McDermott Will & Schulte, a global law firm

David A. Baker advises clients in the areas of estate, trust, and guardianship litigation; probate, estate, trust, and guardianship administration; and charitable foundation and exempt organization administration and litigation. He also practices estate planning.

David founded the firm’s Estate, Trust and Guardianship Controversy practice more than 30 years ago. He led a group of private client and litigation attorneys who, together, have 80 years of experience in this unique field, one that combines substantive property law and tax background with litigation skills. David and this group achieved attention-getting results in high-profile matters involving defense of fiduciaries in investment and general liability cases, defense of fiduciaries in will and trust contests, and other diverse matters, including the highest-exposure transfer tax litigation cases in the United States. Representative matters include the following:

• Successfully defending the corporate fiduciary managing an Indiana trust, who was subject to a $100 million investment liability claim, and achieving a no-liability outcome, following by a court order taxing the cost of the litigation to the plaintiff beneficiaries
• Successfully defending will, trust and tort claims brought against the estate of the owner of a long-standing Chicago grocery store chain, with alleged damages in excess of $100 million, including obtaining full dismissal of all claims and sanctions against the plaintiff's attorneys
• Successfully defending the surviving spouse of a Michigan decedent, in a case involving the largest federal transfer tax deficiency ever sought by the Internal Revenue Service, and ultimately preserving, in its entirety, the surviving spouse's significant share of the decedent's estate and trust

David also handles appellate cases, and was the lead counsel on 10 published opinions in the courts of Illinois, Indiana and Michigan, including Americans for the Arts v. Ruth Lilly Charitable Remainder Annuity Trust No. 1, 855 N.E. 2d 592 (Ind. Ct. App. 2006), a leading case on a trustee's duty to diversify investments

David has authored articles and outlines for the American College of Trust and Estate Counsel (ACTEC), the Illinois Institute of Continuing Legal Education (IICLE) and the Chicago Bar Association, as well as for the Probate and Property Journal of the American Bar Association. He is the editor and primary author of the 2002 edition of the IICLE's Handbook on Estate, Trust and Guardianship Litigation (formerly Contested Estates), which he organized, authored and edited as a new publication for IICLE. He also speaks before these organizations on topics including contested estates, trusts and guardianships, estate planning and tax litigation. In law school, David served as an associate editor and contributor of the Loyola University of Chicago Law Journal.

Frequent speaker for Chicago Bar Association, Illinois Institute on Continuing Legal Education and local Bar Associations regarding estate, trust and foundation administration and litigation involving estates, trusts, and guardianships.

Christen K. Douglas advises high net worth individuals and families regarding all aspects of their personal legal needs, including estate, gift, GST, and income tax planning, family dispute resolution, business succession planning, charitable giving, and trust and estate controversy matters. Drawing on her experience as a litigator, she is able to anticipate and avoid common missteps in planning clients’ estates that might otherwise lead to costly litigation. When litigation is necessary, Christen offers a unique perspective by understanding the highly technical aspects of estate and tax planning as well as the strategy of litigation.

Margaret E. Sanne advises ultra-high-net-worth individuals and multigenerational families, family offices, private trust companies, and corporate fiduciaries on trust and estate planning, helping them navigate complex planning and administration matters with proactive, strategic guidance.

Margaret counsels clients on all aspects of estate, gift, and charitable planning, corporate governance, and business succession strategies. She has extensive experience advising family offices and private trust companies on their unique planning needs, including structure and governance matters, succession planning, fiduciary risk management, trust and estate administration, transfer and income tax planning, and internal operations.

Additionally, Margaret advises individual and corporate fiduciaries on complex estate and trust administration, post-death administration, and probate and guardianship proceedings. She regularly represents clients in a wide range of private client disputes, including will and trust contests, beneficiary disputes, divorce-related trust issues, and tax and charitable controversies.

Joseph advises clients on all matters pertaining to the intergenerational transfer of wealth, including estate planning, succession planning, tax planning, trust and estate administration, audits, examinations, controversy avoidance and litigation. He also guides clients on the formation, governance and operation of private trust companies and family offices. His clients are located throughout the United States and include high-net-worth individuals and families, private trust companies, family offices, family office executives and large banks.

Joseph has successfully argued before trial and appellate courts in multiple jurisdictions. Due to his unique background in tax, planning and litigation, clients turn to Joseph to advise them in complex disputes involving family members, spouses, employees and business partners. A significant part of his practice involves counseling family offices and private trust company executives on strategies and best practices for avoiding personal liability. Joseph is frequently able to favorably resolve disputes without litigation. If necessary, however, he vigorously defends his clients’ interests in the courtroom.

Joseph is a frequent contributor to the bar. In addition to publishing numerous articles and book chapters, he is the principal draftsman of the forthcoming Michigan Trust Company Act. He also assisted with drafting the Michigan Uniform Fiduciary Income and Principal Act and the Model Civil Jury Instructions Regarding Undue Influence, among other legislative matters.