Overview

Kate is Co-Chair of the Trusts and Estates Department. She works closely with individuals and families to develop a comprehensive estate plan that accomplishes their personal, professional and philanthropic goals. 

Kate brings over a decade of sophisticated estate planning experience to her clients and serves as a key advisor who is positioned to support her clients and their families for the long term. Kate’s approach to estate planning is holistic and practical. She enjoys getting to know her clients on a personal level and working with them to create a tailored estate plan that contemplates not only tax planning, but all of her clients’ objectives, concerns, risk tolerances and special circumstances. For business owners, Kate takes the time to develop a thorough understanding of her clients’ businesses and unique industries and constructs business succession plans that integrate seamlessly with her clients’ estate plans. Even in the most complex situations, Kate’s mission is to create planning documents that provide a concrete, comprehensible and practical guide to implementation. She collaborates with members of her clients’ advisory teams, such as financial advisors, accountants, business managers and family offices, in forming a comprehensive strategy designed to mitigate issues in the future for her clients and their intended beneficiaries, giving her clients peace of mind.

Services

Experience

  • Prepares wills, trust agreements and related estate planning documents. Kate also advises clients on navigating existing irrevocable trust instruments and assists them in modifying or reforming such documents when circumstances warrant.
  • Helps U.S. citizens and non-U.S. citizens minimize their income, gift, estate and generation-skipping transfer taxes through the use of trusts, business entities, and other sophisticated planning vehicles and strategies.
  • Guides fiduciaries and families through estate and trust administrations, taking them step-by-step through a process that is oftentimes unfamiliar to them. She works closely with her clients’ advisory teams to facilitate a smooth administration and reduce stress to the families during a challenging time.
  • Prepares estate, gift and fiduciary income tax returns, and assists clients involved in gift and estate tax controversies.
  • Develops business succession plans, offering personalized solutions and strategies to clients that help ensure the continued success of the business and reduce the risk of dispute among the other owners.
  • Drafts antenuptial agreements and works with opposing counsel to negotiate fair agreements in a manner that minimizes stress to the clients during the busy period leading up to the wedding.
  • Helps clients establish and operate private family foundations and advises them on other charitable giving strategies, such as donor-advised funds, charitable remainder trusts and charitable lead trusts.

Credentials

Education

  • Georgetown University Law Center, LL.M., 2012, with distinction
  • Marquette University Law School, J.D., 2008
  • University of Wisconsin, B.B.A., 2005

Admissions

  • Minnesota, 2012
  • District of Columbia, 2009
  • Virginia, 2008
  • Wisconsin, 2008

Recognition

  • Best Lawyers: Ones to Watch, Trusts and Estates, 2022, 2024
  • Minnesota Super Lawyers Rising Star, Estate & Probate, 2023
  • North Star Lawyer, Minnesota State Bar Association, 2013, 2015

Civic & Professional

Professional Activities

  • Minnesota State Bar Association
  • State Bar of Wisconsin
  • Twin Cities Estate Planning Council, Member

News & Insights

Speaking Engagements

Legal Updates

Publications & Presentations

“Estate Litigation,” Minnesota Estate Administration Deskbook, Chapter 6, Minnesota CLE, 2024

Co-Chair and Presenter on Antenuptial Agreements, Estate Planning, Probate & Trust Law 50, Minnesota CLE, September 2023

Presenter, Noncitizen Residents—The Mysteries of the QDOT and Portability Solved, Estate Planning Across Borders Seminar, Minnesota CLE, October 2022

Presenter, A Thin Line Between Love and Reciprocate: Drafting to Avoid the Reciprocal Trust Doctrine, Probate and Trust Law Section Conference, Minnesota CLE, June 2022

Co-Presenter, Estate Litigation, Minnesota Estate Administration Deskbook, Chapter 6, Minnesota CLE, April 28, 2022

Co-Presenter, Estate Litigation and Appeals, Probate A-Z Webcast Series, Minnesota CLE, January 2022

Presenter, Transfer Taxes & Income Taxes: When They Apply to Charitable Contributions and When They Don’t, Charitable Giving and Trusts: How to Maximize the Benefits of Philanthropy for Your Clients Series, Minnesota CLE Webcast, November 2021

“Estate Litigation,” Minnesota Estate Administration Deskbook, Chapter 6, Minnesota CLE, 2021

Co-Chair and Presenter on Antenuptial Agreements, Estate Planning, Probate & Trust Law 50, Minnesota CLE, February 2020

Co-Presenter, Estate Litigation, Probate A to Z Webcast Series, Minnesota CLE, November 2019

“Estate Litigation,” Minnesota Estate Administration Deskbook, Chapter 6, Minnesota CLE, 2019

Presenter, The Complete Estate Planning Lawyer: Tax Considerations, Minnesota CLE, September 2018

“Tax Considerations,” The Complete Estate Planning Lawyer’s Quick Answer Book, Chapter 12, Minnesota CLE, 2018

Co-Presenter, Estate Litigation, Minnesota CLE Webcast, February 2018

“Estate Litigation,” Minnesota Estate Administration Deskbook, Chapter 6, Minnesota CLE, 2018

Presenter, The Complete Estate Planning Lawyer: Other Tax Considerations, Minnesota CLE, March 2017

“Other Tax Considerations,” The Complete Estate Planning Lawyer’s Quick Answer Book, Chapter 12, Minnesota CLE, 2017

Co-Presenter, Representing the Ongoing Business Deskbook Series: Succession Planning, Minnesota CLE Webcast, February 2017

Co-Presenter, DNI? Don’t Neglect Income—An Income Tax Primer for Estate Planners, Minnesota CLE Webcast, December 2015

Co-Presenter, Duty of Diversification, Delegation and Directed Trusts, Minnesota State Bar Association 41st Annual Probate and Trust Law Section Conference, June 2015

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