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David A. Berek

Partner
David Berek
vCard
daberek@Venable.com
Chicago, IL
T +1 312.210.1545

David Berek advises high-net-worth individuals, families, and family-owned businesses on sophisticated estate and tax planning strategies. Drawing from decades of experience as a private wealth planning attorney, David helps clients navigate complex transfer tax structures, including grantor trusts and generation-skipping transfer tax planning. He provides full guidance for family office structures and multigenerational planning, positioning clients for long-term success with customized solutions that reflect their personal and business goals.

David has particular experience advising ultra-high-net-worth clients on complex wealth transfer strategies. He is acutely familiar with advanced estate planning tools, such as grantor retained annuity trusts, beneficiary defective inheritor’s trusts, self-canceling installment notes, and private annuities. David also counsels family offices on structuring and managing wealth across jurisdictions, offering creative tax mitigation strategies and governance insights.

Clients additionally turn to David for guidance on lifetime taxable transfers, tax-exempt trusts, and grantor trust structures designed to preserve and transfer wealth efficiently. His integrated approach blends technical tax knowledge with a strategic understanding of family dynamics, helping clients achieve both legacy and financial objectives.

Related Practices

Experience

Representative Matters

  • Structured complex multigenerational wealth transfers using a combination of GRATs and GST-exempt trusts
  • Advised a family office on the formation of a tax-efficient entity structure to support succession planning and philanthropic goals
  • Designed a beneficiary deemed owner trust to align estate planning with family governance objectives
  • Implemented private annuity transactions to facilitate wealth transfer and minimize estate tax exposure
  • Guided a corporate executive through lifetime gifting strategies involving self-canceling installment notes

Representative Clients

  • High-net-worth individuals and families
  • Family-owned businesses
  • Corporate executives
  • Multi-jurisdictional family offices

Insights

Recent News

October 01, 2025

Venable Adds Private Wealth Planning Veteran David Berek as Partner in Chicago
Venable Adds Private Wealth Planning Veteran David Berek as Partner in Chicago

Credentials
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Education

  • LL.M. New York University School of Law
  • LL.M. University of Illinois at Chicago John Marshall Law School
  • J.D. University of Illinois at Chicago John Marshall Law School
  • B.A. Accounting DePaul University

Bar Admissions

  • Arizona
  • Florida
  • Illinois

Professional Memberships and Activities

  • Fellow, American College of Trust and Estate Counsel (ACTEC); co-chair, State Income Tax Subcommittee, Fiduciary Income Tax Committee
  • Former chair, Fiduciary Income Tax Committee, Tax Section, American Bar Association (ABA)
  • Former chair, Trust & Estate Section Council, Illinois State Bar Association
  • Former chair, Estate Planning Committee, Chicago Bar Association
  • Certified Public Accountant (Illinois)
  • Certified Financial Planner

Recognition
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  • Chambers USA, Private Wealth Law, Illinois, 2021 – 2024
  • Martindale-Hubbell AV Preeminent, Family Wealth Transfer (Trusts and Estates), 2004 – 2025
  • Leading Lawyers
    • Tax Law: Individual, Illinois, 2011 – 2025
    • Trust, Will & Estate Planning Law, Illinois, 2011 – 2025
  • Family Office Review, Top Private Client Planning Professional, 2015