Trusts and Estates Associate Attorney

Centurion Legal Services, LLC; Milwaukee (WI); Hybrid; USD 100,000 - 150,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Hybrid-work flexibility

Health-related benefits or stipend

Paid time off

Professional liability insurance

Bar dues and CLE

Job summary

Centurion Legal Services, LLC in Milwaukee seeks an experienced associate attorney to join its estate planning and estate administration practice. The attorney will inherit meaningful existing work and work with an established client base in a well-supported firm.

You will draft and review trusts, wills, powers of attorney, and related planning documents, manage probate matters, supervise staff, and advance sophisticated tax planning for high-net-worth clients.

Qualifications

• Juris Doctor degree from an accredited law school.
• Active Wisconsin law license in good standing or ability to obtain Wisconsin admission promptly.
• 3–7 years of relevant legal experience.
• Meaningful experience in estate planning, probate, trust administration, elder law, tax, or related practice.
• Ability to independently manage routine estate planning or administration matters.
• Strong legal writing, drafting, proofreading, and analytical skills.
• Excellent judgment and attention to detail.
• Ability to communicate effectively with clients, fiduciaries, professionals.
• Ability to supervise support staff and delegate appropriately.
• Familiarity with practice-management and document-automation technology.

Responsibilities

• Counsel clients on estate planning objectives and strategies.
• Design and implement trust and will-based estate plans.
• Draft and review trusts, wills, powers of attorney, and related documents.
• Conduct client planning and signing meetings.
• Manage probate and trust administration matters.
• Advise personal representatives, trustees, beneficiaries, and fiduciaries.
• Review asset information and estate-plan funding.
• Supervise paralegals and legal assistants.
• Collaborate on advanced tax and business succession planning.
• Maintain timely client communications and matter records.

Skills

Legal writing

Attention to detail

Client communication

Analytical skills

Deadline management

Supervising staff

Collaboration

Adaptability

Time management

Estate planning

Education

Juris Doctor degree

Tools

Practice management software

Document automation tools

Job description

The Opportunity

Centurion Legal Services is seeking an experienced associate attorney to join our rapidly growing estate planning and estate administration practice.

We are an established and expanding Wisconsin law firm focused on estate planning, tax planning, probate and trust administration, elder law, and related planning for individuals, families, business owners, and fiduciaries. Our practice includes both traditional estate planning and sophisticated planning for high-net-worth and multi-state clients.

The attorney joining us will inherit meaningful existing work rather than being expected to build a practice from the ground up. The position is designed for an attorney who can independently manage routine and moderately complex matters while continuing to develop advanced estate planning and tax planning expertise.

This is an opportunity to join a well-supported and innovative practice with experienced attorneys, highly capable paralegals, modern practice-management systems, and an established client base.

Primary Responsibilities

The associate attorney will be responsible for matters including:

• Working both independently and with senior attorneys to counsel clients on their estate planning objectives and available planning strategies
• Designing and implementing trust and will-based comprehensive estate plans
• Drafting and reviewing trusts, wills, marital property agreements, powers of attorney, beneficiary designations, deeds, assignments, and related planning documents
• Conducting client planning, review, and signing meetings
• Managing probate, trust administration, and other post-death administration matters
• Advising personal representatives, trustees, beneficiaries, and other fiduciaries
• Reviewing asset information, beneficiary designations, account ownership, and estate-plan funding
• Supervising and reviewing work performed by paralegals and legal assistants
• Working with experienced senior attorneys regarding advanced tax, business succession, charitable, special-needs, or asset-protection planning
• Maintaining timely client communications, matter records, deadlines, and billing entries
• Participating in the continued development of the firm’s forms, systems, workflows, and document-automation platform

Required Qualifications

Applicants should have:

• A Juris Doctor degree from an accredited law school
• An active Wisconsin law license in good standing, or the ability to obtain Wisconsin admission promptly
• Approximately three to seven years of relevant legal experience
• Meaningful experience in estate planning, probate, trust administration, elder law, tax, or a closely related practice
• The ability to independently manage routine estate planning or administration matters
• Strong legal writing, drafting, proofreading, and analytical skills
• Excellent judgment and attention to detail
• The ability to communicate effectively with clients, fiduciaries, beneficiaries, financial advisors, accountants, and other professionals
• A demonstrated commitment to reviewing and taking responsibility for final legal work
• The ability to delegate appropriately while supervising support staff
• Comfort using practice-management, document-management, and document-automation technology
• A collaborative, adaptable, and service-oriented approach

Preferred Qualifications

The strongest candidates may also have experience with one or more of the following:

• Probate and trust administration
• Estate and gift taxation
• Medicaid and long-term-care planning
• Special-needs planning
• Business succession planning
• Fiduciary income tax matters
• Estate-plan funding and beneficiary-designation review

A candidate does not need experience in every listed area. We are particularly interested in attorneys who have a strong foundation in estate planning or administration and want to develop broader and more sophisticated expertise.

What Makes This Position Different

The associate will have:

• An existing pipeline of estate planning and administration work
• Experienced paralegal and administrative support
• Direct mentorship in advanced estate and tax planning
• Opportunities to work with high-net-worth families and closely held business owners
• Established and innovative proprietary forms, procedures, and technology systems
• Meaningful client responsibility without an immediate requirement to bring a book of business
• The opportunity to help shape your own trust and estates practice
• A defined path toward increased responsibility, compensation, and senior-attorney status

We value attorneys who take ownership of their matters while working within consistent firmwide systems. Careful review, timely communication, professional treatment of staff, and a willingness to improve established processes are essential components of the position.

Compensation and Benefits

The anticipated base salary range is $100,000 to $150,000, depending on relevant experience, demonstrated capabilities, and expected level of independence.

Additional compensation may include:

• Performance-based bonus compensation
• Origination credit for new firm relationships
• Employer-sponsored retirement benefits
• Health-related benefits or stipend
• Paid time off and firm holidays
• Professional liability insurance
• State Bar dues and approved continuing legal education
• Hybrid-work flexibility following successful onboarding

The position is not conditioned on bringing an existing book of business.

Work Location

The position will serve clients throughout southeastern Wisconsin. Regular in-person work at our downtown Milwaukee office will be required, with hybrid flexibility available based on experience, performance, client needs, and successful integration into firm systems.

Application Process

All inquiries will be handled confidentially. Please indicate your interest by email to [e-mail]

Centurion Legal Services, LLC is an equal opportunity employer. Employment decisions are made without regard to race, color, religion, sex, pregnancy, national origin, age, disability, military or veteran status, sexual orientation, gender identity, genetic information, or any other status protected by applicable law.