FOR INFORMATION CONTACT:
Kelly Baxter (414) 277-5695
MILWAUKEE, Wis. – The law firm of Quarles & Brady LLP today announced that partner John T. Bannen has been certified as an Estate Planning Law Specialist by the Estate Law Specialist Board, Inc. (ELSB). ELSB is an organization accredited by the American Bar Association and affiliated with the National Association of Estate Planners & Councils.
Board certification is a significant honor, as only three other attorneys in Wisconsin and 37 attorneys nationwide have earned the right to be called Estate Planning Law Specialists. To become board-certified as an Estate Planning Law Specialist, an attorney must have devoted at least one-third of his or her practice to estate planning for a minimum of five years. In addition to passing a comprehensive examination in estate planning law, the attorney must also receive recommendations from five colleagues and must establish that he or she has at least 36 continuing legal education credits within the last three years.
Bannen concentrates his law practice in the areas of estate planning/estate settlement, employee benefits and taxation. His experience includes drafting wills and trusts; helping people plan to protect inherited assets from creditors and divorce; reviewing life insurance needs; long term care insurance; annuities and distribution strategies for IRAs; settling disputes among family members relating to wills; and more.
He earned bachelors degrees from the University of St. Thomas and the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, his law degree from Marquette University and an LLM in Taxation from De Paul University. Bannen is a fellow of the American College of Trust and Estate Counsel. He has received his Charter Life Underwriter designation, has served as a Director of the Milwaukee Chapter of the American Society of CLU and ChFC and is an associate member of the Association of Advanced Life Underwriting. He has also served as a Director of the State Bar of Wisconsin Section of Real Property, Probate and Trust Law and is a frequent speaker on estate planning and retirement planning issues. Bannen is a resident of Wauwatosa.
Quarles & Brady LLP is a full-service law firm with more than 400 attorneys practicing from offices in Milwaukee and Madison, Wis.; Chicago, Ill.; Phoenix and Tucson, Ariz.; and Naples, Fla. The Firm offers an array of legal services to corporate and individual clients that range from small, entrepreneurial businesses to Fortune 100 companies. Quarles & Brady represents clients in a broad range of industries and practice areas, including, but not limited, to the following: antitrust, trade regulation & franchising; bankruptcy & creditors’ rights; commercial transactions litigation; corporate services; municipal & public finance; employee benefits; environmental; financial institutions; federal Indian & gaming law; government relations; health; immigration; e-commerce & information technology; insurance regulation; intellectual property; international business; labor & employment; product liability; toxic tort litigation; real estate; school; tax; tax-exempt organizations; estate planning; and white-collar criminal and governmental investigations. Additional information about the Firm may be found at www.quarles.com.
