Jacqueline L. Messler

Jackie advises clients, particularly high-net-worth individuals, on estate planning and the decisions that accompany it. A partner in the firm’s Trust, Estates and Succession Planning Service Group, she works with clients on wills, revocable trusts, powers of attorney, irrevocable life insurance trusts and generation-skipping transfer trusts. Her practice also includes planning for the care of pets after an owner’s incapacity or death, including the drafting of pet trusts. She takes care to explain sophisticated concepts clearly when clients are making decisions under stressful circumstances.

Jackie’s work extends beyond planning to probate and trust administration following the death of a loved one. In contentious administrations, she negotiates settlement agreements to help resolve disputes and allow estates to be settled efficiently. She also assists with special needs planning, including the creation of trusts under WisPact and Life Navigators, and represents clients seeking guardianships for minor children, disabled children turning 18 and adults who are incompetent.

For business owners, Jackie combines estate and succession planning with counsel on ongoing operations and the transition of ownership and management. She prepares organizational documents, including articles of incorporation and operating agreements, as well as buy-sell and transfer restriction agreements. Her work also includes negotiating and preparing other corporate agreements and the documents needed to carry out business succession plans.

Jackie advises clients on marital property, prenuptial and postnuptial agreements. These agreements may address the treatment of individual property, including business interests, as well as maintenance and provisions concerning divorce or death. Across these matters, her approach reflects the patience and attention to detail that clients value when navigating consequential personal and family decisions.

• Marquette University Law School, J.D., 2012, cum laude
• Carroll University, B.A., magna cum laude

• Selected to The Best Lawyers in America^® in Trusts and Estates: 2020, 2021, 2022, 2023, 2024, 2025, 2026, 2027
• Selected to The Best Lawyers in America^® in Tax Law: 2024, 2025, 2026, 2027
• Selected to National Law Review's Go-To Thought Leader in Tax Law: 2021
• Selected to the Wisconsin Super Lawyers list: 2024, 2025
• Selected to the Wisconsin Super Lawyers "Rising Stars" list: 2019, 2020, 2021, 2022
• Selected to Wisconsin Law Journal Up and Coming Lawyer: 2016

• Member: Waukesha County Estate Planning Council
• Herbert Mueller Society Member: Greater Milwaukee Foundation
• Volunteer: Wills for Heroes

• An Introduction to Tax Issues in Estate PlanningSpeaking Engagement, Wisconsin State Bar, January 30, 2026
• Additional Core Estate Planning DocumentsSpeaking Engagement, Wisconsin State Bar, January 30, 2026
• Spots on the X-Ray: Identifying Ways to Add Value to Clients Speaking Engagement, Milwaukee, WI, May 15, 2024
• Proposed Wealth Tax Changes Under the Biden AdministrationSpeaking Engagement, BizTimes, Family & Closely Held Business Summit; Brookfield, WI, June 29, 2021
• Next Generation Manufacturing Summit 2019Speaking Engagement, Wisconsin Exposition Center; West Allis, WI, October 9, 2019
• Preserving the Family Legacy Through Estate PlanningSpeaking Engagement, Italian Community Center; Milwaukee, WI, June 13, 2019
• Estate Planning for Your Animal-Loving ClientsSpeaking Engagement, Association for Women Lawyers, January 16, 2019
• Succession Planning: Continuing Your LegacySpeaking Engagement, Association of General Contractors (AGC) of Greater Milwaukee; Milwaukee, WI, November 15, 2018
• Family & Closely Held Business Summit 2018Event, BizTimes Media; Milwaukee, WI, June 14, 2018
• Family & Closely Held Business Summit 2017Speaking Engagement, Potawatomi Hotel & Casino; Milwaukee, WI, July 12, 2017