Senior Counsel

Donna E. Morgan

Private Clients, Trusts & Estates, Pro Bono, Tax

Overview

Donna Morgan focuses her practice on two key areas of law, estate planning and wealth management, and establishing and advising not-for-profit organizations.

As part of her estate planning and wealth management practice, Donna analyzes and develops estate plans for clients with substantial estates and designs, drafts, and implements wills and trusts. She structures a variety of trusts and charitable giving arrangements that maximize tax efficiency, such as charitable remainder trusts and charitable lead trusts.  Related estate and wealth planning vehicles on which Donna advises clients include grantor retained annuity trusts, qualified personal residence trusts, irrevocable life insurance trusts, and irrevocable long-term/generation-skipping "dynasty" trusts.

In addition to these matters, Donna advises individual clients on the structuring of limited partnerships, limited liability companies and the drafting and implementation of effective personal planning documents, such as premarital and post-marital agreements.

Donna works with not-for-profit organization clients to create private foundations and public charities. She also provides ongoing representation to established charities.

According to Chambers USA 2009, Donna displays “good judgment in matching the client’s needs – including risk tolerance – with the right planning techniques.”

Prior to joining Mayer Brown in 1989, Donna was associated with two other prominent law firms in Chicago. She has been recognized as one of the “Top 100 Attorneys in the United States” by Worth Magazine, as one of the “Top 50 Female Super Lawyers in Illinois,” an “Illinois Super Lawyer for Trusts and Estates,” one of the "Top Ten Women Consumer Lawyers" and one of the "Top Ten Leading Women Trust, Will & Estate Planning Lawyers" in Illinois by the Leading Lawyers Network.  She has also been listed in Best Lawyers in America and Marquis Who's Who.

Related Services & Industries

Education

  • Colgate University, BA
  • The University of Michigan Law School, JD, cum laude

Admissions

  • Illinois

Languages

  • English

Professional & Community Involvement

  • American College of Trust and Estate Counsel
  • Chicago Estate Planning Council
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