Stephen J. Smith
Shareholder
Steve Smith created The Family Vision Experience so clients can genuinely understand their estate planning choices and make good decisions. His work uses carefully structured steps, simple diagrams, tailored client articles, and screen-side working sessions to help clients complete projects quickly and confidently.
The wills, trusts, succession plans, charitable tools, and related documents Steve develops are based on original planning concepts refined through real-world client experience. His process is designed to help clients pull the full picture together, see the tradeoffs, and own the plan they choose.
Steve’s work often centers on trusts, estate planning, charitable planning, and family business succession planning. He combines legal judgment with practical tools that make complex planning easier to understand.
Before law school, Steve worked from 1971 to 1973 in the Chicago office of Arthur Andersen & Co., auditing large corporations and financial clients. He earned his J.D. cum laude from Northwestern University Pritzker School of Law in 1976 and his B.A. magna cum laude from Luther College in 1971.
Steve also created The Senior Estate Planning Clinic for seniors who need basic estate-planning documents but might not otherwise meet with a lawyer because of cost. Through the clinic, HHB prepares simple wills, health care powers of attorney, and financial powers of attorney for a nominal flat fee, then donates the fee to The Fund for Seniors at the Racine Community Foundation.
Current Employment Position:
- Shareholder
Areas Of Practice:
- Estate Planning
- Business Succession Planning
- Charitable Planning
Bar Admissions:
- Wisconsin, 1976
Education:
- Northwestern University Pritzker School of Law, Chicago, Illinois, 1976, J.D., cum laude
- Luther College, Decorah, IA, 1971, B.A., magna cum laude
Background:
Steve worked from 1971 to 1973 in the Chicago office of Arthur Andersen & Co., working on audits of large corporations and banking, brokerage, and financial clients.
After graduating from Northwestern University School of Law in 1976, he joined the firm then known as Thompson & Coates, Ltd., becoming a shareholder in 1980. Since the early 1980s, he has used custom spreadsheet analysis to compare planning strategies and project after-tax outcomes for clients.
The Family Vision Experience:
Steve created The Family Vision Experience to help clients create a realistic, understandable, and meaningful vision for their future and for the people and causes they care about most. The process uses structured steps, diagrams, tailored client articles, and practical planning tools so clients understand and own their plan.
Pro Bono:
Steve created The Senior Estate Planning Clinic, through which HHB prepares simple wills and powers of attorney for a nominal fee and donates the fee to The Fund for Seniors at the Racine Community Foundation. The client-provided bio notes that the endowment fund has already grown beyond $18,000 through these gifts.