About Buzz Steven
Buzz Steven Leach combines law and tax training with a practical role in private wealth. He earned a bachelor's degree at Michigan State University, then took his legal studies to Western Michigan University Cooley Law School where he completed both a J.D. and an LL.M. in Taxation.
Those academic choices steered him toward the technical side of counsel. The LL.M. in Taxation signals deeper study of federal and state tax rules. It also shaped how he approaches client matters: attentive to detail, comfortable with numbers, and careful about tying legal strategy to tax outcomes.
After finishing graduate legal work, Leach entered the financial services field. He is licensed to practice in Michigan and has built his career around advising clients connected to wealth and fiduciary concerns. Over time he moved into an in-house role at Southern Michigan Bank & Trust Wealth Management, where legal analysis and client service intersect.
In practice he tends to handle issues that sit at the meeting point of law and money. That includes tax planning and questions around estates and trusts. He also assists in structuring transactions that affect wealth preservation and transfer. His tax training allows him to read complex regulations and translate them into practical options for clients.
Leach’s work environment requires more than legal knowledge. It calls for judgment about risk and a clear sense of client priorities. He routinely collaborates with financial advisors, trust officers, and accountants. Those interactions aim to align legal solutions with financial plans. The result is a pragmatic approach that limits surprises and clarifies trade-offs.
Colleagues describe him as methodical in analysis and steady in busy moments. He favors documents that are precise and advice that is defensible. That orientation fits the institutional setting of a bank wealth-management division, where legal inputs must be integrated into broader client strategies.
Outside of client files he has kept an active interest in continuing education on tax developments. He reads changes in tax law and guidance closely, because small changes can affect long-term plans. As of 2026 he practices in Michigan at Southern Michigan Bank & Trust Wealth Management, concentrating on tax and wealth management matters.
