Meet The Team
P. Christopher Wegner is an entrepreneur and founded Wegner Law PLLC before joining DUGGAN BERTSCH PLLC. He is one of the only attorneys in Southwest Florida with significant experience in sophisticated business and tax law matters and is recognized as one of the leading innovators in bringing that experience to small and mid-sized businesses who cannot always afford to engage larger law firms in South Florida.
Mr. Wegner earned his Bachelor of Arts in Computer Science from Florida Gulf Coast University, his juris doctorate, cum laude, from Stetson University College of Law and his LL.M. from New York University School of Law.
Private equity funds and investors from the U.S. and Europe have come to rely on Chris’s ability to bring value to businesses and often turn to Chris to see to the legal needs of portfolio companies across the country. These investors repeatedly turn to Chris because of his proven ability to solve a wide range of problems and knack for discovering areas for improvement or opportunity that most attorneys miss.
As a result of the reputation Chris earned working with investors and investments in the area, Naples Accelerator, the Collier County based public-private partnership tasked with cultivating local startups and attracting companies from around the globe to Naples and Immokalee recognized Chris’s unique legal skill set and approachable manner as an asset to many of the small and mid-sized businesses in the area. In early 2017, the Naples Accelerator even engaged him to provide essential legal services to these growing companies.
In addition to the general business and corporate law services he provides to emerging and established companies in Southwest Florida, Chris works with multi-national corporations on difficult domestic and international tax issues, including, multi-million dollar mergers and acquisitions, transfer price exams, and other bet-the-company IRS audits. Chris has also served as lead counsel on a $100 million merger involving parties in seven countries across North and South America after other lawyers were unable to bring the sides together. In this capacity, Chris not only oversaw the very intricate tax law issues but also created a new type of security that allowed the acquirer to monetize its intellectual property and complete the merger without turning to debt or other sources of money.
Chris also has extensive experience working with smaller physician’s offices in Naples and Bonita where he is able to advise doctors on the business, tax and health care law issues that these offices face. Not only does his tax law background put Chris is a unique position to understand and apply health care law (the tax code and health care regulations are surprisingly similar),but having grown up around the Naples health care industry, he is able to understand the issues and opportunities confronting local doctors like very few other attorneys can.
Chris is a native of Naples, Florida, where he attended Seacrest Country Day School and Naples High School before going to Eckerd College on a tennis scholarship (he would later transfer to Florida Gulf Coast to finish his undergraduate degree). Between college and law school, Chris worked as an accountant and business consultant for his father’s accounting firm.
While in college, Chris co-founded a small technology company that eventually went public and was sold over the counter on the NASDAQ. This experience gives him the rather unique ability to see problems and possibilities through the eyes of the business owner or entrepreneur, as well as through those of an experienced attorney.
Between his time at Stetson and New York University, Chris played semi-pro tennis (emphasis on the semi) where he went 1-26. If asked to describe this time of his life, Chris will proudly say that he lost to the people who lost to the people that you see on television. Today, Chris still enjoys playing tennis, working out the Greater Naples YMCA and spending time with his Labrador retriever: Bailey.
Publications
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 […]
FTC Proposes Rule Prohibiting Non-Compete Clauses for Workers
On January 5, 2023, the Federal Trade Commission (“FTC”) proposed a new rule that would prohibit non-compete provisions for workers and require employers to rescind existing non-competes. The proposed rule would apply to all employees, independent contractors, and consultants. The broad proposed rule would apply even to senior level executives and could potentially implicate agreements […]
Timothy Liam Epstein was referenced in the Pitchfork article entitled, “How the Music Community Is Fighting the Drug Overdose Epidemic” that was published on December 16, 2022
“But there are legal considerations around actually using it that depend on city and state rules. According to the Prescription Drug Abuse Policy System, a database of prescription drug laws operated by Temple University’s Beasley School of Law, in 13 states, including Virginia, Arizona, and Florida, someone who administers the medication to another person does […]
2022 Year End Newsletter
Dear Clients and Colleagues, As the fourth quarter of 2022 is drawing to a close, we recommend that you review your comprehensive wealth planning and business structures to ensure that it is consistent with your long-term objectives. While the recent mid-term election results are still not final, with a Senate run-off left in Georgia, it […]
Estate & Gift Tax Planning 2022 Review
As indicated above, the recent changes to congressional control following the mid-term elections will likely mean a stalemate in Congress for the next 2 years with respect to any meaningful tax legislation. This means that from an estate planning perspective, the increased lifetime exemptions enacted as part of TCJA will continue to be available for […]
Pass-Through Business Tax Planning 2022 Review
The relationship between individual taxpayers and their businesses continue to offer opportunity for effective tax savings, including the use in certain circumstances of C corporation structures to arbitrage tax rates, allow for greater deductions and potentially offer savings on an exit. However, much tax planning continues to focus on accessing these benefits before they sunset […]