William R. Leser

William R. Leser


Principal | Bay City | P: 989.893.3518 | F: 989.894.2232 | wleser@lambertleser.com
Practice Areas


Business transactions, tax law, estate planning, labor law, pension plans and ESOPs


Education

  • Bachelor of Arts, University of Notre Dame, 1960
  • Juris Doctor, Georgetown University Law Center, 1963


Admissions

  • State of Michigan
  • U.S. District Court, Eastern District of Michigan
  • U.S. Tax Court


Professional Associations

  • Bay County Bar Association
  • State Bar of Michigan
  • Taxation Section, Michigan Bar Association


Community

  • The Bay Area Community Foundation, Women’s Philanthropy Circle
  • St. Boniface Parish

William Leser’s goal is to help individuals and companies retain what they have worked to earn. He helps families transfer wealth from generation to generation and helps businesses buy and sell as cost-effectively as possible. He also helps employers and employees create and administer pension and employee benefit plans (including ESOPs).Bill has for several decades been a student of the U.S. tax code, fascinated by its twists, turns and evolutions. He explains: “Every transaction – whether it concerns the sale of your company, the transfer of your wealth, buying a business, or setting up a pension plan – involves the Internal Revenue Code. I try to help my clients identify the ramifications of the Code and work within IRS guidelines to leverage every possible advantage so they can minimize as much as possible the payment of taxes.”

Bill is also known for his collective-bargaining expertise, as he has negotiated on behalf of management in many high-profile cases.

A Saginaw native, Bill left his position with a law firm in Detroit in 1965 to join what was then Lambert & Lambert. He was looking for a good place to raise his family and avoid long commutes, and he found it in Bay City. Upon the death of Selwyn Lambert, the name on the door became Lambert Leser. Over the past 41 years, Bill has welcomed a number of partners to the practice.

“We are a very solid group,” he says, “because we talk with one another, work with one another. When a situation comes up that requires different areas of specialization, we all pitch in to find the right solution. Our goal is to provide our clients with the best service, so we collaborate and make the most of every individual’s strengths.”