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Michelle Bugajsky is a founding partner of SBK Law Group, LLP, where she concentrates her practice on estate planning, probate and trust administration, guardianship, prenuptial agreements, and mediation. Her clients are often navigating significant transitions: planning for the next generation, settling a loved one’s estate, stepping in for a family member who can no longer manage their own affairs, or preparing for marriage.
Clients come to Michelle to take the weight of a legal matter off their shoulders. She identifies the issues a client may not know to look for, explains them in plain terms, and gives clear direction on what to do next. She anticipates where problems are likely to arise and addresses them early, before they become costly or divisive. Because these areas of law are inherently personal, Michelle approaches every matter with respect for the family relationships involved. She knows when a situation calls for a firm position and when family considerations call for flexibility, and she counsels her clients candidly on which is which.
What a client needs from counsel depends on the matter. In estate planning, Michelle designs thoughtful, forward-looking plans that account for changing family circumstances and reduce the likelihood of future disputes. In probate and trust administration, she guides executors and trustees through their fiduciary duties in an organized and efficient manner, keeping beneficiaries informed and the process moving. In contested guardianship, she provides steady, determined advocacy focused on the well-being of the person at the center of the case.
In prenuptial agreements, she offers pragmatic, straightforward counsel that protects her client’s interests (considering divorce, disability, and death) while respecting the relationship that brought them to the table. Michelle brings particular depth to matters at the intersection of death or disability and divorce, having counseled on estate issues arising under marital settlement agreements, in guardianships, and in divorce proceedings.
Accredited in mediation since 2009, Michelle mediates guardianship, probate, trust, and family law matters. She understands both the legal issues and the family dynamics that drive these disputes, and she helps parties reach practical resolutions that limit the cost, delay, and strain of litigation and, where possible, preserve family relationships.
Michelle earned her Bachelor of Arts in Political Science and Criminal Justice from the University of Illinois at Chicago. She earned her Juris Doctor from Illinois Institute of Technology, Chicago-Kent College of Law, where she concentrated her studies on family law, taxation, and estate planning. Her training included serving as a research assistant in tax law and a judge’s extern in Cook County family law court.
Michelle is licensed to practice in Illinois and is an approved Guardian ad litem in DuPage County and Will County. She has served as both chair and vice-chair of the DuPage County Bar Association’s Probate and Estate Planning Section. She has also served as both chair and vice-chair of the Association’s Practice Management and Technology Section, reflecting her focus on using current technology to deliver legal services that are efficient, secure, and responsive to clients. She is a member of the DuPage County Bar Association, the Chicago Bar Association, the Will County Bar Association, the Illinois State Bar Association, and the National Academy of Elder Law Attorneys. Michelle is a 2018 recipient of the American Institute of Legal Counsel’s 10 Best Law Firm client satisfaction award in the area of Estate Planning Law, was selected as an Elite Lawyer in 2021, and holds a 10.0 out of 10.0 rating on Avvo.
