Michael Riley

Title: Senior of Counsel, McDonald Hopkins
Dept/Program: MTax Advisory Board

Professional & Academic Experience

Michael G. Riley, JD, LL.M., is Senior Of Counsel at McDonald Hopkins in Cleveland, with deep expertise in estate planning, retirement benefits, and executive compensation. He counsels clients on managing IRAs, designing deferred compensation plans, and structuring employment, severance, and incentive agreements—often in high-stakes mergers, acquisitions, and executive transitions. His practice also includes probate, trust administration, and advising business owners on succession planning.

Michael holds advanced degrees from Case Western Reserve (LL.M. in Taxation), Syracuse University (JD), Brown University (MAT), and the College of the Holy Cross (AB). He is a Certified Specialist in Estate Planning, Trust and Probate Law, and has been named among The Best Lawyers in America and Ohio Super Lawyers for over a decade. He serves on various advisory boards, including The University of Akron School of Accountancy, and is a Gold Fellow of the Cleveland Metropolitan Bar Foundation.