MICHAEL J. GENOVESE, Partner

Michael J. Genovese has practiced law in Orange County for 30 years. He is AV rated by Martindale-Hubbell reflecting the highest level of legal ability and general ethical standards in the opinion of the bar. He currently is a partner with Grant, Genovese & Baratta, LLP, where he concentrates his practice in the area of business transactional law, including general business, real estate acquisition and sale, corporate, partnership, limited liability company, entity formation and taxation law. Additionally, Mr. Genovese oversees the negotiation and communication involved in transactions with governmental agencies, and coordination of clients' needs with their certified public accountants and estate planning, litigation or other specialized counsel. Mr. Genovese’s relationship with his clients allows for personalized asset and entity management that is rarely available from larger law firms. This individualized contact is critical for high worth individuals for coordination of interests in a wide range and number of business investments.

Previous Legal Practice
Mr. Genovese was a partner with the firm of Virtue & Scheck, Inc., which he joined in 1977. His practice involved a wide variety of business, tax and real estate transactions, with an emphasis on tax planning.

In 1982, Mr. Genovese founded the law firm of Paone, Genovese, Haldeman & Gute, later known as Paone, Genovese, Callahan, McHolm & Winton. This firm provided full service in the areas of business law and business litigation, including real estate, tax planning and transactional documentation.

Mr. Genovese withdrew from Paone, Genovese, Callahan, McHolm & Winton in 1988 to form a smaller law firm which was enhanced by the resources of his wife, Virginia Gute Genovese, also a business lawyer, to meet the requirements of clients requesting more individually specialized services. He assisted clients in coordinating significant litigation strategies and litigation management to emphasize efficiency and cost control.

In 1988, he also became president of a privately owned asset management corporation, which managed real estate and other assets in excess of One Hundred Million Dollars. Specific job responsibilities involved all business planning and documentation of transactions to qualitize real estate portfolios through sales, as well as acquisition and refinance of properties substantially affected by the 1986 Tax Reform Act. Mr. Genovese successfully accomplished the goals proposed in 1988 regarding the corporation's assets, and continues an active involvement in the business and legal matters of the corporation and its affiliated entities.

From 1988 through the present, Mr. Genovese’s law practice has represented numerous privately-owned companies and shareholder groups. The companies represented are engaged in the businesses of real estate acquisition, development and sales, distribution of proprietary products, manufacturing and sales. Mr. Genovese also represents several high net worth individuals with regard to shareholder issues, personal financial planning, and review and evaluation of their estate and trust documentation. Working closely with his clients to ensure that their objectives are met in an efficient manner has earned his clients’ respect and loyalty.

Previous Accounting Experience
From 1971 through 1977, Mr. Genovese was employed as a tax supervisor with Ernst & Ernst, currently known as Ernst & Young. His responsibilities included advising clients with regard to business and tax planning matters.

Personal
Born September 24, 1948; admitted to California Bar, 1976; U. S. Tax Court, 1977; U. S. District Court, Central District of California, 1978.

Education
After graduation from Mater Dei High School in Orange, California, Mr. Genovese received a B.S. in Business Administration, with an emphasis in accounting, from Northern Arizona University in 1971. He received his J. D. from Western State University College of Law in 1976.

Affiliations
Mr. Genovese is a member of the Orange County Bar Association, the California State Bar Association (Business Law, Real Property Law and Taxation Sections), and the American Bar Association (Business Law, Real Property, Probate & Trust Law, and Taxation Sections).

Volunteer Activities
Mr. Genovese is a member of the Board of Directors of the Cal Parents Program, University of California at Berkeley, and was President and a member of the Board of Directors of Laguna Niguel Little League.