Clark Hill Attorney Joseph A. Bonventre to Present Estate Planning Seminar

DETROIT, MI

– Clark Hill attorney Joseph A. Bonventre will present Estate Planning Seminar May 28

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to Detroit Lions players, coaches and staff.

Joseph A. Bonventre

advises individuals on estate planning, probate, charitable planning and trust administration and related tax matters. Mr. Bonventre has substantial experience advising individuals and members of closely held businesses on traditional and sophisticated estate planning techniques available to reduce their federal income tax, gift tax, estate tax and generation skipping transfer tax liabilities.  He prepares a variety of estate planning documents, including wills, revocable living trusts, irrevocable trusts, family limited liability company agreements, durable power of attorney forms and designation of patient advocate forms.  Mr. Bonventre has substantial experience advising members of closely held businesses on succession planning techniques.  If a client has charitable intent, he utilizes various charitable planning techniques to accomplish the client’s objectives including charitable remainder trusts, charitable lead trusts, private foundations and planned giving options.  If a client has retirement assets, Mr. Bonventre educates the client so that he or she can make the appropriate elections and decisions that apply in this complex area of the law.  He is uniquely qualified to prepare federal estate and gift tax returns and federal and state fiduciary tax returns.  Mr. Bonventre has expertise in assisting individuals and fiduciaries of estates and trusts with audits by the Internal Revenue Service and Michigan Department of Treasury.  He has been successful in advocating clients’ positions before the Internal Revenue Service, Michigan Department of Treasury and the Courts.  He handles post-mortem trust administration matters and all types of probate matters, including probate administration, guardianships and conservatorships.

Mr. Bonventre has substantial experience working on guardianship, conservatorship, will, trust and estate litigation cases in probate courts throughout Michigan.  He particularly enjoys being a “problem solver” in connection with contested matters.  Mr. Bonventre is also available to serve as a Mediator on these type of cases using a facilitative mediation approach.  Mr. Bonventre has completed the educational and training requirements under MCR 2.411.  He is on the list of approved mediators for the Wayne County Probate Court and the Oakland County Circuit Court.  He is also on the list of mediators for the American College of Trust and Estate Counsel.

Mr. Bonventre is a Fellow of the American College of Trust and Estate Counsel and a Fellow of the American College of Tax Counsel.  Fellows are selected on the basis of professional reputation and ability in the fields of trusts and estates and taxation and on the basis of having made substantial contributions to these fields through lecturing, writing, teaching and Bar Association activities. He is named in

The Best Lawyers in America

.  The selection process for inclusion is stringent and is based on a peer-review survey.  Mr. Bonventre was also chosen as one of Michigan’s top 100 “Super Lawyers” in research conducted by Law & Politics magazine.

He has served as a member of the American Bar Association’s Section of Taxation, Committee on S Corporations (Subcommittee on Trusts and Estates as Shareholders of S Corporations) and Section of Real Property, Probate and Trust Law in which he has served as Chair of the Administration and Distribution of Trusts Committee, and Vice Chair of the Committee on Estate Tax Problems and Post-Mortem Planning.

His American Bar Association activities have included commenting on proposed Treasury Regulations and working with members of the Treasury Department and the legislative tax committees on drafting new tax  legislation.  Mr. Bonventre has testified before the Treasury Department in  Washington,  D.C. on the Generation Skipping Transfer Tax. He has served as the Chairperson, Vice Chairperson and Treasurer of the Taxation Section of the Section of the State Bar of Michigan. He was the Editor of

The Michigan Tax Lawyer

and previously served as chair of the Estates and Trusts Committee. Mr. Bonventre assisted in the drafting and enactment of the Michigan Estate Tax Act which repealed the Michigan Inheritance Tax. He previously served as Chair of the Taxation Section of the Detroit Metropolitan Bar Association. Mr. Bonventre is a member of the Financial and Estate Planning Council of Metropolitan Detroit and is a member of the Board of Directors of the Planned Giving Roundtable of Southeast Michigan. He has taught Estate Planning in the LL.M. (Taxation) Program at Wayne State University Law School and was an adjunct professor in the Legal Assistant Program at Henry Ford Community College for several years. Mr. Bonventre has written articles and given numerous presentations on estate planning, probate, tax and trust administration topics.

He is an active member of the Church of the Divine Child, located in Dearborn, where he has served in several capacities, including Treasurer of the Parish Council, member of the Auction Steering Committee, Worship Commission Chairperson, Co-Chair of the Major Gifts area for the Archdiocese of Detroit Stewards for Tomorrow Endowment Program, and member of the Administration Commission. Mr. Bonventre is involved in various charitable organizations and activities. He is the immediate past President of the Dearborn Kiwanis Club. Mr. Bonventre resides in Northville with his wife, Joyce.

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