“First and foremost, my goal is to establish a meaningful relationship with my clients. I hope to become the first person they call for advice and direction, because they know that I can stand in their shoes."
Jennifer is a partner in HMB’s Private Client, Trusts and Estates Group. She focuses her practice on estate planning, estate and trust administration, probate and estate and gift taxation.
Representing families with generational wealth, ultra-high net worth individuals, executives, business owners and entrepreneurs, Jennifer helps clients transform their wants and needs into goals with a plan to achieve them. She advises clients on income, corporate, estate, gift and generating-skipping tax considerations, and helps business owners plan for the future of their companies.
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Jennifer provides a range of estate and tax planning solutions including complex tax planning, charitable gift planning, estate and/or trust administration and settlement and transfer tax matters, including gift and estate taxation compliance and audit examinations. She works with private equity firms and family offices on gifting strategies, such as gifting business interests prior to a liquidation event and gifting carried interest, to help minimize wealth transfer tax liability. Prior to HMB, Jennifer previously worked at a boutique law firm in Chicago and at an AmLaw 100 firm, where she drafted complex estate plans for families with net worth exceeding $2 billion.
Representing Clients from Their Perspective
Clients rely on Jennifer to represent their interests with a full understanding of their circumstances and goals. They appreciate that she listens deeply and picks up on the small details that can mitigate challenges for later administration and address any potential family discord.
Experience
- Drafted directed irrevocable domestic asset protection trust for client’s federal estate tax exemption credit absorbing gift to children
- Modification of an irrevocable trust for a client to include special needs provisions using the Illinois Trust Code decanting process
- Lead an IRS Examination (Audit) of a Federal Estate Tax Return on a $65M Trust estate, resulting in no substantial valuation increase for S Corp stock, LP interests
- Assisted foundation with application for Federal Tax-Exempt Organization
- Managed rolling Grantor Retained Annuity Trust (GRAT) program for client with asset values over $300M
- Completed complex estate administration with ancillary proceedings in six states
- Served as subject matter co-counsel to litigation in case where fiduciary was removed from office by the probate court
Education
- DePaul University College of Law, J.D.
- University of Wisconsin-Madison, B.B.A. in Accounting
Licenses
- Legal Lean Sigma Yellow Belt Certification – Legal Process and Project Management
Professional Memberships
- Chicago Bar Association
- Chicago Estate Planning Council
Pro Bono
- Heartland Alliance – Provided legal assistance with DACA renewals
- Center for Disability & Elder Law – Provided legal services, including Powers of Attorney, to seniors
- Ladder Up – Provided income tax preparation as a tax preparer for low-income qualifying taxpayers at Wright College
blog
- It's Estate Planning Awareness Month. Is Your Plan Up-To-Date?October 6, 2023
October is Estate Planning Awareness Month. This annual reminder offers the opportunity to review your estate planning and ensure it is up-to-date and accomplishes your goals. Funding your Revocable Trust Your estate planning is prepared. You signed it. Mission accomplished? Almost…. There is a very important step, called “trust funding” that often gets missed after executing a trust. If you…
- Estate Planning Awareness Week 2022October 17, 2022
Why Estate Planning Awareness Week? In 2008, Congress designated the third week of October (October 17-23, 2022) as National Estate Planning Awareness Week as a reminder to the public of the importance of estate planning. Having a proper estate plan is important to ensure that you and your loved ones are taken care of. When done well, estate planning aims…
