John M. O’Drobinak has practiced law in Lake County, Indiana, since 1960. He graduated cum laude from the University of Notre Dame in 1957, earning a Bachelor of Business Administration Degree, and received his Juris Doctor Degree from Indiana University in 1960. He is a member of the American Bar Association, Indiana Bar Association, and the Lake County Bar Association. He has taught at Indiana University, Northwest, and has been an Adjunct Professor at the Valparaiso University Law School, having taught in the areas of Wills, Trusts, Estate Administration and Estate Planning.
Mr. O’Drobinak is admitted to practice before all the State and Federal Courts IN. He has been active in numerous civic and charitable organizations throughout his career and has served on the Board of Directors of several charitable organizations. He had been a member of the Board of Directors of a local Bank for over twenty- seven years. An attorney with a broad range of experience, Mr. O’Drobinak’s areas of concentration include estate planning, guardianships, trusts, and probate.
A widely sought speaker and seminar leader, Mr. O’Drobinak frequently makes presentations in the fields of estate planning, probate, and predisability planning. He has been interviewed on television and radio on numerous estate planning topics. He has also been a guest speaker before many civic, professional, employee and union groups on numerous occasions.
Mr. O’Drobinak has regularly served as a panelist in seminars conducted for the benefit of both judges and attorneys in the areas of estate planning, probate and guardianship practice and procedures. He served as Probate Commissioner, Lake Superior Court, Room Two, for almost 19 years, from 1977 to September, 1995. He has been a member of the National College of Probate Judges, National Academy of Elder Law Attorneys and Probate Committee of the Indiana Judicial Conference. He currently is a member of the Committee on Character and Fitness for the Supreme Court of Indiana. He is a Charter Member of the American Academy of Estate Planning Attorneys, a nationwide group of Attorneys whose practices are primarily oriented to estate planning. He has been a panelist in the following Seminars for the Indiana State Bar Association, presented by the Indiana Continuing Legal Educational Forum:
- “How to Avoid Probate – But Should You”, ICLEF, 1993
- “Implementing the Plan – Probate Administration Workshop 100”, ICLEF, 1994
- “Guardianships A to Z”, ICLEF, 1994, 1995, 1998
- “Living Trusts vs. Wills”, ICLEF, 1996
- “Using the Land Trust”, ICLEF, 1996
- “Doing it Right – Probate Administration”, ICLEF, 1996
- “Probate Litigation”, ICLEF, 1997
- “How To Find Your Way To Probate Court, But Should You?”, ICLEF, 1997
- “The Long and Winding Road To The Probate Court”, ICLEF, 1997, 1999
- “Wills – Trusts Compared”, ICLEF, 1998, 2004, 2005
- “Trusts and Estate Planning – Concepts and Techniques”, ICLEF, 1998
- “Secrets of a Successful Practice”, ICLEF, 1998
- “Probate/Estate Administration: Common Issues of Concern to the Bench/Bar”, ICLEF 1999
- “Advanced Estate Planning”, ICLEF, 2000
- “Cutting Edge Tax Issues in Estate Planning”, ICLEF, 2000″
- “Testamentary Planning for Children”, ICLEF, 2001
- “Hot Tips in Estate Planning and Real Estate”, ICLEF, 2001
- “Trust Administration – A Complete Systems Manual”, ICLEF, 2001
- “Paralegals Guide to Estate/Trust Administration”, ICLEF, 2002
- “Trusts: Mastering and Applying to your Clients’ Needs”, ICLEF, 2002
- “Section 529 or Education IRAs, You Choose”, ICLEF 2002
- “Estate Planning For Family”, ICLEF, 2002
- “Estate Planning for Family”, ICLEF, 2003
- “Current Issues IN Guardianships”, ICLEF, 2003
- “Planning with Special Needs Trusts”, ICLEF, 2003
- “Elder Law”, ICLEF, 2003
- “Incentive Trusts”, ICLEF, 2004
- “Key Issues in Trust and Estate Planning”, ICLEF, 2004
- “What Now? How To Handle The Unusual Estate Planning Case”, ICLEF, 2004
- “Wills vs. Living Trusts”, ICLEF, 2004
- “Year In Review”, ICLEF, 2004
- “Making the Choice: Wills or Revocable Living Trusts”, ICLEF, 2005
- “Guardianships From A to Z, Revisited”, ICLEF, 2006
- “17th Annual Year in Review”, ICLEF, 2006
- “18th Annual Year in Review”, ICLEF, 2007
- “Down But Not Out – Is There Life After the Banks Shut the Lights Off?”, ICLEF, 2008
- “Using the Land Trust”, ICLEF, 2008
- “What Now? How To Handle The Unusual Estate Planning Case”, ICLEF, 2008
- “19th Annual Year in Review”, ICLEF, 2008
- “Guardianship Litigation”, ICLEF, 2009
- “The Full Spectrum of Estate Planning, Administration and Litigation”, 2009
- “Wills – Trusts Compared”, ICLEF, 2009
- “Year In Review”, ICLEF, 2009
- “Unique Situations In Estate Planning”, ICLEF 2010
- “Unique Situations In Estate Planning”, ICLEF 2010
- “Year In Review”, ICLEF 2010
- “Probate 101 Or Now You Have A System Too!”, ICLEF 2011
- “120 Hot Tips in Estate Planning”, ICLEF; “Year In Review”, ICLEF 2012
- “Estate and Trust Administration – Getting Started”, ICLEF; “Guardianships From Beginning To End”, ICLEF; “Year In Review”, ICLEF; “120 Hot Tips in Estate Planning”, ICLEF 2013
- “Masters Series Conference – Advanced Business Succession Planning”, ICLEF; “Year In Review,” ICLEF; “120 Hot Tips in Estate Planning”, ICLEF 2014
- “Unique Issues in Estate Planning,” ICLEF 2015
- “Year in Review,” ICLEF, “5 Tips on Will and Trust Litigation,” ICLEF 2015
- “The Estate Planning Trilemma: Trusts vs. Wills vs. TOD Property”, ICLEF “Year In Review,” ICLEF; “120 Hot Tips in Estate Planning” ICLEF 2016
- “Succession & Retirement Planning”, ICLEF 2017
