Wendy S. Rusch is a partner with Foley & Lardner LLP. She is a member of the Estates & Trusts and Commercial Transactions & Business Counseling Practices.
Ms. Rusch’s practice focuses in the areas of estate planning, estate and trust administration and business succession planning. She also represents fiduciaries and beneficiaries in estate and trust disputes and advises clients on a wide variety of estate, gift and income tax issues.
Ms. Rusch graduated magna cum laude from the University of Wisconsin Law School (J.D., 2000), where she was elected to the Order of the Coif. She received her undergraduate degree, with honors, in industrial & labor relations from Cornell University (B.S., 1992).
Ms. Rusch is admitted to practice in Wisconsin. She is a member of the State Bar of Wisconsin, the American Bar Association, the Milwaukee Bar Association, and the Association for Women Lawyers. She is also on the board of directors for the Milwaukee Estate Planning Forum.
Ms. Rusch’s civic activities have included serving as chair of the HospiceCare Planned Giving Committee, the volunteer coordinator for A Fund For Women and a member of A Fund For Women's Donor Development Committee, as well as a volunteer with the National Multiple Sclerosis Society – Wisconsin Chapter. She presently serves as a volunteer for the Wills for Heroes program and the partnership between Foley and the Wisconsin Conservatory of Lifelong Learning.
Ms. Rusch was selected for inclusion in the 2006, 2007 and 2010 lists of Wisconsin Super Lawyers - Rising Stars® for her work in estate planning & probate. She has also been Peer Review Rated as AV® Preeminent™, the highest performance rating in Martindale-Hubbell's peer review rating system.
Ms. Rusch’s speaking engagements and publications include:
- "Estate Planning with Discount Entities," Milwaukee Bar Association, December 6, 2011, and State Bar of Wisconsin's 32nd Annual Estate Planning Update, November 11, 2011 (Brookfield, WI)
- "The Implications for Wealth Transfers From U.S. Debt Downgrade: An Increase Is Possible In Safe-Harbor Interest Rates for Intra-Family Debt Transactions," The Wealth Manager, August 17, 2011 – co-author
- "Irrevocable Life Insurance Trusts," National Business Institute’s Trusts 101, December 13, 2010 (Madison, WI) and December 14, 2010 (Milwaukee, WI)
- "Business Succession Planning," Corporate Practice Institute, State Bar of Wisconsin, December 7, 2010 (Milwaukee, WI)
- Eckhardt's Workbook for Wisconsin Estate Planners
– co-author