Bill Lentine

As a former Illinois CPA, Bill is a trusted advisor often acting as outside general counsel for businesses nationwide or families planning for the future. Bill’s practice has evolved over the years to increasingly focus on M&A and outside general counsel services while specializing in business, tax law, and trust and estate matters. Bill offers comprehensive guidance across a broad spectrum of business concerns. Acting as a strategic business advisor, he leverages his expertise to address clients’ needs effectively. With a focus on succession planning, exit strategies, and tax optimization, Bill enables organizations to secure their legacies while minimizing expenses. He also provides representation for financial institutions on information return penalties. Bill’s tax specialization complements his experience in guiding clients through mergers, acquisitions, and other transactions.

• Lead counsel on over 20+ MSO acquisitions ranging from $1 million-$30 million.
• Lead counsel on management buyout of automotive supplier’s legacy ownership.
• Lead counsel on sale of auto supplier to private equity buyer.
• Lead counsel on $80 million industrial services business to private equity.
• Lead counsel on sale of tech company to strategic public company acquirer.
• Lead counsel on mortgage brokerage to strategic public company acquirer.
• Lead counsel on P3 project for a government entity entering a concessionaire agreement with private equity toll operator.
• Lead counsel on venture capital investments ranging from friends and family raises to $100M investment by public company in Series A rounds.
• Lead counsel on sale of winery.
• Lead counsel in venture investment and expansion by domestic company into European operations.
• Lead counsel on sell-side transaction in the waste management industry.
• Local counsel on $250 million acquisition of C-stores, tanks, gas stations, and distribution centers.
• Counsels many closely held businesses on the buy and sell side of acquisitions or sales, including structuring the deal to handling due diligence, closing, and post-closing matters.
• Assists businesses with tax issues in a variety of transactions, including choice of entity issues, incentive arrangements, and exit planning.
• Tax counsel on natural gas storage facility acquisition, reviewing partnership and corporate tax consequences, including complex NOL considerations.
• Tax counsel on $1 billion bank merger.
• Advises private equity and strategic buyers on acquisitions, including structures.
• Tax controversy and audit consultations for individuals and businesses.
• Lead counsel on divestitures of MSO assets.
• Provides counseling for software as a service contracts (SaaS).
• Lead attorney in a shareholder redemption transaction leading to a buyout of fellow shareholders for an industrial services company.

• Numerous presentations for Michigan CPA programs, including on M&A fundamentals, taxation consequences for M&A, succession planning, tax controversies and managing confidentiality, and other current events.
• “Personal Property Tax Reform” Co-author, Michigan Tax Lawyer, Fall 2013
• “The IRS’s Voluntary Classification Settlement Program May Help Michigan Businesses,” Co-author, Michigan Tax Lawyer, Spring 2012