Meet Joan
Joan D. Klimpel is a shareholder and a member of the Estates & Trusts practice in the Milwaukee office. She represents clients in the areas of fiduciary income taxation, estate and gift taxation, probate and trust administration, business succession planning and the drafting of wills, trusts and related estate planning documents.
In addition to working with clients on more traditional estate planning matters, Joan has advised clients on the use of estate planning techniques focused on leveraging the use of tax exemptions and in some cases addressing closely held business succession and/or philanthropic objectives, including Irrevocable Life Insurance Trusts, Grantor Retained Annuity Trusts, Charitable Lead Trusts, Charitable Remainder Trusts, sales to defective Grantor Trusts and the creation and administration of family foundations.
Joan has worked with members of the fiduciary litigation team to resolve disputes relating to the administration of irrevocable trusts and estates. At the request of clients, Joan serves as trustee for over 150 trusts and is involved on a daily basis in distribution and income tax planning for these trusts. Joan, along with attorneys on the securities and corporate teams, assisted a client with assessing alternatives to and ultimately implementing an Initial Public Offering structured to maintain family control for multiple generations, and Joan continues to serve as a trustee of trusts holding shares of the company and to provide legal counsel to the board and its corporate governance committee. Joan serves as an officer and board member of one of the largest family foundations in Wisconsin.
Education
Juris Doctor, University of Wisconsin Law School, 1992, with honors, Order of the Coif
Bachelor of Business Administration, University of Wisconsin-Madison, 1989, Accounting, with honors
Activities
Certified Public Accountant
Greater Milwaukee Foundation - Member, Development & Philanthropic Services Committee
Milwaukee Mid-Winter Estate Planning Clinic - Member
Children’s Hospital and Health System – Chair, Planned Giving Council
Milwaukee Estate Planning Association – Member
Godfrey & Kahn Board Member; Compensation Committee Member
Honors
Listed in Best Lawyers in America (Trusts and Estates, 2009 - present)
Recognized as a Five Star Wealth Manager (2010)
Recognized as a Wisconsin Super Lawyer (2010 - 2018)
Recognized as a Woman in the Law by Wisconsin Law Journal (2014)
Recognized by Chambers USA (High Net Worth: Private Wealth Law, 2021)
Winner of the 2023 Association for Women Lawyers Mentoring Award
Listed in BizTimes Media's Notable Women in Wealth Management (2024)
Admitted To Practice
WisconsinProfessional Associations
American Bar Association, Milwaukee Bar Association, State Bar of Wisconsin