Mike’s national practice focuses on sophisticated estate planning, wealth transition planning, business continuity planning, estate and trust administration and litigation, tax-exempt organizations, uses of life insurance and family businesses. He represents families with estates of all sizes, but focuses primarily on families with substantial estates, particularly those transitioning wealth from one generation to another. This work often includes the transition of ownership of family-held businesses.
He has experience with income taxation of estates and trusts, as well as the use of advanced planning techniques such as Family Limited Partnerships, Irrevocable Life Insurance Trusts, Qualified Personal Residence Trusts and Sales to Defective Trusts. In addition, Mike has handled many aspects of charitable planning including long-range development, charitable remainder trusts, charitable lead trusts, private foundations and supporting organizations. Highly regarded in the related areas of development strategies and techniques, charitable planned giving, tax-exempt organizations and estate planning, Mike has chaired the Development Committees of the Boards of two educational institutions and had primary responsibility for creating several long-range capital campaigns.
Before entering private practice, Mike served as a Judge Advocate General with the U.S. Air Force from 1974 to 1979.