Mark Blumenthal is the Chairman of our Family Office Services group and the firm's Senior Real Estate and Private Equity/Venture Capital Tax Partner. Mark serves as a strategic advisor to affluent families, family offices, mature private businesses and private equity/venture capital funds. He advises clients on buying, selling and investing in private companies and real estate; the formation of family and investment limited partnerships, family offices and private foundations; and income tax, transaction and wealth transfer planning. "I find that most of my clients have, intrinsically, the right ideas. They require, however, the experienced and technical guidance behind them to take the greatest advantage of their financial opportunities and keep them abreast of all relevant tax laws." Often this involves working closely with the clients themselves as well as any outside advisors, in order to create an integrated, real-world strategy to coordinate all the financial, family and business goals, while maximizing tax savings. In addition to his real estate expertise and broad MA industry experiences, Mark has a national reputation for his unique family office practice. "We draw a circle around our clients, their investments and their companies. Then we look at all their issues as a whole. The more variables we see, the more we know we can add a lot of value." Mark has been on the speaker faculty for the Family Succession Planning Institute, the Family Office Exchange, the Family Office Forum, the Family Office Management, IRR's Mastering Tax and Estate Planning, the Illinois Institute for Continuing Legal Education, the Center for Professional Education and others. He has written articles for numerous publications, including the Illinois Institute for Continuing Legal Education, The Tax Advisor, Taxation for Accountants, the Journal of Property Management, The Real Estate Securities Journal, The Journal of Real Estate Development, Taxation for Lawyers, Real Estate Forum and The New York State Bar Association Partnership Handbook. Mark’s most recent article entitled "Extreme Makeover" appeared in Worth (January 2006) discussing the need for family offices to embrace best-in-class management and organizational standards. Mark has also been quoted in Bloomberg Wealth Manager, the Chicago Tribune, Wealth Manager, the Los Angeles Times, The Philadelphia Inquirer, the Washington City Paper and Accounting Today. Mark received both his B.S. and M.B.A. degrees from the University of Illinois. He is a member of the Chicago Estate Planning Council, The Illinois Venture Capital Association, the JUF Professional Advisory Committee, the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants and the Illinois CPA Society. From Deloitte & Touche, Mark merged his practice with Blackman Kallick in 2004, bringing his entire senior management team. To contact Mark Blumenthal, call him directly at 312/980-2917 or send an e-mail to mblumenthal@BlackmanKallick.com.