Leonard P. Diorio graduated from the University of Illinois in 1967 with undergraduate degrees in accounting and economics. In 1970 he graduated cum laude from Northwestern University School of Law. He then joined the Trust Department of Continental Bank in Chicago, which merged with Bank of America in 1994. He retired from the bank as Senior Vice President and manager of Private Banking in March 2001, after more than thirty years of service. Mr. Diorio is primarily engaged in estate and tax planning, probate and trust administration and other related areas that utilize his financial background and experience.

Mr. Diorio’s career with Continental Bank and Bank of America included client service and management positions within the Private Bank, which served the bank’s most affluent individuals. From 1970 through 1975, he advised the bank’s clients and their attorneys on estate planning, probate and trust issues. From 1976 to 1979 he managed tax compliance and legal review in the bank’s trust department and chaired the tax policy committee.  From 1980 to 1984 he served as division manager of a group that administered probate, trust and investment services for the bank’s clients. From 1985 to 1988 he was responsible for all of the bank’s trust services outside of Chicago and managed trust operations in Arizona, Florida and the suburbs of Chicago. He was a Director of the bank’s Trust Companies in Arizona and Florida. From 1989 to1994, he helped form and manage the Private Bank at Continental, which offered sophisticated services to wealthy individuals, and served as manager and a Director of Continental Brokerage, the bank’s investment subsidiary. As part of the management team of the Private Bank, he had significant lending authority and also served on the bank’s pension committee. From 1994, when Continental Bank merged with Bank of America, until his retirement Mr. Diorio was group head for account managers in the Midwest and a senior relationship manager.

Throughout his career Mr. Diorio personally advised the bank’s most affluent clients in areas of estate planning, private financing and investment management.  Utilizing his strong background in taxation, he advised family business owners, corporate executives and others on techniques for transferring wealth to future generations while minimizing income, estate and gift taxes. He assisted clients in establishing, buying and selling privately held businesses, creating and managing charitable foundations and in retirement planning. He represented Bank of America on the legislative committee of the Corporate Fiduciaries’ Association of Illinois and participated in numerous public presentations to clients and attorneys on various topics in the areas of estate planning and taxation.