Senior Associate Attorney

Are You the One?

Estate Planning and Elder Law firm with offices in Brookfield, WI, Oregon, WI, and Madison, WI is looking for an experienced, level-headed, A++ estate planning attorney. Base salary plus quarterly performance bonus structure $165,000 to $200,000. Plus 401(k) match, health, dental, life, disability benefits.

Instructions for application are at the end of this document.

We embody our Core Principles of Love, Compassion, Integrity, Teamwork, and Constant Improvement.

Our founder, a retired Army JAG officer, leads this small but quickly growing boutique practice. We want members on our team who are smart and compassionate as well as ethical, professional, and trustworthy. You must be committed to helping others, and want to be an active part of an extraordinary team.

Estate Planning is Crucial

Do you want to work where we respect the estate planner instead of treating the practice area as an afterthought?

We are seeking a full-time attorney to work in our Brookfield office, but would consider part time for a great candidate. You would be in the Oregon, WI office for the first couple of months for onboarding and training on our systems. Once integrated, you can design your schedule to meet the clients’ needs and your production benchmarks.

Requirements

For this position, we seek an experienced estate planner who needs no supervision in dealing with planning for taxable estates. You already know your way around GRATs, ILITs, SLATs. If you are not already familiar with the Wealthcounsel and Eldercounsel documents, you would need to learn them.

Our Systems

We have written forms and procedures for the estate planning process, and work to continuously improve them.

You will have measurable benchmarks (work accomplished and income generated) on a weekly, monthly and quarterly basis.

You will need to be able to supervise probate and trust administration. You must be familiar with the process of estate administration. You will have a probate paralegal to draft forms, prepare accountings, communicate with financial institutions, real estate agents, etc. and file things with the courts.

Pay

You will have a 90-day probationary/training up period where you learn our systems. Following that period, you are guaranteed $165,000 in pay and bonuses over the next 4 full quarters.

Pay is at or above market including the ability to earn bonuses. Starting $165,000 to $200,000 per year depending on experience and intangibles, including base salary and quarterly production bonuses. Quarterly bonuses are based objectively on productivity numbers.

You are not required to bring in clients, but if you do, you receive additional bonus for those cases.

Team

We strive to become our best selves. We are a team that looks out for one another, and we all look out for our clients. We provide opportunities for our team members to grow personally, professionally, and financially.

Supervisory. As the attorney, you will be leading paralegals and other staff. It is important that you can do this as a member of a team, not as a dictator.

If you want to join an energized team like this, follow the application instructions below today

What are some of the characteristics that you must have?

You see the glass half full. We have no place for toxic people and workplace drama. Our team is outstanding and does amazing work. We communicate all the time and openly. We acknowledge our mistakes and apologize when we have affected others negatively.

We are looking for someone who is not afraid of Windows computers. This will be your working environment, and we do not allow work on personal computing devices. You will always be learning new things that will make your work easier, but we can’t wait for you to learn Windows.

We are strong believers in the team approach and our office is a team environment, so if you are not a team player, this is not the job for you.

You need to be able to talk to clients and staff in a manner that is confident, kind, and candid. You need the ability to explain legal documents in common language. Nobody here is impressed by lawyer talk.

Is this going to be an easy job? No. You will be challenged. You will have fun. You will be compensated well. You will still get to see your family, and take vacations. If this sounds harsh or unfair, then this is not the job for you. You should stop reading this ad right now.

If you have gotten this far and are thinking about applying, it means that you are ready for a challenge and want to be part of a team that helps people and rewards good work.

Desired Skills and Experience

Qualifications

• 5+ years of estate planning experience required. Experience with taxable estates is desired, but not necessary.
• You must be good with basic technology. Experience with Windows 10 or 11 and Microsoft Office (Word, Excel, Outlook) is required. Experience with MS Teams, Adobe Acrobat Pro and Actionstep is preferred but not required.
• You must be a notary public or be able to be commissioned within a month.
• 3 years of trust administration and probate experience is preferable.
• Applicant must be a graduate of an accredited law school and must be licensed to practice law in Wisconsin or able to be licensed within 3 months.

Your Primary Duties Will Be

• Meeting with clients to determine the best way to arrange their estate plans within their goals, desires, risk tolerance, and means.
• Supervising the drafting of the documents needed to execute the plan.
• Explaining the plan and supervising the signing of the documents.
• Periodically reviewing clients’ older plans and suggesting updates.
• For probate and trust admin, supervising paralegals and making decisions, and appearing in court (including prep) when necessary.
• Answering client inquiries in a professional way with quick response time.
• Managing a dynamic caseload and staying way ahead of deadlines.
• Ensuring all legal work is completed efficiently, accurately, and on-time.
• Reporting on all your work in progress.
• You are NOT responsible to bring in clients, but you can earn bonuses for doing so.

Responsibilities

We want someone with some real-world experience. Frequently, the best advice is not just legal advice - it's also personal, business or financial advice. Your responsibilities will include:

• Work with and direct drafting paralegal(s) and asset alignment team member(s).
• Report on work in progress weekly.
• Assist Fiduciaries.
• Assist clients effectively.
• Design estate plans that will work for clients within the client’s chosen price point.
• Draft wills, trusts, and powers of attorney.
• Networking.
• Develop educational articles for the monthly newsletter.
• Keep your CLEs and law license up to date.
• Develop relationships with the community served and the leaders of that community.

Other Requirements Include the Following

• Convey confidence in person and on the phone,
• Show empathy to clients and put them at ease during challenging times,
• Demonstrate exceptional communication skills,
• Able to hold yourself and others accountable,
• Go-getter with a strong work ethic,
• Book of portable business is a plus.

Environment

• Small, boutique, reputable firm
• Competitive salary and bonus
• Balance between home and work life
• Supportive Environment where you're challenged with interesting work for interesting clients

We Value Our Team and Offer The Following

This position has competitive compensation, a good work-life balance, and opportunities for career growth. We offer a Retirement Plan with an employer contribution. Paid holidays and PTO for employees who work full-time. We also can assist with continuing legal education.

• Health Insurance contribution toward plan
• 401(k)
• Paid Holidays
• Paid Vacation / Sick Time
• Life Insurance
• Continuing Education Budget
• Individual office with window

Why Work With Us

-GREAT BENEFITS

-FLEXIBILITY

-STABILITY & GROWTH

-PURPOSE

-VISION

All qualified applicants will receive consideration without regard to race, age, color, sex, religion, national origin, disability, sexual orientation, gender identity, marital status, military status, genetic information, or any other status protected by applicable laws or regulations.

HOW DO I APPLY?

Please note that your ability and willingness to follow these instructions explicitly will play a big role in whether you will be considered for this position. Do not use the reply option on this ad. Email the following documents to the email address jobapplicants@friendly.law, in PDF format only, with "[insert your full name, spelled backwards] is your Attorney" in the subject line:

1. Your résumé.

2. Cover letter including the following in bullet-point format:

• Normal letter format addressed to Atty. Dan Krause at the firm’s Brookfield, WI address below.

• How can you deliver value to a client going through probate of their loved one?

• How can you deliver value to an elderly client unsure about their future?

• What are you looking for in this position, financially, professionally, and personally?

• What you liked and did not like about this ad. (You can be honest; we will not hold it against you.)

• Name of one great movie you have seen or book you have read in the last twelve months, and why you liked it so much.

Thank you for taking time to consider joining our team

Krause Estate Planning & Elder Law Center

15850 W Bluemound Rd, Ste 314

Brookfield, WI 53005