Meet Hallie
Welcome to Olive Avenue! I’m Hallie Ritzu, the founder of Olive Avenue and an experienced estate planning attorney. Olive Avenue is a place where the estate planning process is efficient, accessible, and educational.
I graduated from Northwestern University Pritzker School of Law. During law school, I interned for a federal judge, was an Articles Editor on Law Review, and served as a teaching assistant in the Mediation and Negotiation Program. Since graduating from Northwestern, I was fortunate to work at one of the top law firms in the country, advocating for clients in the courtroom and guiding families through the estate planning process.
After gaining great experience in the large law firm setting, I decided to establish Olive Avenue because I believe that estate planning is for everyone and that it doesn’t have to be a scary or daunting process.
I have experience advising clients on the design and drafting of estate planning documents, including wills, revocable and irrevocable trusts (including charitable trusts), family limited partnerships, shareholder agreements, and intra-family sale agreements. I have also prepared estate and gift tax returns and have negotiated settlements with the IRS on audited estate and gift tax returns. In addition, I have counseled clients in estate, trust, and guardianship administration and have represented clients in contested estate and trust matters before federal and state courts in several jurisdictions, including in federal and state appellate courts, and in alternative dispute resolution.
Using my legal skills to help those in my community is important to me. I have dedicated time to several pro bono representations during my career, including obtaining asylum for two young women from Central and South America who faced gender-based violence in their home countries. In addition, I am an adjunct professor at UIC Law where I teach a legal writing course focused on providing students with both the practical and theoretical foundations for effective communication.
I live in the City of Chicago and enjoy playing tennis, getting outside with my dog, Blue, and reading as much as I can (especially mysteries). If you would like to learn more about me, you can find me on LinkedIn or you can listen to my podcast, Personal Jurisdiction, where my co-host and I talk to a variety of people within the first decade of law practice to hear about their journeys to fulfilling careers and the advice they have for getting there.
I hope you will give me the opportunity to use my skills and experience to protect your legacy and to give you peace of mind.
What is it like to work with Hallie.
“Hallie’s work product is consistently top-notch-comprehensive, polished and well-written. She has a natural ability to communicate effectively and persuasively under pressure in a variety of settings, including in the courtroom, client discussions and speaking engagements.”
“Hallie’s work is exceptional. [She] is always thinking several steps ahead. Hallie’s organizational skills are strong, and she has used those skills to complete high-quality work and to provide excellent client service.”
“Hallie is smart, super responsive, efficient and thoughtful.”
“If the definition of becoming indispensable is doing something well almost nobody else does, then Hallie [has built] that reputation.”
“Hallie is responsive, well-organized and diligent. She is also wonderful to work with, possessing a can-do attitude.”
“[Hallie has] pretty much whipped the opposition—they find themselves constantly asking for reconsideration of their losing arguments or appeals.”
