Skip to content
  • There are no suggestions because the search field is empty.

Our People

Patrick J. Bushell - Harrison LLP - Harrison LLP

Patrick J. Bushell

Patrick J. Bushell - Harrison LLP

Patrick J. Bushell

Partner | Chicago, IL

Patrick represents individuals, families, and institutions in estate and trust matters, including planning, fiduciary consulting, administration, and litigation.

×

Disclaimer

By sending this email, you acknowledge that you will not become a client of Harrison LLP merely by sending this email or by the Firm's receipt of it.

Since entering private practice in 2013, Pat has focused his practice on representing individuals, families, and financial and medical institutions in a wide range of contested and uncontested estate and trust matters including estate planning, fiduciary consulting, and estate and trust administration and litigation. Pat strongly believes in a no-nonsense approach to representing his clients and providing candid and sound advice regarding the unique circumstances of their cases. Whether he’s representing clients in devising and maintaining sophisticated estate planning strategies, navigating the sometimes daunting task of administering a deceased loved one’s assets upon their death, or working toward a successful resolution in hotly contested estate and trust matters, Pat believes every client deserves a full and frank discussion of their options in their particular case.

Pat served as a Vice Chair and Co-Chair of the Chicago Bar Association Young Lawyers Section Estate Planning Committee where he hosted and moderated seminars and panels and spoke on various estate planning and estate administration topics including the Revised Uniform Fiduciary Access to Digital Assets Act, special needs planning, asset protection, ethics in representing clients with diminished capacity, and a judicial probate Q&A panel. Pat was also a member of the Young Professionals Board of the Center for Disability and Elder Law which provides legal aid to low-income seniors and people with disabilities throughout Cook County. Pat is a strong advocate for access to justice and takes pride in providing pro bono services to those in need.

Before joining Harrison LLP, Patrick earned his J.D., cum laude, from the University of Illinois Chicago School of Law (formerly The John Marshall Law School) and his B.A. from Illinois State University. He has been recognized among Illinois Rising Stars and Super Lawyers since 2019.

Read more

Capabilities

Estate Planning

Estate & Trust Administration

Estate & Trust Litigation

Speeches & Publications

Speaker, "Common Mistakes in Probate and How to Avoid and Fix Them," The Chicago Bar Association Probate Practice Committee (May 2025)

Co-Presenter, “Primer on Discovery Issues for Estate Planners,” IICLE Estate Planning Short Course (May 2025)

Co-Presenter, “Preparing for and Conducting the First Meeting and the Final Meeting with the Client,” IICLE: Fundamentals of Will Drafting (January 2025)

Speaker, Illinois Rule of Professional Conduct 1.14: “Client with Diminished Capacity,” CBA Young Lawyers Section Estate Planning Committee (September 2019)

Speaker, “Introduction to the Revised Uniform Fiduciary Access to Digital Assets Act,” CBA Young Lawyers Section Estate Planning Committee (May 2019)

Speaker, “Special Needs Planning,” CBA Young Lawyers Section Estate Planning Committee (November 2018)

Panel Moderator, “Asset Protection in Estate Planning: Special Needs, Family LLCs, and Recent Developments,” CBA Young Lawyers Section Estate Planning Committee (May 2018)

Speaker, “Lessons from Celebrity Estates Gone Wrong,” CBA Young Lawyers Section Estate Planning Committee (September 2017)

Contributor, Litigating Disputed Estates, Trusts, Guardianships, and Charitable Bequests, IICLE 2016 Edition, Chapter 13 – Guardianship Litigation (2016)

Representative Matters

In re Estate of Mivelaz, 2021 IL App (1st) 200494 – Pat was instrumental in establishing and then defending the validity of an estate plan established on behalf of a person with a disability by her guardian. The disinherited heirs of the person under guardianship contended that the guardian failed to follow the procedures required for the appointment of a guardian and to establish an estate plan in the best interests of and on behalf of the person with a disability, including failing to provide proper notice to the heirs and violations of due process. The Circuit Court of Cook County, Illinois, ruled that the guardian was validly appointed, and the estate plan was validly established pursuant to proper procedures. The Appellate Court of Illinois, First District, affirmed the lower court’s judgment finding that that heirs lacked standing to contest the appointment of the guardian and received proper notice of the proceedings to establish the estate plan.

Admissions

Illinois

Education

University of Illinois Chicago School of Law (formerly The John Marshall Law School), J.D., cum laude

Illinois State University, B.A.

Awards & Honors

Illinois Rising Stars 2019-2023

Illinois Super Lawyers 2024

Organizations

Chicago Bar Association

Chicago Bar Foundation Young Professionals Board, 2024-2025

Chicago Estate Planning Council