Business: Law Office of Scott A. Brower
Address: 608 S. Washington St., Suite 200, Naperville
Phone/website: 630-753-0008; www.browerlawoffice.com
Owner: Attorney Scott A. Brower, 54, of Naperville
Years in business: 21
What do you do? “We focus on estate planning, which covers wills, trusts, probate matters. Then we do real estate, residential and commercial. … I represent them purchasing or selling a home, purchasing or selling buildings,” Brower said.
What about estate planning? “Probate is going to court. That’s why you want to have a trust. A will avoids probate if you have a small estate, less than $100,000. But a will does not avoid probate. A will means a judge gets to carry out your wishes. A living trust will avoid probate.”
Why do we not want to go to probate? “A couple different reasons. First of all, it is public record so everybody can know what your estate looks like, what you own and have in debts and liabilities. The second thing, it’s expensive. It can be several thousand dollars to go to court.
“If you have a will, your wishes will be carried out, but a judge has to oversee the estate. If you have a living trust, there are a lot of steps you have to take, name all your bank accounts. There’s a lot to do upfront, but in the end your heirs don’t have to go to court, can take care of the assets, distribute the assets to the family. It’s a much more seamless and stress-free process.”
What should we know? “Money does funny things to families. When you don’t have a plan laid out for your family and loved ones, it can be a source of problems, arguments and fights.”
Can it split apart families? “I’ve seen it happen. It’s very sad. … Again, we’re not dealing with something that’s fun to think about. Nobody likes to come here and talk about their death. That’s what we’re essentially doing. But by doing this, you’re giving your family a gift. You are making all the decisions that have to go into an estate, taking care of assets and liabilities and at least giving them a road map to take care of it. If you have a plan in place, it makes it a lot easier for everybody.”
Any future plans? “I’m going to become a certified estate planner. There are classes you can take. I want to be able to help in all respects. I’m not a financial advisor. I’m not an insurance guy. But I want to have the knowledge. I want to make myself better so the advice and the guidance we offer to clients is all encompassing.”
What’s your background? “I was a prosecutor in DuPage County, an assistant state’s attorney, for almost five years.”
Why did you make the switch? “Money. My wife and I decided we wanted her to stay home (as we raised our children). We couldn’t do that on an assistant state’s attorney salary. I did a couple firm gigs. Wasn’t for me. So, in 2003, I went out on my own. Started doing criminal defense work, realized in the first few years I was really stressed out. … I decided I like this. Way less stress. There’ s no real estate emergencies for the most part. Then I decided to help people with estate planning.”
How does the real estate aspect work? “Once an agent gets a contract, they send it to our office. We kind of help buyers and sellers navigate that process from the day the contract is signed until their closing date. We’re preparing all the legal documents, working with their lender, ordering title, surveys, just helping make sure everything goes right.”
Why are you an attorney? “My dad (Arlyn) was a state trooper in Michigan. That kind of took me down that road.”
When are you busy? “Summer is busy for real estate. Winter is busy for estate planning.”
What do you like about your job? “I have worked with so many great people over the years. It’s really fun to know you are helping somebody. … If you do a good job for people, they’ll keep coming back.”
How did the pandemic impact your business? “It was crazy. Everyone was leaving the city because they wanted more space. … The biggest years I had were the middle of 2020 to the middle of 2022.”
What’s your advice for someone starting a business? “Make sure you love what you do and work hard. It doesn’t come easy, but if you work hard, it will happen.”
Steve Metsch is a freelance reporter for the Naperville Sun. If you know of a business you’d like to see profiled in Down to Business, contact him at metschmsfl@yahoo.com.
