Carl D. Holborn

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)