Michael Passananti serves as advisor and general counsel to entrepreneurs/business owners, successful families, investors, professional athletes, executives/professionals, and privately owned businesses. Michael’s comprehensive planning roles includes trusts and estate planning/implementation, family office administration and governance, wealth transfer planning, asset protection planning and charitable giving. Michael pays a high level of attention to his private clients to help ensure their wealth is protected and passes in the most tax efficient manner. Michael’s business/corporate practice entails business succession planning, corporate compliance/maintenance and governance, general business/corporate matters and representation and negotiation related to a broad range of business/corporate transactions. Michael acts as outside general counsel for many of the privately held businesses he represents helping to navigate the day to day legal matters and risk analysis/mitigation required for successful private businesses. In addition, Michael advises and counsels on the diverse and volumous business interests and holdings relating to his entrepreneurial clients as investors, board members and/or executives. Michael has been selected to the 2016 Illinois Super Lawyers list. Michael earned a Bachelor of Arts in Business Administration with a concentration in Finance and Management from Augustana College, where he graduated Summa Cum Laude and graduated as the top business student in his class. While at Augustana College, Mr. Passananti served as the Captain of the Men’s Basketball Team. He obtained his Juris Doctorate from DePaul University College of Law in Chicago, Illinois. Michael’s article, “Domestic Asset Protection Trusts: The Risks and Roadblocks Which May Hinder Their Effectiveness,” was published in the American College of Trust and Estate (“ACTEC”) Journal. Recently, Michael has been quoted in the Wall Street Journal, Financial Planning Magazine, U.S. News and World Report, Think Advisor and other recognized publications. In addition to frequently speaking and writing in his areas of practice, Mr. Passananti is on the Executive Committee of the Chicago Bar Association Trust Law Committee. Michael has served as the past President of the Junior Board of Directors of the J. Kyle Braid Leadership Foundation.

About Us: The needs of the private client are both pointed and diverse. While you require the advanced skills of a specialist, you also have diverse needs that must be understood and integrated by your lawyer. With its broad base of multi-degreed, multi-disciplined attorneys, DUGGAN BERTSCH is uniquely positioned in the legal space to best serve the needs of Private Clients.