Cultivating Humanity in Trusts: How Preparedness Helps Families Flourish in a Complex Trust Landscape

Daniel P. Felix has been serving families as a Trustee for more than thirty years as the principal of his well-staffed law firm. Rated as a “Super Lawyer” for many years, Dan and his team have successfully managed a wide variety of trusts and have become a go-to resource for difficult and unusual trust situations.
Certified as a Master Trustee since 2019 by the Independent Trustee Alliance, Dan’s primary work involves stepping in as a replacement trustee, often for families who have fallen into crisis over the administration of their trusts. He prides himself on serving his clients as an experienced, impartial, resourceful, and efficient trustee geared toward crisis resolution and returning trust management to the right track.
For those who want to avoid crisis, Dan serves as successor trustee as well as power of attorney and executor. His unique Pre-Fiduciary Preparedness Program enables Dan and his team to hit-the-ground running at a family’s time of need.
In 2016 he co-founded the Independent Trustee Alliance, the only international professional organization for individual trustees. Hired to teach lawyers and other professional trust administrators, Dan also served as the chair for continuing education of the Illinois State Bar Association’s Trust and Estates section from 2020 through 2023.
Dan has written and spoken extensively on trusts and trust administration, including the creation of the Bill of Trust Beneficiary Rights. His book “The Way of the Trustee: A Guide to Enlightened Trust Administration in Service to Families” was recently selected and published by the James Hughes Foundation. He has another book on trustees and trusts going to press shortly, and is working on several others. Dan earned his Bachelor of Arts in American Civilization from the University of Illinois, Urbana and his Juris Doctor from Loyola University of Chicago School of Law.

Wendy Zimmer Cox serves as Chief Fiduciary Officer and Director of Personal Trust for Greenleaf Trust. Her responsibilities include providing a trust perspective to all wealth management discussions, and coordinating planning strategies with other professional advisors, such as tax advisors or estate planning attorneys. She leads the personal trust team and is also responsible for day-to-day account oversight, fiduciary compliance and directing Greenleaf Trust’s team of trust relationship officers to ensure our clients receive remarkable service, and that the organization is compliant with regulatory law. Prior to joining Greenleaf Trust, Wendy practiced law for 16 years in the areas of probate and trust litigation, complex probate and trust administration, preparation of estate, fiduciary and gift tax returns, and drafting estate planning and business succession documents. Wendy served on the Michigan Banker’s Trust Executive Committee from 2014-2025 twice serving as chair and is a frequent lecturer around the country on trust administration and tax issues. She earned her Bachelor of Arts in English and Juris Doctor from the University of Michigan. Wendy is a designated Certified Trust and Fiduciary Advisor.