Meet The Team
Joseph M. Zender, JD
Joe Zender, an associate in the Business and Corporate group at DUGGAN BERTSCH, serves as advisor and outside general counsel to business owners, founders, entrepreneurs, professional athletes and closely held/family-owned businesses.
Joe’s practice specializes in representing clients at all stages of the business life cycle – from formation or acquisition to exits. He regularly counsels clients on a broad range of corporate transactions, including acquisitions, sales, capital raises, minority investments, joint ventures and equity transfers.
As outside general counsel, in addition to working with clients to navigate day to day legal matters and risk analysis/mitigation, he regularly assists clients with respect to shareholder and operating agreements, employment, consulting and advisory agreements, commercial contracts, equity agreements and plans, and corporate and board governance matters.
Joe also works closely with his DUGGAN BERTSCH colleagues advising clients with respect to trust and estate planning/implementation, family office administration and governance, wealth transfer planning, asset protection planning and charitable giving. In that regard, Joe’s clients have access to the full range of private client services, with Joe serving as the point of contact.
Prior to joining DUGGAN BERTSCH, Joe was a member of the private equity / mergers and acquisitions group of Paul Hastings LLP in Chicago, IL. In that role he concentrated on corporate transactional matters with an emphasis on mergers and acquisitions for private equity clients.
Joe holds a Juris Doctorate from the University of Illinois College of Law and a Bachelor of Science degree in Economics from the University of St. Thomas in St. Paul, Minnesota.
Publications
Corporate Transparency Act – Mandatory Reporting Requirements Expected to Impact Millions of Business Entities
Background: Congress enacted the Corporate Transparency Act (the “CTA”) on January 1, 2021, to help prevent and combat money laundering, terrorist financing, organized crime, and other illicit activity. Effective January 1, 2024, the CTA will require most existing and newly formed corporate entities in the U.S. to file reports with the Treasury Department’s Financial Crimes […]
Recent U.S. Supreme Court Case Impacts Trust Taxation
The U.S. Supreme Court recently issued its opinion on North Carolina Department of Revenue v. The Kimberley Rice Kaestner 1992 Family Trust, which addressed “….the limits of a State’s power to tax a trust.” This is the first time in decades the Supreme Court has addressed this issue, and its decision could have significant implications for […]
State and Local Tax Reminder about State Income Tax Residency
At DUGGAN BERTSCH, LLC, we are often asked by clients to explain the process by which a taxpayer can establish a “new” state residency for income tax purposes. Sometimes we are asked to explain the impact of moving to a new state altogether or about the impact of remaining in your current state of residence while […]
STATE AND LOCAL TAXATION REMINDER:
Our firm represents both individuals as well as numerous and varied business entities. While determining state tax obligations is always a complex process, when a taxpayer has income from sources in multiple states, the complexity greatly increases. Past considerations relied upon “physical presence” as the main factor in determining tax reporting obligations – those days have quickly […]
Brian Konkel Discusses “Taco Tuesday” Trademark Battle
Brian Konkel discussed the “Taco Tuesday” trademark legal battle between Taco Bell and Taco John on The Lisa Dent Show on May 17, 2023. Click on the link to listen to the recording: https://wgnradio.com/lisa-dent/can-taco-tuesday-be-trademarked/
Timothy Liam Epstein, Esq. named one of Billboard Magazine’s top music lawyers for the fourth year in a row
Please join DUGGAN BERTSCH, LLC in congratulating our partner, Timothy Liam Epstein, Esq., for being named one of Billboard Magazine’s top music lawyers for the fourth year in a row for his work on behalf of clients in the live entertainment space.
FTC Fines Digital Healthcare Company $7.8M for Sharing Personal Data of Consumers with Advertisers
The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) recently fined digital mental healthcare provider BetterHelp $7.8 million for sharing the personal health information of millions of consumers with advertisers like Facebook, Snapchat, Criteo and Pinterest. BetterHelp is the second digital health company to be targeted this year by the FTC for its use of consumers’ health information and […]
Congratulations to our 2023 Super Lawyers and Rising Stars!
The Illinois Super Lawyers and Rising Stars is an honor reserved for those lawyers who exhibit excellence in practice. Only 5% of attorneys in Illinois receive this distinction. Attorneys are selected through a patented selection process involving nominations, research, and peer reviews. In addition to our numerous prior and existing award recipients, DUGGAN BERTSCH, LLC […]