When did you start at William Blair?

2004.

What do you do for William Blair?

I head up our Corporate & Executive Services Group where I focus on helping our clients with the unique issues that confront owners and executives of private and public companies.

What is your educational and work background prior to William Blair?

Prior to joining William Blair, I was an attorney in private practice in tax and estate planning for high net worth families and individuals as a partner at a Chicago-based law firm. Before law school I was an electrical engineer for an aerospace firm.

What do you like most about working at William Blair?

My favorite part of working at William Blair is the people. I’m very fortunate in that my role permits me to work with people across the entire company. And what I’ve seen is that while we all focus on our own roles and responsibilities, there is a sense of collegiality across the firm. Regardless of our roles, we are all focused on doing our jobs well for our clients.

What has been your most interesting professional experience while working at William Blair?

One of my most interesting, if not rewarding, experiences was working with a family that sold its business after being in the family for several generations. Our Corporate Finance group did a wonderful job selling the company, and I was brought in to help the family work through tax and planning issues concerning their personal wealth. Over the years we have built up a very good relationship, and helped the family define their legacy and plan how they will transfer this wealth to future generations. The family is still a client of ours, and we continue to be one of their trusted advisors for issues well beyond our investment capabilities.