Phil has more than 20 years of experience assisting individuals with estate, wealth, and business succession planning, and helping businesses with corporate and real estate matters.
As an estate planner, Phil knows that transferring wealth effectively requires the preservation of family relationship. When advising clients and their families, he devotes significant time to communicating with members of each generation. He strives to develop practical plans that carry out his clients’ wishes and minimize taxes, while also providing the flexibility needed to address unforeseen circumstances.
Phil has developed a number of areas of expertise where he and Michael Best team differentiate themselves. Among these include: significant experience in domicile planning associated with his clients who split time among various tax jurisdictions; addressing the unique family succession interests in family vacation properties, and managing their shared ownership and transfer successfully; and issues facing agricultural clients, whose ownership of farming operations and land often represents a complex combination of business issues, family heritage, succession and transfer challenges, and regulatory complexity. Understanding the unique way of life of those in agriculture requires an appreciation of their traditional, dynamic, and continuing importance to Wisconsin.
Phil also counsels business clients in the manufacturing, retail, and service industries. A former in-house counsel, he has a deep understanding of manufacturing companies, enabling him to offer pragmatic advice, especially during a sale or acquisition, or when addressing business problems that are outside the norm.
Bridging the gap between business representation and wealth transfer planning lies business succession planning. Phil has a wealth of experience with the challenges faced by business owners in addressing the movement of their company to another generation.
Prior to joining Michael Best, Phil worked concurrently as general counsel for a manufacturer and retained a limited law practice in the areas of business, trusts and estates, elder law, and real estate. He also spent 13 years at a full-service business law firm, serving as managing shareholder of the firm’s Manitowoc office.
He has frequently published and presented on topics relating to estate planning, real estate and business succession. He has also served as a guest lecturer at the University of Wisconsin Law School.