CCHA Law’s Estate Planning Group is here to help you develop an estate plan that is tailored to meet your unique goals, expectations, and family circumstances. Our seasoned attorneys thoughtfully develop strategic estate plans designed to protect and preserve assets for clients and their beneficiaries and aid in transferring those assets to the intended beneficiaries. Tax considerations also play a key role in shaping your estate plan. Our attorneys have assisted many families in transitioning their estates to family members in an efficient and tax-effective manner.

If you or a loved one is seeking guidance on these matters, CCHA Law is here with resources you can utilize. We have extensive experience applicable to a multitude of circumstances, and can provide you with personalized legal advice. Our team is ready to assist you with any estate planning needs.

Estate Planning + Probate Resources

• 5 Times When You Should Update a Will or Estate Plan

• Common Challenges with Family Business Succession Planning

• Repercussions of a Quitclaim Deed

• Estate Planning for Non-Probate Assets

• What is the Difference Between a Will and Revocable Trust?

• Tips for Talking to Your Family About End-of-Life Wishes

Estate Planning Services with CCHA Law

Thoughtful and strategic estate planning is an important step in understanding and controlling your personal and family financial situation. Estate planning is a process by which individuals protect and preserve assets for themselves and for their heirs and beneficiaries and then transfer those assets, during life or upon death, consistent with predetermined goals. CCHA Law offers comprehensive estate planning services including wills and trusts, advance directives, business succession planning, gifting strategies, charitable planning and more.

The Estate Planning Group at CCHA Law offers comprehensive estate planning services including the following:

• Wills and Trusts

• Advance Directives

  • Healthcare Representative Appointment

  • Power of Attorney

  • Living Will Declaration

• Business Succession Planning

  • Entity Formation

• Planning for Federal and Estate Gift Taxes

  • Portability of Spouse Unused Exclusion Amount (DSUE Amount)

  • Qualified Terminable Interest Trust (QTIP)

  • Planning for Non-US Citizen Spouse: Qualified Domestic Trust (QDOT)

• Gifting Strategies

  • Grantor Retained Annuity Trust (GRAT)

  • Qualified Personal Residence Trusts (QPRT)

  • Intentionally Defective Grantor Trust (IDGT)

• Charitable Planning

  • Family Foundation

  • Charitable Remainder Trust

  • Charitable Lead Trust

• Generation Skipping Trusts and Tax Issues

• Retirement Benefits

• Qualified Retirement Plans

• Inherited IRAs

• Conduit Trusts

• Accumulation Trusts

Trust + Probate Administration with CCHA Law

Probate administration is the court process by which a will is proved valid or invalid, and the legal procedures wherein the estate of a decedent is administered. This often complex process requires that taxes and other debts be paid, and also ensures that the provisions of the decedent’s will or trust instrument are fulfilled.

Dealing with the wide range of emotions upon the passing of a loved one can be overwhelming, as can understanding the legal issues surrounding how that loved one’s estate must be handled, sometimes in scenarios when a loved one dies without a will. CCHA Law offers comprehensive probate and trust administration services dedicated to helping alleviate the stress and frustration families may experience during such difficult times. If your loved one did not leave a will or if the will is deemed invalid, our attorneys will help you navigate Indiana’s law of intestate succession.

Meet the Team

Sarah Randall

Sarah concentrates her practice on estate planning, probate, guardianships, elder law, and real estate. She is admitted to practice before the Supreme Court of Indiana, the United States District Courts for the Northern and Southern Districts of Indiana, and the Supreme Court of California.

Sarah grew up in Kokomo, Indiana, and graduated from Northwestern High School. She obtained a Bachelor of Science degree in Management with a minor in Human Resources from Purdue University. Sarah graduated from the University of the Pacific, McGeorge School of Law in Sacramento, California with a Juris Doctor degree.

Jack Hittle

Jack joined CCHA Law as a law clerk in 1972, became an associate in 1973 and became a partner with the firm in 1975. He has experience in sophisticated probate litigation. He assisted with the attorney team for litigation involving the Robert Irsay Trust and the Mel Simon Estate Will and Trust contest. Jack was also involved in the extensive litigation and administration of the Lawrence Inlow estate.

Jack has spoken at Continuing Legal Education seminars in the fields of probate and school law, as well as to local civic groups on various topics of public interest.

Roger Burrus

Since 2007, Roger Burrus has been a Board Certified Trust and Estate Lawyer by the Trust and Estate Specialty Board. Roger has represented hundreds of clients in estate and trust planning, estate and trust administration, residential and commercial real estate matters, and general business and contract law.

Roger’s father, Otis C. Burrus, started the Zionsville law firm in 1952. Roger joined his father’s practice in 1982, after graduating from Valparaiso University School of Law, where he was President of Delta Theta Phi law fraternity and the Pre-legal Society. Burrus and Burrus, Attorneys, practiced until 2011, when Roger and Beth Sease changed the name to Burrus & Sease, LLP. In 2023, Roger and Beth decided to combine the 70-year history of Burrus & Sease with the 140-plus year history of Church Church Hittle and Antrim, where they are Of Counsel.

Roger has been very active in the Zionsville community, serving as past president of the Zionsville Lions Club, where he has been a member for over 40 years. He was a member of the board and past president of the Zionsville Chamber of Commerce and the Zionsville Boys and Girls Club. He has also served multiple terms on the boards of Boone County Senior Services and the Community Foundation of Boone County. In 2008, the Zionsville Chamber of Commerce recognized Roger’s service by naming him a Zionsville Town Crier.

Beth Sease

Beth joins CCHA Law after establishing her practice in Zionsville with Burrus & Sease, where she concentrates in estate and trust planning and administration. She serves clients from the local community and throughout central Indiana. Beth has a background in tax after beginning her career in the tax department of Price Waterhouse. She aims to provide each client with a carefully considered plan to fit their goals for asset growth, protection and transfer following death, keeping in mind the unique needs of each client. Conversations regarding tax considerations, advance directives, charitable giving and end-of-life issues are included in planning conversations with her clients.

Beth also brings experience assisting clients in the administration of trusts and estates. Beth is active in the Estate Planning Council of Indianapolis where she enjoys collaborating with other estate planning professionals to better serve their clients.

Kathleen E. Boaz

Kathleen’s first experience at CCHA Law was as a college intern in 2015. She completed two summer internships with the firm before becoming a summer law clerk after her first year of law school. She now practices as an associate attorney in the firm’s estate planning, business services, and real estate practice groups.

Kathleen obtained her Juris Doctorate from Indiana University Robert H. McKinney School of Law in May of 2020. At McKinney she served as President of the Sports and Entertainment Law Society, and was Secretary of the Intellectual Property Student Association.

In 2024, Kathleen was selected as one of 25 attorneys across the State to be a part of Class 12 of the Indiana State Bar Association’s Leadership Development Academy. She is also a board member at the IU Health Tipton Hospital and has been serving since 2023.

Contact the Estate Planning Team at CCHA Law

CCHA Law is a full-service law firm and proudly serves clients across the state of Indiana and beyond with offices in Fishers, Noblesville, Westfield, Tipton, Zionsville, Crown Point, and Fort Wayne. Our dedicated Estate Planning Team is here to be your advocate and more. With several locations throughout Indiana, we’re prepared to help you navigate your legal needs wherever you are. With more than 140 years of excellent service and thoughtful solutions, contact us today for a legal partner you can trust.

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