Nicodemus, Jeffrey I.

Mark is the founder and principal of Mark T. Neil and Associates, a law firm concentrating in probate, trust and estate planning. Clients include families of all levels of wealth accumulation including those with significant wealth. Planning is offered to individuals, couples, and multiple generations of the same family. Within these areas, the firm has a unique focus of providing estate planning to unmarried couples. Mark has written two books: "Planning for Unmarried Couples" and "Unmarried Partners: Estate Planning and Property and Parental Rights" both for the Illinois Institute of Continuing Legal Education. The firm represents foreign nationals who own U.S. situs assets with regard to U.S. estate and gift tax issues and related estate planning issues.

The firm provides services in estate administration as well. This includes preparation of accountings and preparation of estate, gift and GST tax returns. The firm's practice also includes the representation of financial institutions in their fiduciary capacity as trustees and executors. The types of representation involve trust construction cases as well as fiduciary liability cases. Mark has acted as an expert witness in matters involving trust litigation.

Mark has more than 30 years of experience in legal, financial, and fiduciary matters. He has spoken before client and professional associations on topics ranging from the use of listed options in trust accounts to non-qualified deferred compensation. He has presented to the National Academy of Elder Law attorneys on the Prudent Investor Statute. He has presented to the Chicago Council on Planned Giving ("Mega Gifts and Charitable Lead Trusts") and to the National Business Institute on common issues in probate and estate litigation.

Philosophically, the firm takes a holistic approach to serving its clients. The objective is to understand the uniqueness of each client and respond to that particular client's interests. To further this philosophy, Mark has been trained as a life coach by the Hudson Institute and has developed an expertise in the Enneagram.

A graduate of Northwestern University School of Law, Mark clerked for the Chief Justice of the Illinois Supreme Court. Prior to law school, Mark studied at Oxford University and graduated from Shimer College with Honors with a B.A. He served as trust counsel at Harris Trust and Savings Bank before managing the Trust and Investment Department at Cole Taylor Bank as the Department Head.

Mark is a member of the Illinois State Bar Association and the Chicago Bar Association. He is a co-founder and a former director of North Star Trust Company, which prior to being acquired, operated as an independent trust company. As such, it managed more the $ 1,000,000,000 in investment assets and had a national market in both the 1031 like kind exchange arena and the trusteeship of non-public ESOPS. He has served on the Treasurer's Business Roundtable for then Illinois State Treasurer Judy Baar Topinka. He has served as a Director of the Institute of Clinical Social Work. He currently serves on the Advisory Board of ECI, a for profit Latina owned business; is a Director of the Rogers Park Builders Group; and has been a Director of a national 501 (c) (3) organization dedicated to seeking equal property rights for all relationships, whether marital or non-marital. A resident of Chicago, he has two adult children, David and Deanna.