Overview

As a trusted estate planning attorney, Michael frequently contributes to the discourse on crucial topics related to trust and estate planning through publications and presentations.

Michael works with clients through their estate planning needs creating wills and trusts for individuals, healthcare documents, powers of attorney, and estate and gift tax returns. He develops wealth preservation strategies for his clients, which include business owners, professionals, entrepreneurs, and their families, including estate planning for family offices. Through probate, or estate administration, he assists executors and beneficiaries with the necessary tasks. In situations where real estate is involved, Michael assists with due diligence on potential transactions and reviewing trusts used for loan transactions. 

Serving as the Trust & Estates articles editor for Probate & Property Magazine, he provides valuable insights to the legal community. Additionally, Michael reports annually from the Philip E. Heckerling Institute on Estate Planning for the American Bar Association Section of Real Property, Trust, and Estate Law. 

Courts & Bar Associations

• Ohio Bar (2019)
• Wisconsin Bar (2018)
• Florida Bar (2012)
• American Bar Association, Section of Real Property, Trust and Estate Law
  • Probate & Property Magazine, Articles Editor, Trust & Estate
  • Non-Tax Estate Planning Considerations Group, Past Chair
  • Generation Skipping Transfers Committee, Co-Chair
• Collier County Bar Association,
  • Director
  • Trusts and Estates Section, Past Chair
• Florida Bar Association
  • Real Property, Probate and Trust Law Section
    • Fellowship (2014-2016)
    • Executive Council Member
    • Asset Protection Committee, Chair
    • Estate & Trust Tax Planning Committee, Member
    • Law School Mentoring and Programming Committee, Member
  • Florida Probate Rules Committee, Member

Professional & Civic Affiliations

• Collier County Bar Foundation, Inc. (Naples, Florida), Director (2019-2023)

Professional Honors & Awards

• The Best Lawyers in America^®, Trusts and Estates, Litigation - Trusts and Estates (2024-2025)
• Graduate, Growing Associates in Naples (GAIN) (2019)
• At-Large Member of the Year; Real Property, Probate, and Trust Law Section of the Florida Bar (2017)
• Fellowship; Real Property, Probate, and Trust Law Section of the Florida Bar (2014-2016)

Presentations & Publications

PRESENTATIONS

• “Succession Planning for Families and Businesses,” Sept. 21, 2023
• “Unfamiliar Real Estate Matters in the Estate Administration Process,” Fund Assembly, May 20, 2023
• “A Closed Mouth Don’t Get Fed: Conquering Substance Use, Anxiety and Depression in the Asset Protection and Estate Planning Fields,” Florida Bar RPPTL Section, Feb. 9, 2023
• “Did I Do That? UnFamily-iar Real Estate Matters in the Estate Administration Process,” Florida Bar RPPTL Section, Nov. 18, 2022
• “I Care A Lot vs Real Life,” Sept. 15, 2022
• “Reverse Mortgages: Good v. Evil?” The Florida Bar Real Property, Probate and Trust Law Committee Audio Webcast, Jan. 27, 2020
• “All I Got Was a Watch: Tips and Techniques for Disposing of the Family Business and Continuing Family Harmony,” South Dakota Trust Association 4th Annual Fall Forum, Oct. 8, 2020
• “Mom Liked Me Better and She Will Prove It: Pre-Mortem Validation – Permanent Solution or Fad”, ABA/RPTE Spring Conference Webinar, May 15, 2020
• “Drafting Gun Trusts 101,” Federal Bar Association Live CLE Webinar, March 9, 2020
• “2020 Heckerling Update,” Lee County Bar Association Real Property, Probate and Trust Law Section, Feb. 14, 2020
"Heckerling Update,” Estate Planning Council of Lee County, Feb. 13, 2020
•  “Gun Trusts: What’s All the Fuss?” Coral Gables-South Dade Estate Planning Council, Nov. 19, 2019
• “Advanced Gun Trusts,” ProLawCLE, Sept. 19, 2019
• “Estate Planning for Real Estate in Living Trusts,” Webcredenza, Sept. 12, 2019
• “Trust and Estate Planning for Cabins, Boats, Vacation Homes & Assets,” Webcredenza, Aug. 27, 2019
• “Basics of Asset Protection,” CCMS & NCH Healthcare System Resident Series, Aug. 22, 2019
• “Advanced Gun Trusts,” LawPracticeCLE, July 19, 2019
• “Trust and Estate Planning for Real Estate, Part 1 and 2,” Webcredenza, June 25 and 26, 2019
• “2019 Trust and Estate Planning Update,” Webcredenza, May 14, 2019
• “Gun Trusts: The Complete Guide,” LawPracticeCLE, April 25, 2019
• “Uniform Voidable Transactions Act: Sword or Shield (It Depends on Who You Are Talking To...),” Estate Planning Council of Lee County, April 18, 2019
• “Trust and Estate Planning for Second Marriages,” Webcredenza, March 20, 2019
• “Construction Law Forum,” March 20, 2019
• “Trust and Estate Planning for Single Clients,” Webcredenza, Feb. 13, 2019
• “Trust and Estate Planning for Divorce,” Webcredenza, Jan. 17, 2019
• “Use of Out of State & International Entities & Trusts for Florida Residents,” Lee County Bar Association Real Property, Probate and Trust Law Section, Nov. 9. 2018
• “Use of Out of State & International Entities & Trusts for Florida Residents,” Bonita/Estero Estate Planning Group, Nov. 8. 2018
• “Family Feuds in Trusts: How to Anticipate & Avoid,” Webcredenza, March 7, 2018
• “Discretionary Trusts: Risks, Opportunities & Best Uses,” Webcredenza, March 2, 2018
• “Choosing the Right Trust, Part 1 and 2,” Webcredenza, Jan. 30 and 31, 2018
• “Estate Planning for the Elderly, Part 1 and 2,” Webcredenza, Dec. 14 and 15, 2017
• “An In Depth Look at Current Strategies in Asset Protection & Tax Planning for the Modern Estate Plan,” The Florida Bar Real Property, Probate & Trust Law Section, Nov. 30, 2017
• “Planning for the Freeze: Trust & Estate Planning to ‘Freeze’ Asset Values,” Webcredenza, Nov. 21, 2017
• Informa Financial Intelligence Lunch & Learn, Trust Users Group National Education Conference, Oct. 17, 2017
• “Estate Planning for Second Marriages,” Webcredenza, Oct. 10, 2017
• “Recent Developments in Estate Planning,” South Dakota Trust Association, Aug. 30, 2017
• “Planning with GRATs,” Webcredenza, Aug. 1, 2017
• “Hotter Topics in Trust and Estate Planning,” Estate Planning In Depth, American Law Institute – Continuing Legal Education, June 26, 2017
• “Funding Trusts: Asset Planning and Financial Distributions,” Webcredenza, May 2, 2017
• “Hot Topics in Estate Planning,” Estate Planning in Depth 2016, June 28, 2016
• “There’s No Place Like Home – Domestic Self-Settled Asset Protection Trusts and Inter Vivos QTIP Trusts: Why Do Them and Where To Go When You Do,” American Bar Association, Dec. 9, 2014
• “Current Estate Planning/Asset Protection Tricks and Treats,” North Dade/South Broward Estate Planning Council, Nov. 19, 2014

PUBLICATIONS

• “Real estate and related issues in the estate administration process,” American Bar Association's Probate & Property, March/April 2023
• “Mo money, mo problems: Planning after the liquidity event,” The Naples Daily News - Estate Planning Council Supplement, March 12, 2023
• “Estate planning lessons from Mookie Betts and Fernando Tatis, Jr.,” Wealth Management Magazine, April 21, 2021
• “Mom liked me better, and she will prove it: Pre-mortem validation—permanent solution or fad?” Probate and Property Magazine, March/April 2021
• “Exemptions and waivers: Kearney Construction – A whole new ball game,” Actionline, Fall 2020
• “Of waivers and exemptions: protecting exempt assets in Florida following the Kearney Construction case,” Steve Leimberg's Asset Protection Planning Newsletter, Feb. 27, 2020
• “The role of the physician in Florida’s new human trafficking laws,” The Forum Magazine, November/December 2019
• “Recent Florida case revisits Berlinger Decision,” Real Property Probate & Trust Law Newsletter, Lee County Bar Association, Summer 2019
• “Second DCA keeps Berlinger alive another day,” Steve Leimberg’s Estate Planning Newsletter, May 30, 2019
• “The case for trusts as an alternative to prenuptial agreements when religion intervenes,” Probate & Property, May/June 2019
• “Fiduciary law trends: A roundup of significant court cases,” Trust & Estates, May 2019
• “Avoiding tangible personal property disputes,” Naples Daily News, March 3, 2019
• “Only one can win? Property tax exemptions based on residency under Florida law,” The Florida Bar Journal, September/October 2018
• “Did the Supreme Court’s Legg denial just kick the can down the road?” Tax Management Estates, Gifts and Trusts Journal, Bloomberg BNA, Nov. 9, 2017
• “Overview of timely topics in trust and estate planning,” Estate Planning Journal, October 2017
• “A duty? Relax, recent decanting case does not give trustees an affirmative duty to decant,” Estate Planning Newsletter #2561, Leimberg Information Services, Inc., June 22, 2017
• “Fiduciary law trends,” Trust & Estates, May 2017
• “Gun trusts – What’s all the fuss?” Probate & Property Magazine, March / April 2017
• “Trusts,” Lexis Practice Advisor -- Florida Business & Commercial Module, December 2016
• “The tools & techniques of trust planning, 1st edition,” The National Underwriting Company, December 2016
• “Disability planning,” Lexis Practice Advisor -- Florida Business & Commercial Module, Oct. 28, 2016
• “Wills,” Lexis Practice Advisor -- Florida Business & Commercial Module, June 16, 2016
• “Fiduciary law trends,” Trust & Estates, May 2016
• “Creditors’ rights to social security benefits in Florida,” State-to-State, The Florida Bar Out-of-State Division, Winter 2015
• “Planning for second spouses and first marriage children and (surprisingly) making everyone happy!” Actionline, Summer 2015
• “Drafting attorneys and litigation attorneys need to collaborate,” eReport, American Bar Association, Real Property, Trust and Estate Law Section, August 2014
• “Asset protection planning without malpractice risk,” Daily Business Review, Feb. 18, 2014