Practice Experience

• Guided the transfer of a family-owned, national chain of car washes from the business founder to its second generation of owners and strategic buyers in a way that maximized value for the founder and preserved family control of the business.
• Executed the succession of a family-owned grain elevator concern from one generation of family members to the next to accomplish the goal of spreading value to all members of the succeeding generation while maintaining business control in the active participants of the business.
• Structured the estate plan for the owner of statewide retailer so as to preserve the value of the business, accomplish the owner’s charitable giving goals, and maintain ownership and control of the business for the next generation of family ownership.
• Advisor to and trustee of the Vilas Trust and John M. Olin Trust, non-profit organizations that were established to support University of Wisconsin scholars and professors and Madison parks.
• Formulated countless estate plans that saved clients millions of dollars in gift and estate taxes.
• Designed and customized business succession plans for dozens of closely-held businesses to achieve various tax, corporate, and estate planning goals.

Professional Achievements, Honors, and Awards

• AV® Preeminent™ Rated by Martindale-Hubbell® Peer Review Ratings
• Listed in The Best Lawyers in America® in Trusts & Estates, Closely Held Companies & Family Businesses, Banking & Finance, and Corporate Law (2008-2024)
• Selected as a Wisconsin Super Lawyer in Estate Planning & Probate, Real Estate, Business/Corporate (2008-2023)
• Named a “Top Lawyer” by Madison Magazine in Business, Elder, Commercial Lending, Estate Planning, and Consumer Law
• Member of In Business magazine’s “Executive Register” (2006-2014)