About Michael
Michael Bartolic studied accounting at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign and earned his B.S. in 2002. He went on to receive his J.D. from The John Marshall Law School in 2005. Those formative years combined accounting training with legal study, providing an analytical base that informs his practice today.
After law school he built a practice that centers on the intersection of employee benefits and tax law. He established the Law Offices of Michael Bartolic, LLC, where he handles matters tied to retirement plans, plan documentation and regulatory compliance. He works with employers, plan administrators and advisers on questions that arise under ERISA and the Internal Revenue Code.
Bartolic’s legal interests are reflected in his professional memberships. He maintains active memberships in the Illinois State Bar, the American Bar Association and the Chicago Bar Association. He also belongs to the Seventh Circuit Bar Association. Within the ABA, he participates in committees related to labor and employment as well as taxation, and he serves on employee benefits committees that address plan design, fiduciary responsibilities and tax qualification rules. He holds a place on the Illinois State Bar Association section council for employee benefits and takes part in the Chicago Bar Association’s Employee Benefits Committee.
Clients and colleagues say his work tends to be technical and detail-oriented. He frequently addresses issues such as plan qualification, IRS compliance submissions, participant distributions and fiduciary duty questions. His background in accounting helps when the matters turn to the tax consequences of plan operations or to interpreting plan financials and reports. He approaches problems by breaking them into discrete regulatory and tax questions, then assembling practical options.
His courtroom experience is limited; most of his practice involves counseling, document preparation and administrative submissions. He prepares plan documents, drafts corrective filings when needed, and advises on workplace benefit policies. He also assists in analysis tied to mergers, acquisitions or other business changes that affect employee benefit programs.
Bartolic is admitted to practice in Illinois and remains active in bar and ABA committee work related to employee benefits. He practices from the Law Offices of Michael Bartolic, LLC, where his work focuses on employee benefits, ERISA compliance and the tax aspects of employer-sponsored plans.
