Jessica L. Foss

Jessica works closely with individuals, families and business owners to achieve their personal and financial estate planning goals.

When helping clients transfer their wealth, she guides them toward determining the most tax-efficient manner of distributing their assets while ensuring that effective safeguards are in place to protect these assets for future generations. The process begins with giving clients the opportunity to describe their goals, letting them know the full range of their options, and ultimately developing a plan that stays true to their intentions while also addressing their concerns.

Jessica understands how difficult and emotional the estate planning process can be. She is able to connect with clients on a personal level, speaking their language, offering examples through which they can recognize their own situation and thereby explaining complex issues in a way her clients can understand. Her experience as a sophisticated estate planning attorney is supplemented by her background as a C.P.A. and a Deloitte tax consultant – a valuable combination as many areas of trusts and estates are so closely intertwined with income tax. Along with Jessica’s welcoming personality, these skills are the reasons why her clients are consistently impressed with the quality of her work and the sense of reassurance it gives them. She takes great pride in the faith her clients place in her with their most important and personal estate planning needs.

• Preparing wills, trust agreements and related estate planning documents
• Developing business succession plans for closely held business owners
• Drafting antenuptial and postnuptial agreements
• Helping individuals and fiduciaries with probate, estate and trust administration
• Preparing estate, gift and fiduciary tax returns
• Forming closely held entities to own and manage family assets
• Preparing Buy-Sell Agreements for closely held entities

Education

• University of North Dakota School of Law, J.D., 2008, with distinction
• Northern State University, B.S. in Professional Accountancy, 2005

Admissions

• North Dakota, 2008
• Minnesota, 2010

• Fellow, American College of Trust and Estate Counsel
• Chambers High Net Worth Guide, Private Wealth Law—Up and Coming, North Dakota, 2017-2019, 2021-2023
• North Star Lawyer, Minnesota State Bar Association, 2016
• Certified Public Accountant (inactive)

Professional Activities

• State Bar Association of North Dakota
• Minnesota State Bar Association
• Cass County Bar Association
• Clay County Bar Association
• Minnesota Assistance Council—Veterans, Pro Bono Attorney, 2013-present

Community

• Red River Estate Planning Council