Carl D. Holborn

Carl D. Holborn


O'Neil, Cannon, Hollman, DeJong & Laing S.C.

Recognized since 2012

Milwaukee, Wisconsin

Practice Areas

Trusts and Estates

Send Carl D. Holborn an email at carl.holborn@wilaw.com Navigate to map location for Carl D. Holborn
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Whether he is working with clients to create and administer an estate plan, solving complicated business problems, negotiating with the IRS, or helping to transition a family owned business to the next generation, Carl prides himself on being a trusted advisor to his clients. With a Master’s Degree in Taxation, Carl possesses unique skills to assist his clients in solving legal issues in a tax efficient manner. A clear thinker and easy to talk to, Carl distills complex legal issues into understandable ones that allow his clients to make effective decisions. Carl’s clients are individuals and businesses in a wide variety of occupations and industries that value a trusted advisor as their lawyer.

Carl Assists Clients With

  • Structuring estate plans for affluent individuals and families to maximize wealth preservation from one generation to the next
  • Representation for corporate and individual fiduciaries, as well as beneficiaries in probate and trust administration matters
  • Business succession planning
  • Representation of taxpayers in dealing with tax controversies involving state and federal taxing authorities
  • Planning and structuring charitable donations for both individuals and charitable organizations

    Experience/Representative Client Work

  • Preparation and implementation of estate plan for clients with net worth in excess of $75 million
  • Successful preparation and implementation of complex estate plan for client with real estate holdings worth in excess of $25 million
  • Represented a charity in an estate dispute, preserving the full charitable distribution indicated in the original trust documents, an amount which was over $1 million more than the trustee intended to distribute
  • Probate administration of deceased owner of manufacturing firm with a net worth in excess of $7 million
  • Preserved a client’s family farm valued at more than $3 million through successful representation during an estate dispute
  • Negotiated with Internal Revenue Service in a dispute involving complex estate tax issues

    Awards/Distinctions

  • Martindale-Hubbell® Peer Review Rating™–AV Preeminent, reflecting an attorney who has reached the height of professional excellence and is recognized for the highest levels of skill and integrity
  • Rated a 10.0 out of 10.0 by Avvo, a national attorney rating service which uses a mathematical model to rate attorneys based on experience, professional achievements, industry recognition, and professional conduct
  • Selected for inclusion in The Best Lawyers in America®–Trusts & Estates in 2012–2024
  • Selected for inclusion in Wisconsin Super Lawyers in 2005–2023, Law & Politics and Milwaukee Magazine
  • Editor, Wisconsin Law Review
  • Beta Gamma Sigma, National Honor Society for Graduate Business Students
  • Judicial Intern, Seventh Circuit Court of Appeals

    Articles/Presentations

  • Carl frequently lectures at continuing legal education seminars on various estate and tax issues

    Community Involvement

  • Past Chairman, State of Wisconsin Elections Board
  • Fellow, Wisconsin Law Foundation
  • Member, Kenosha Area Business Alliance
  • Past Board Member, Kenosha County Civil Service Commission
  • Past President, Society of Financial Service Professionals, Milwaukee Chapter
  • Past Board Member and Board Counsel, Women and Children’s Horizons
  • Past Board Member, Kenosha Historical Society
  • Past Board Member, All Saints Catholic School
  • Past Board Chair, Hyslop Foundation Inc.

    Education

  • University of Wisconsin (J.D. cum laude)
  • University of Wisconsin–Milwaukee (M.S.–Taxation)
  • Marquette University (M.A.–History)

Location
  • 111 East Wisconsin Avenue, Suite 1400
    Milwaukee, WI 53202
Languages
  • English
Education
  • University of Wisconsin–Milwaukee, MBA
Bar Admissions
  • Wisconsin, State Bar of Wisconsin
Affiliations
  • Wisconsin Law Foundation - Fellow
  • Kenosha Area Business Alliance - Member
  • Kenosha County Civil Service Commission - Board Member
  • Kenosha Historical Society - Past Board Member
  • Society of Financial Service Professionals, Milwaukee Chapter - Past President
  • State of Wisconsin Elections Board - Past Chairman
  • Women and Children's Horizons - Past Board Member and Board Counsel

Recognized in The Best Lawyers in America® 2025 for work in:
  • Trusts and Estates
Special Focus:
  • Corporate Finance
  • Estate Planning
  • Probate
  • Tax Planning
Awards:
    • Martindale-Hubbell® Peer Review Rating™–AV Preeminent, reflecting an attorney who has reached the height of professional excellence and is recognized for the highest levels of skill and integrity
    • Rated a 10.0 out of 10.0 by Avvo, a national attorney rating service which uses a mathematical model to rate attorneys based on experience, professional achievements, industry recognition, and professional conduct
    • Selected for inclusion in The Best Lawyers in America®–Trusts & Estates in 2012–2024
    • Selected for inclusion in Wisconsin Super Lawyers in 2005–2023, Law & Politics and Milwaukee Magazine
    • Editor, Wisconsin Law Review
    • Beta Gamma Sigma, National Honor Society for Graduate Business Students
    • Judicial Intern, Seventh Circuit Court of Appeals
Additional Areas of Practice:
  • Corporate Law
  • Tax Law

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Publications

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