Edited Melissa.jpg

DIRECT: (608) 960-4537

melissa@selingerbrunette.com

Admissions

  • Wisconsin
  • Illinois

Education

  • J.D., Washington University in St. Louis School of Law, 2003
  • B.A. in Economics, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, 2000

Awards & Distinctions

  • Selected for inclusion in The Best Lawyers in America® in Trusts & Estates (2016, 2017)

Melissa Cover Selinger

Attorney

Melissa advises clients on a broad range of estate planning matters, focusing primarily on advanced wealth transfer and tax-saving techniques.  She values and focuses on her personal connections with her clients and their families, which enables her to understand her client’s motivations and how to accomplish their goals in a more meaningful way.  In all cases, her goal is to help clients achieve their unique personal objectives while minimizing estate, gift, generation-skipping transfer and income taxes.

Melissa also has significant experience assisting clients with the complicated and often sensitive issues that accompany the probate, estate and trust administration process. She assists clients with the administration of estates at all levels of complexity, ranging in value from very modest to extremely high net worth, while being sensitive to the unique family circumstances that arise after the passing of a loved one.  Whether helping clients through a difficult administration process or planning for a complex family situation, Melissa’s highly personalized and engaging approach helps make each client’s experience a positive one.

 

 

Professional Associations

  • Wisconsin Uniform Powers of Appointment Act Committee - Member
  • Forum for Women Estate Counselors - Member
  • Madison Estate Council - Vice President
  • Wisconsin Planned Giving Council - Member
  • Chicago Bar Association, Federal Taxation Division Committee, Estate & Gift Taxation - Co-Chair (2010-2011)
  • Chicago Bar Association Young Lawyers Section, Estate Planning Committee - Co-Chair (2006-2008)
  • Chicago Estate Planning Council - Member (2006-2011)

Community Involvement

  • Madison Public Library Foundation Board Member, Donor Development Committee Member, and Planned Giving Subcommittee Member
  • Metropolitan Family Services, Metro Board Member (2008-2011); Vice Chair (2009-2010)
  • Chicago Community Trust Young Professionals Advisory Committee Member (2009-2011)

Articles and Presentations

  • Educational Lectures on Selected Estate Planning Topics for Employees and Executives at Various Area Businesses
  • Estate Planning, North Central States Regional Carpenters’ Benefit Funds Conference (2/27/16)
  • Estate Planning for the Young and Wealthy, Lorman Educational Services national webinar (12/3/15)
  • Estate & Retirement Planning for the Retired or Retiring Attorney, Senior Lawyers Division CLE Program, Wisconsin State Bar Association (5/13/15)
  • The Use of Trusts in Estate Planning, guest lecturer, University of Wisconsin Law School (4/21/15)
  • Estate Planning and Business Succession Planning, Next Generation Leadership Bootcamp at Wisconsin Business Center, University of Wisconsin School of Business (2015, 2016)
  • Selected Topics in Estate Planning: Asset Management and Financial Planning, guest lecturer, University of Wisconsin Law School (2015, 2016)
  • Gifts to Employees – Taxable or Not, Wisconsin Institute of CPAs OnBalance magazine (November/December 2014)
  • Debt, Personal Guarantees and Succession Planning in the New Economy and Regulatory Environment, Family Business Center at University of Wisconsin School of Business (11/20/14)
  • Rules of Trust Administration in Wisconsin, Lorman Education Services webinar (9/17/14)
  • Estate Planning for Same-Sex Couples: Practical Considerations for Estate Planning, Whyte Hirschboeck Dudek S.C. Seminar (8/13/14)
  • Introduction to Marital Property, guest lecturer, University of Wisconsin Law School (4/15/14)
  • Debt at Death: Debt, Personal Guarantees & Life Insurance Planning – Do Your Clients Understand their Risks?, Smith & Gesteland, LLP seminar (1/7/14)
  • All in the Family: Estate Planning for the Vacation Home, Whyte Hirschboeck Dudek S.C. Seminar (6/6/12)
  • On the Money: Estate Planning Window of Opportunity, BizTimes (1/9/12)
  • Estate Planning: Window of Opportunity, InBusiness Magazine (12/6/11)
  • Ten Essential Tax Rulings for Every Estate Planner’s Toolbox, ABA Journal, Probate & Property Magazine (November/December 2010)