Jennifer Traxel Leonard, Esq.
Law school was not part of Jennifer’s plan. She jokes as practicing law was the one thing she did not want to do. However, after witnessing her parents navigate the estate and trust administration process with the death of her grandparents, she learned that there is more to “law” than the glamorous television lawyers and set out to help families during times of their deepest struggles.
Jennifer graduated from the evening program at Chase College of Law at Northern Kentucky University in 2007. Working during the day in a law firm, attending school at night, holding membership on the Law Review, and balancing family commitments taught her the importance of strong work ethics. In 2001, she graduated with honors from the University of Kentucky with a Bachelor in Business Administration with an emphasis in Marketing.
She is grateful for the opportunity to work with clients of all generations and backgrounds to make sure their wishes are honored and their families are provided for – both on a personal level and on a financial level.
Jennifer is an active member of her community with involvement in Redwood School and the Greater Cincinnati Foundation.
Representative Matters:
- Designed many unique comprehensive estate plans for multi-generational families while minimizing or deferring tax by utilizing various advanced estate planning techniques including: defective grantor irrevocable trusts, qualified personal residence trusts, irrevocable life insurance trusts, charitable lead trusts, charitable remainder unitrusts, and marital/credit shelter revocable trusts.
- Counseled estate and trust fiduciaries in fulfilling their legal duties which included preparing probate court documents, obtaining asset valuations, consulting appraisers to determine fair market values, compiling assets to prepare inventories, facilitating asset transfers to respective heirs or beneficiaries, liquidating personal or business assets, ensuring satisfaction of creditors’ claims, and preparing accountings.
- Analyzed post-mortem planning options and assisted clients in the implementation.
- Counseled small business owners relative to business succession planning. Drafted organizational documents including shareholder agreements.
- Developed strategy to save an irrevocable trust a million dollars of income tax.
- Prepared Federal Gift Tax Returns (709), Federal Estate Tax Returns (706) and the related state counterparts, Income Tax Returns for Estates and Trusts (1041).
- Advised non-profit organizations and prepared the applications (1023) to obtain tax exempt recognition with the Internal Revenue Service.
- Reviewed and analyzed business contracts for a large family owned real estate company.