Soo Yeon Lee

Partner

slee@mauckbaker.com

“I wish to express my heartfelt appreciation for attorney Soo Yeon Lee’s exceptional professionalism, unwavering dedication, and genuine compassion. Her profound legal insight and collaborative approach crafted a winning strategy for my case. Soo Yeon Lee ensured that I was an integral part of the journey by keeping me informed every step of the way with clear, understandable updates. She valued my input and incorporated my perspectives into our strategy.
I wholeheartedly endorse Soo Yeon Lee for her commitment and empathy toward me. Her approach alleviated my stress and effectively helped me manage my legal expenses.” – Ron L.

Practice Areas

Award & Recognition

  • Vanguard Award (2024) by Chicago Bar Association 
  • Named as a 2015-2018 Emerging Lawyer by the Law Bulletin Publishing Company’s Leading Lawyers division.
  • Fellow, American Bar Foundation 
  • Fellow, Section of Real Property, Trust, and Estate Law of the American Bar Association (2012-2014)

Professional Activities & memberships

  • Legal Advisor, Consulate General of the Republic of Korea (Chicago)
  • Associate Departmental Editor, Probate and Property Magazine, American Bar Association, Section of Real Property, Trust and Estate Law
  • Advisory Board Member, Korean American Bar Association of Chicago (KABA)
  • Christian Legal Society
  • Member, Chicago Estate Planning Council
  • Full Member, Society of Trust and Estate Practitioners (STEP)

Education

  • LL.M. in Taxation, with honors, Northwestern Pritzker School of Law, Chicago, IL
  • Tax Certificate, Wealth Transfer and Legacy Planning, Northwestern Pritzker School of Law
  • J.D., University of Illinois Chicago School of Law
  • M.S. in Information Technology and Privacy Law, University of Illinois Chicago School of Law

Admissions

  • Illinois, 2005
  • U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Illinois
  • U.S. Tax Court

Languages: English, Korean

Soo Yeon Lee concentrates her practice in the areas of tax, trust and estate, and real estate law, providing integrated counsel across these interconnected disciplines. She advises clients on estate planning, probate and trust administration, complex tax planning for real estate and business transactions, estate and gift taxation, nonprofit tax matters, private foundations, and charitable giving strategies. Her cross-disciplinary expertise allows her to address the full spectrum of legal and tax issues that entrepreneurs, family businesses, and mission-driven organizations face as they build, preserve and purposefully transfer wealth.

Soo Yeon brings a litigation-informed perspective to transactional work. Her courtroom experience enables her to assess risk accurately, anticipate disputes, and structure transactions with an understanding of how legal conflicts actually unfold–making her both a strategic planner and an effective advocate when disputes arise.

As a bridge between Korean and American legal cultures, Soo Yeon serves Korean American families navigating cross-border and inter-generational matters with native fluency in Korean and deep cultural insight. She currently serves as legal advisor to the Consulate General of South Korea in Chicago. If you are in need of Soo Yeon’s Korean service & expertise, learn more here!

Soo Yeon is highly active in the American Bar Association’s Section of Real Property, Trust and Estate Law (RPTE), where she has served as a Section Council Member (2019-2025), Associate Departmental Editor of Probate and Property Magazine, and Vice Chair of the Special Committee on Career Development and Wellness. She is also a member of the Chicago Estate Planning Council and a full member of the Society of Estate and Trust Practitioners (STEP), an international organization focused on cross-border estate planning.

Soo Yeon’s Legal Lectures:

  • Don’t Get Burned: Understanding FinCEN’s New Anti-Money Laundering Reporting Rule & Its Penalties (Section of Real Property, Trust and Estate Law, American Bar Association (May 1, 2026)
  • Don’t Fear the Eyeroll Asset: Simplifying the Transfer of Complex Assets from a Real Property and Trust and Estates Perspective, 37th National CLE Conference, Section of Real Property, Trust and Estate Law, American Bar Association (May 1, 2025)
  • To Defer or Not to Defer, That is the Question (1031 Exchange), 35th National CLE Conference, Section of Real Property, Trust and Estate Law, American Bar Association (May 2023)
  • Must Have Engagement Letter Clauses: Avoiding Practice Pitfalls, 33rd National CLE Conference, Section of Real Property, Trust and Estate Law, American Bar Association (April 2021)
  • Funding Living Trusts with Real Property: Special Considerations and Forms, ABA Section of Real Property, Trust and Estate Law (May 2018)
  • Where Death and Dirt Meet: Practice Pointers from the Other Side, ABA Section of Real Property, Trust and Estate Law (May 2017)
  • Lease Restructuring, Practicing Law Institute (March 2016, 2018)
  • Lease Review, Practicing Law Institute (April 2016, 2017)
  • Building and Managing a Successful Real Estate/Estate Planning Practice, ABA Section of Real Property, Trust, and Estate Law (May 2016)
  • How to Review and Negotiate Purchase and Sale Agreement and Commercial Lease, 3rd Minority Bar Conference (June 2015)
  • How to Review and Negotiate a Commercial Lease, ABA Section of Real Property, Trust and Estate Law (April 2015)
  • Build to Suit Leases, ABA Section of Real Property, Trust and Estate Law (May 2014)
  • Signage Issues in Commercial Leasing, Nuts and Bolts of Leases, ABA Section of Real Property, Trust and Estate Law (June 2013)