Michelle Behnke

Michelle Behnke primarily practices in Boardman Clark’s Business, Real Estate, and Estate Planning Practice Groups. Prior to joining Boardman Clark, Michelle spent 26 years as principal of her own firm.

Michelle joined Boardman Clark in 2024 after being elected the 2025 – 2026 president of the American Bar Association (ABA). Outside of her role with the ABA, Michelle has a broad practice. Her experience includes regularly assisting businesses with entity selection, drafting articles of organization, articles of incorporation, bylaws, operating agreements, buy-sell agreements, and employment agreements. Her commercial real estate practice includes negotiating the purchase or sale transaction and selecting the appropriate contingencies, title review, drafting easements, covenants, and multi-party use agreements; tax-deferred exchanges (Section 1031 transactions); negotiating, drafting, or reviewing commercial leases, reviewing construction contracts, and assisting with financing. Michelle works with her estate planning clients by helping them gather and review their financial information, determine how title is held, and decide how they want to distribute their assets, drafting wills, trusts, durable powers of attorney (financial and healthcare), and marital property agreements.

She is also active in her community and has served on a number of boards including SSM Healthcare of Wisconsin and Dean Health Plan, Inc.

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