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Prior to joining the firm, Michael was Vice President, Insurance & Risk Management at Archer Daniels Midland Company (ADM) and President and General Counsel of Agrinational Insurance Company, the captive insurance company of ADM. Under his leadership Agrinational became one of the most admired captive insurance companies in the world. Agrinational was named the 2012 Captive Insurance Company Association Outstanding Captive award winner as well as the 2012 World Captive Forum Award of Excellence winner. Agrinational was also one of the first companies to receive Department of Labor approval to reinsure US employee benefits.
Michael also has extensive experience in business formation, mergers and acquisitions and regulation. He oversaw the acquisition of a crop insurance MGA, its growth to $550 million of gross written premium, and ultimately its sale for a gain of $120 million. He was also responsible for the formation and operation of an Illinois captive insurance subsidiary and the acquisition and operation of an Arizona insurer licensed in 42 states.
Michael is a frequent speaker on risk management, insurance, and captives and is a published author who has served on many boards. He is a faculty member of the National Alliance for Insurance Education, he served as a Director and member of the Audit Committee of United Insurance Company, a Cayman Island insurer, served on the Chubb and Swiss Re Client Advisory Panels and currently serves as a Director for the Captive Insurance Companies Association. He has also served in leadership roles at the American and Illinois State Bar Associations.
Prior to his time at ADM, Michael served as a corporate attorney for State Farm Insurance Companies in Bloomington, Illinois. In addition to being licensed to practice law in the States of Illinois and Vermont, Michael holds the CPA, CRM, CPCU, CLU, ChFC, FLMI, ARM, ARC, AIC, AMIM, ARe, AIAF, AU, and CGMA designations. He is also a member of the Lawyers of Distinction and has been recognized as the Top 100 in business law by the Association of American Trial Lawyers. He is a graduate of the University of Illinois and Southern Illinois University School of Law.
Michael and Michelle, his wife of over two decades, have three children and live in Bloomington, IL. Michael enjoys golf, sports with his kids, and travel.

Prior to joining the firm, Derek was Senior Counsel, Mergers & Acquisitions at Archer Daniels Midland Company (ADM), a publicly-traded, Fortune 50 company. While in this role, Derek was entrusted with handling extraordinary large and complex cross-border transactions, including a $3 billion acquisition of a European flavorings business, the $1.3 billion sale of ADM’s cocoa processing business to a sovereign wealth fund, the $400 million sale of ADM’s chocolate business to a direct competitor of ADM and the $120 million sale of ADM’s Crop Risk Services to a private buyer. Before taking on the role of Senior Counsel, Mergers & Acquisitions, Derek served as Senior Counsel – Business Law at ADM, handling multiple sensitive and complex transactional and commercial issues.
A native of Central Illinois, Derek grew up in a small farming community prior to attending college at Southern Illinois University Carbondale. When enrolled there, he received a Bachelor of Science in Finance, with specializations in both Investments and Banking, and a minor in Accounting. Derek then attended Southern Illinois University School of Law while also working for ADM’s Insurance and Risk Management Department.
Derek and his wife, Alexandra, have two dogs and he has been a life-long resident of Illinois. He enjoys spending time with family and friends, hunting, outdoor activities, and travel.

Michael was born and raised in Bloomington. He graduated from Illinois Wesleyan University in 2012 with a bachelor’s degree in political science. Michael then went on to get his J.D. from Chicago’s John Marshall Law School in 2015. While in law school Michael was active in John Marshall’s Fair Housing Legal Clinic and garnered courtroom experience with his 711 certificate with the Cook County Public Defender’s Felony Trial Division. Michael began his career in private practice in Macon County where he represented financial institutions in creditor’s rights matters. Michael has continued his work in civil law and has had a growing concentration in family law since 2016, in large part due to his success in that arena.
Michael enjoys spending time with his family and is an avid Chicago Bears and Chicago Cubs

Matthew was born and raised in Bloomington. He graduated from Illinois State University in 2004 with a bachelor’s degree in Spanish. Matthew also received a Master’s of Arts degree in Spanish from Illinois State University in 2007. Matthew graduated from Southern Illinois University School of Law in 2012 with his law degree. While in law school, Matthew interned with the McLean County State’s Attorney’s office. He started his career as an attorney in McLean County litigating creditor’s rights and criminal defense matters. Matthew has also practiced as an assistant Public Defender in Macon County handling criminal defense cases as well as juvenile abuse and neglect cases.
In his free time he enjoys fishing, playing guitar and spending time with his wife.