Meet The Team
Scott A. Sissel, JD, CPA, LLM in Tax
Scott’s practice focuses primarily on estate tax planning and business succession matters for ultra high net worth families, with the majority between $25M – $300M+.
Scott’s early and extensive experience at a Tier 1 nationally ranked law firm in Chicago as well as in his current role as the leader of the trusts and estates group at a business and tax focused mid-sized firm have provided him with the expertise necessary to navigate complex estate tax matters, difficult business succession matters and the interactions therefrom in all types of corporate transactional (M&A) and family business dispute matters. The majority of Scott’s clients have significant estate tax exposures from multi-generational wealth (primarily for medium and large closely owned family businesses across the spectrum of manufacturing, construction, agriculture, technology, aviation, etc.) as well as corporate executives and all other families who need sophisticated estate tax expertise.
In addition to his law degree, Scott is a Certified Public Accountant (CPA) and received his post-doctorate Masters in Taxation (LL.M.) from Northwestern. He has received the highest Martindale-Hubbell rating of “AV Preeminent” and has been named a “Rising Star” in 2015 – 2019 by Super Lawyers (reserved for the top 2.5% of lawyers) as well an “Emerging Lawyer” by Leading Lawyers (reserved for the top 2% of lawyers under the age of 40).
Scott resides with his family in West Des Moines, Iowa. He practices out of the Chicago office of DUGGAN BERTSCH, LLC and is passionate about bringing the level of sophistication he has garnered over his career to families throughout Iowa [particularly Des Moines (where he lives) and the Quad Cities (where he was born and raised)], along with his representation of a number of families across the country.
*The Supreme Court of Illinois does not recognize specialties in the practice of law.
Publications:
- Co-Author, “Divorce and the Family Business,” Business Entities Magazine, March/April 2007
- “The Next Generation LLC,” Insight Magazine, June 2006
Presentations:
- “Estate Tax Opportunities Prior to the Sale of a Closely-Owned Family Business”– Presented for Duff & Phelps, April 2016
- “The Evolution of the Virtual Family Office” – Leveraging technology as a platform for communication and decision making between all professionals for high net wealth families, presented for U.S. Bank, May 2013
- “Gifting Opportunities in 2012 — Leveraging the 2012 Tax Exemptions Through FLPs, FLLCs and GRATs, and Gifting Other Equity Interests, Life Insurance and Real Estate” presented for Strafford, September 2012
- “Recent Developments Including LP and LLC Valuation Cases, State Tax Decoupling and Asset Protection,” presented for First Midwest Trust, November 2009
Education:
- LL.M., Taxation, Northwestern University School of Law, 2004
- J.D., University of Iowa College of Law, 2003
- B.B.A., Accounting, University of Iowa, 2001
Certification:
- Certified Public Accountant, 2006
Admitted:
- Illinois, 2004
- U.S. Tax Court, 2005
- Iowa, 2010
Professional Activities:
- American Bar Association – Member
- American Association of Attorney-Certified Public Accountants – Member
- Illinois State Bar Association – Member
- Chicago Bar Association – Vice Chair, YLS Taxation Division, 2005-2007
- Chicago Estate Planning Council – Member
- Chicago Iowa Club (University of Iowa) – President
- Iowa Expat Trust – Treasurer and Chicago Team Leader
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 […]