Our Firm
Before moving to Madison, Melissa practiced law in Chicago for close to ten years, predominantly at a downtown law firm with a strong trusts and estates practice. Shortly after moving her practice to a large Wisconsin firm in Madison, she began working with Ben, who was focusing his practice on both estate planning and advising closely-held businesses. Along with Mallory, who was in the process of obtaining her paralegal certificate, they formed a close-knit team focused on estate planning, trust and estate administration and business advising.
From those early days as a team of three, through transitions and shifting dynamics, the close-knit nature of the practice has always remained the same. Mallory has since departed the firm to focus on family, while Brenda, a brilliant and seasoned paralegal and Sonja, a diligent, focused legal assistant have joined the ranks.
As clients came to appreciate their team-based approach to legal services, Melissa and Ben differentiated themselves by providing enhanced client focus and attention, including regularly traveling to clients' homes and businesses and breaking complex legal projects into smaller, digestible parts. This client-centered approach inspired them to form Selinger & Brunette, LLC, a law firm focused on highly personalized legal services for individuals and closely-held businesses. The combination of their experience, sound technical skills and knowledge of the law, along with their enthusiasm for their work and strong team dynamic, has led to a thriving practice.
Where We Practice
We live and work in Madison, but our practice is not limited to Madison. Having practiced in Illinois for nearly a decade, Melissa has built and maintained relationships throughout the Chicagoland area, and all the way south to her hometown of Peoria. Ben originally hails from the Green Bay area, and maintains his client relationships across the state of Wisconsin and beyond. Our passion for meeting our clients where they live, work and play has been a large part our success, and we regularly hit the road to visit our clients at their homes and businesses.
And while our clients or their businesses are typically connected to Wisconsin or Illinois, in today’s mobile world, our clients are on the move. Our clients reside from coast to coast, and we have a core group of clients with international needs as well.
Why We're Different
We pride ourselves on providing personalized legal services and have created a business model that focuses on the commitment to quality and personal attention our clients deserve. Here are a few ways we strive to differentiate ourselves in the marketplace of legal services:
We Meet You Where You Are. While we welcome meetings in our office, we find that meeting with our clients where they live and work can lead to the best discussions. When these discussions center around sensitive family dynamics or complex legal issues, we want to meet with our clients in the environment where they are most comfortable. We’ve taken great care to create a firm founded upon the flexibility to travel to where our clients feel the most at ease. Wherever that might be for you, we’ll be there.
We're Here for the Long Haul. One of our most rewarding experiences as attorneys is when clients introduce us to their children. The majority of our work is centered on the transfer of wealth to younger generations, so developing personal relationships with those individuals means the world to us. Our clients consistently remark that they feel secure knowing that we’ll be there for their family when it matters most.
We're Part of Your Team. We understand that legal counsel is just one part of your advisory team. Accountants, financial advisors, bankers, and insurance professionals all play important roles in helping ensure that you are prepared for life’s turns. We enjoy working with all of your advisors to keep the big picture close at hand and ensure that your estate or business plan is properly integrated. It is our honor to be a part of your team.