Joel has almost 30 years of experience working with UHNW clients and families. For the first half of his career, he worked as a trusts and estates attorney, at large law firms (such as Sidley Austin) as well as at his own firm. Joel then transitioned into banking and wealth management – first at The Northern Trust Company (as an in-house trust attorney and a Senior Trust Advisor) and then at BMO (as the National Head of Estate Settlement and later as a Senior Wealth Strategist with BMO Family Office in Santa Monica, California). Most recently he acted as the head of Fifth Third’s UHNW and family office initiative, known as Family Wealth Services.

While Joel has particular expertise in the areas of probate and estate settlement, he has spoken and been published on a wide variety of topics relating to wealth management, including prenuptial agreements, fiduciary duties, and the Illinois Trust Code. He is passionate about delivering comprehensive planning solutions and especially enjoys helping families with philanthropy and governance.

He obtained his B.A. with high honors from Michigan State University, where he was inducted into Phi Beta Kappa, and received his J.D. from the University of Michigan Law School. Joel also has significant experience teaching high school (in Nagahama, Japan); college (The University of Michigan); and law school (The Northwestern Pritzker School of Law).

Joel is an avid reader and hiker who also serves on the board of the Active Transportation Alliance. He and his wife Ruth (a commercial real estate attorney) reside in Chicago’s Gold Coast and enjoy traveling and spending time with their daughter, who lives in Seattle.