Chicago estate planners,” I learned the ins and outs of the Cook County Probate Division. As Morton’s protege, I was steeped in the history, details, and philosophy of the Illinois Probate Code of which he was a principal drafter. And from a third partner, Edward Levinson, I learned that, at its best, the practice of law was a healing and pastoral profession where caring, wisdom, and compassion were as important as technical expertise.
In 1989, the firm, then known as Foss, Schuman, Drake & Barnard, ended its independent existence. I started my own practice, strictly limited to estate planning, wills, trusts, and decedents’ estates. While I tried several times to associate with other attorneys, none until Kurt was willing to commit to the standards I have tried to maintain. He received his license to practice law on November 5, 2009, and we signed our partnership agreement the following day.
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