Jennifer Mendel has spent the last 15 years honing her craft counseling high net worth families on complex trust, estate and family office planning. She is a strong communicator who is skilled at listening to her clients – learning about their lives, business ventures and family needs – and helping them tailor a plan to achieve their goals.
Jennifer A. Mendel
Partner
Jennifer A. Mendel
Partner
Jennifer Mendel has spent the last 15 years honing her craft counseling high net worth families on complex trust, estate and family office planning. She is a strong communicator who is skilled at listening to her clients – learning about their lives, business ventures and family needs – and helping them tailor a plan to achieve their goals.
- OVERVIEW
- EXPERIENCE
- Presentations
- INSIGHTS AND EVENTS
Jennifer works closely with clients to develop and implement comprehensive estate and business entity planning, including wealth transfer and tax planning, asset protection, and trust and estate administration. She also advises on transfer tax compliance matters and manages the preparation and review of gift tax and estate tax returns.
In particular, Jennifer understands the implications and consequences of tax laws on her client’s future needs. As such, she is readily able to educate her clients on what the applicable taxes are in a way that is easy to comprehend.
Above all else, Jennifer strives to balance protecting her client’s personal needs, helping them understand the legal avenues that will best meet those needs, and working efficiently to save them time and money. She enjoys the complex nature of her work and the flexibility in drafting and modifying strategies to focus on who her clients are and where they need to go.
Before joining Barnes & Thornburg, Jennifer worked with three other Chicago law firms, one for over a decade, in complex trust, estate, and tax administration and planning.
Professional and Community Involvement
Member, Chicago Bar Association
Member, Illinois State Bar Association
Former co-chair, Chicago Bar Association Young Lawyers Section’s Estate Planning Committee
- Co-presenter, "2022 GST Tax Planning: Applicable Rules, Allocations, Formula Drafting, Key Challenges, and Mistakes to Avoid," Strafford Webinar, July 27, 2022
- Co-presenter, "GRATs in Estate Planning Under Current Tax Law," Strafford Webinar, Feb. 22, 2022
- Co-presenter, "2021 GST Tax Planning: Applicable Rules, Allocations, Formula Drafting, Key Challenges, and Mistakes to Avoid," Stafford Webinar, July 15, 2021