Helping Families Connect, Provide &
Protect Across Generations.
Before we talk about documents, let's talk about why any of this matters. A good plan grows from three things — and everything we build rests on them.
We take time to understand your relationships, your values, and the legacy you hope to leave.
We build a plan to provide for the people and causes you love, even long after you’re gone.
We ensure your assets and intentions are sheltered from life’s inevitable changes.
Now that you know what we care about, here's how it actually unfolds — three unhurried steps, with you guided at every turn.
This is an essential first step in identifying key relationships, values, and priorities for your estate plan. The Roots Primer helps to set the tone and direction of our work together.
This is a deep dive into the Who, What, and Why so we can create the human design and structural design of your estate plan.
This is our first conversation. We review the Roots Primer together, make strategic recommendations, and create a schedule to implement your estate plan.
This is the key to closing the single biggest gap in estate planning: unfunded trusts. We provide dedicated concierge service to ensure your assets are properly transferred to your trust.
Most estate plans fail because they are not adequately maintained. Our Canopy Membership provides annual check-ins, triennial reviews, family meeting facilitation, access to our digital vault, “no meter” communication, and our newsletter “Under the Canopy,” providing frequent updates about changes in the law that may affect your estate plan.
“A plan is not a document you sign and shelve. It is a living thing — tended, pruned, and grown alongside your family.”
Roots LawYou already know you're here for estate planning. So here's the practical side — choose any of these to learn more.
Foundational estate planning tools.
Advanced asset protection planning.
Navigating the court system with clarity.
Custom, detailed documents that supplement statutory language.
Ongoing care that keeps your trust funded and current — so your plan doesn't fail with the inevitable changes in life, assets, and the law.
After more than a decade of helping individuals and families navigate estate planning, probate, guardianships, and life's most significant transitions, Riley Kern founded Roots Law to create a planning experience centered on people rather than paperwork.
Riley believes estate planning is not simply a collection of legal documents, but an intentional process of providing for loved ones, protecting what matters most, and passing on the values that define a family. Through a warm, collaborative, and holistic approach, he helps clients think beyond assets and legal formalities to create plans that reflect their relationships, goals, and legacy.
By combining practical legal guidance with plain-English education and ongoing support through the Canopy Membership program, Riley empowers families to build estate plans that remain living tools for connection, provision, and protection throughout every stage of life.
Monserrat is our paralegal who helps keep every case organized and moving forward. From preparing court filings, working with court clerks and county assessors, and coordinating updates, she makes sure the details are handled so our attorney and clients can focus on what matters most.
Estate planning is all about helping people protect what matters most, and Monserrat is proud to play a role behind the scenes to make that process accurate, organized, and as stress-free as possible.
When out of office, you can find Monserrat at PonyCoffee, kayaking on the Illinois River, or crocheting on the couch with her dog, Benny.
No rush and no pressure — just a conversation about your family and what comes next. Come sit with us.
LET'S GET STARTED
Estate planning rooted in what matters most.
Mon–Thu: 9am – 5pm
Fri: 9am – 2pm
Sat–Sun: Closed
The information on this website is for general informational purposes only and is not legal advice. Contacting Roots Law does not create an attorney–client relationship.
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