Abosede Odunsi is a Partner in the Private Client Services Practice of Smith, Gambrell & Russell, LLP. Ms. Odunsi was a Partner at Freeborn & Peters, which combined with SGR in 2023.
Ms. Odunsi focuses her practice on estate planning, business succession planning, tax planning, and probate and trust administration. She advises high net worth individuals, families, and business owners about protecting and transferring wealth. Specifically, Ms. Odunsi designs trusts tailored to client needs including grantor retained annuity trusts, health and education trusts, irrevocable life insurance trusts, spousal limited access trusts, dynasty trusts, qualified domestic asset trusts, sales to defective grantor trusts and charitable trusts.
Ms. Odunsi also counsels fiduciaries on administering complex estates and trusts, defending contests, handling taxes, managing foreign and domestic beneficiaries, settling creditor claims and employing pre-litigation strategies like mediation and non-judicial settlement agreements to resolve conflict. She advises entrepreneurs about creating corporate structures and agreements designed to protect their assets, limit liability, ensure efficient business operations and minimize taxes.
Prior to joining the Firm, Ms. Odunsi was a Partner at a boutique estate planning and administration firm in Chicago. Ms. Odunsi earned her B.A. from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign and holds an M.A. from Pennsylvania State University. She earned her J.D. from University of Wisconsin Law School, and holds an LL.M from Northwestern University Pritzker School of Law, where she earned a certificate in Wealth Transfer and Legacy Planning.
Outside of work, Ms. Odunsi enjoys ballroom dancing.
Member, Chicago Estate Planning Counsel
Member, American Bar Association
Member, Chicago Bar Association
Black Women Lawyers’ Association, former board member
Chicago Foundation for Women, Professional Advisory Committee
Author, “Patagonia’s Succession Plan Is A Blueprint For Biz Owners,” Law360, October 11, 2022.