Foley & Lardner LLP: Michael Peay - Dallas, TX
Michael Peay is a partner in the Dallas office of Foley and Lardner LLP, offering sophisticated trust and estate planning, complex probate administration, high-stakes fiduciary litigation, and tax minimization strategies for high-net-worth families and business owners.
Sophisticated Wealth Preservation and Estate Planning in Dallas
Preserving significant family wealth across generations requires an artful balance of complex tax mechanics, statutory foresight, and thoughtful attention to private family dynamics. Practicing at Foley and Lardner LLP's premier Uptown Dallas office on McKinney Avenue, partner Michael D. Peay serves affluent Texas families, corporate executives, entrepreneurs, and retirees managing multi-million-dollar estates. When clients seek to hire an estate planning attorney who combines top-tier national firm resources with compassionate personal guidance, Michael Peay provides comprehensive counsel designed to minimize transfer taxation, prevent contentious intra-family disputes, and create lasting generational legacies.
Elite Tax Strategy and Comprehensive Fiduciary Counsel
With an AV Preeminent rating from Martindale-Hubbell and three decades of legal practice, Michael Peay is a trusted member of Foley and Lardner's Tax, Benefits, and Estate Planning group. He routinely designs wealth architectures for estates ranging from non-taxable estates to taxable wealth exceeding tens of millions of dollars. As accomplished estate planning lawyers, trusts lawyers, and probate lawyers, he guides clients through the intricate interplay of estate, gift, and generation-skipping transfer taxes. When tax controversies emerge, he advocates directly for clients before the Internal Revenue Service, resolving audits and disputed filings effectively.
Specialized Private Client and Fiduciary Practice Areas
Michael Peay delivers nuanced legal solutions across the entire lifecycle of wealth planning and estate administration:
- Comprehensive Estate and Trust Planning: Collaborating with wills lawyers to craft core wills, living trusts, irrevocable life insurance trusts (ILITs), dynasty trusts, and specialized split-dollar structures.
- Probate Administration and Estate Settlement: Serving as experienced probate lawyers guiding executors and trustees through independent administrations, court inventories, and asset transfers.
- Fiduciary and Trust Litigation: Representing beneficiaries and corporate fiduciaries in will contests, accounting controversies, removal proceedings, and claims involving breach of fiduciary duty.
- Power of Attorney and Incapacity Planning: Drafting durable financial powers of attorney, healthcare directives, and handling contested guardianship administration proceedings.
- Family Business Succession and Asset Protection: Advising business formation lawyers on entity restructuring, family limited partnerships (FLPs), and buy-sell agreements to shield operating assets.
- Marital Property Agreements: Working with prenuptial agreement lawyers to draft premarital and postmarital agreements that define and protect separate wealth under Texas community property law.
Compassionate Guidance and Dedicated Client Advocacy
Beyond technical precision, Michael Peay is widely recognized for his responsiveness and his ability to demystify intricate estate structures for families. He understands that estate planning is as much about family harmony as it is about statutory compliance. If you need to consult an estate planning lawyer or retain a seasoned probate litigation attorney in Dallas, Michael Peay and the national resources of Foley and Lardner LLP deliver exceptional legal acumen, unwavering fiduciary loyalty, and enduring peace of mind.
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Location & Access
Primary Address
Located in the premier, walkable Uptown district of Dallas, Texas, right across from The Ritz-Carlton.
Building Location
The office is located on the 16th floor of McKinney & Olive, a landmark 20-story Class AA office building designed by world-renowned architect Cesar Pelli. It is near upscale restaurants like Del Frisco's Double Eagle Steakhouse and Haywire.
Parking Details
On-site, multi-level parking garage parking is available for a fee, featuring valet service and visitor spaces.
Public Transit
Served by MATA Route M-Line Trolley (Downtown/Uptown); nearest stop is at McKinney & Harwood.
Accessibility / Suite Access
Enter the main lobby of McKinney & Olive, check in at the reception desk, and use the elevator bank to reach the 16th floor. The office is located in Suite 1600.