On June 1, 2011, the day the Illinois Civil Union Act was enacted, Attorney Maximillienne “Max” Elliott launched a solo wills and trusts practice to serve families and individuals who were generally overlooked by lawyers.

“I always wanted to serve, in a significant way, people who were marginalized because they were erroneously perceived as not needing estate or business planning legal services,” Attorney Elliott explained.

So, at age 50, Max Elliott started her legal career and 5 years later she has received numerous honors from diverse groups.

The Law Offices of Max Elliott provides estate and business planning services to the LGBTQ community, African-American professionals, and female small business owners. As if to commemorate her firm's 5th anniversary, Elliott recently received several notable affiliations:

• Recognized as a 2017 “Rising Star” by Super Lawyers®;
• Admitted to the National Black Lawyers Top 100 organization;
• Appointed as an American Bar Foundation Fellow;
• Appointed to the Chicago Bar Association’s Trust Law Executive Committee; and
• Recognized by DePaul Law Career Services for her pro bono work with law students.

Elliott’s small firm was also the first Black firm in Illinois to recognize how technology could help serve more clients more efficiently by using client portals. Consequently, the firm reached more Black professionals and introduced to them a new client service delivery model.

Though the firm embraces innovation, it still delivers personalized planning services, as noted by Hon. Edna Turkington (Ret.): “As a married person, what I appreciate about being Attorney Elliott’s client is that I know I am getting a very individualized plan. Her firm’s instruments are truly different from any other lawyer’s. She doesn’t use form books or automated document assembly, though she does use statutory language and has an expert grasp of the subject-matter. The instruments in her plans can’t be found anywhere, not on the Internet or through some exclusive estate planning document system.”

Philip Viktora, Esq., a practitioner in consumer and constitutional law, also remarked, “Even the most intelligent attorneys will only have a general concept of their intended legacy. It takes a consummate legal professional, like Attorney Elliott, to craft language sufficiently specific yet flexible to flesh out that concept, articulate the nuances, and fit it in the necessary legal parameters.”

"I have gotten to know Max over the last few years as a member of her Advisory Board and, in a field where hard work is a prerequisite, she stands out because she is not only a hard worker but also one who is efficient and passionate. Max cares deeply about the causes she champions and is a person of rare integrity," stated Abiola "AB" Kalejaiye, Esq., Founder & CEO at Big Leaf, Inc., a compliance and risk management consulting firm serving community banks in the Midwest.

The firm’s capstone for 2016 was setting legal precedent for relief to child abuse victims based on a complex adult adoption case that was referred to Elliott by an estate planning client.

Of her firm’s accomplishments, Attorney Elliott said, “Loving what you do and being recognized by peers and clients for your efforts is the best reward imaginable, especially when you started your career at a time when most people are considering retirement.”