Kelly M. Spott

Kelly leads O’Neil Cannon’s Trust, Estates and Succession Planning Group. She assists clients with estate planning, succession planning, probate administration, trust administration, and inheritance litigation. She is licensed to practice law in both Wisconsin and Florida.Kelly enjoys working with families and believes in educating her clients on how their estate plan will work while they are alive, what happens in an emergency, and what happens upon the loss of a loved one. She believes that a good estate plan will help ease potential family tensions and stress upon the loss of a loved one.Kelly grew up working on her family’s dairy farm and her mother’s family’s 3rd generation machine shop. She watched many business decisions being made at the kitchen table and understands how family dynamics are inseparable from the family business. She appreciates the ingenuity, perseverance, and dedication required of business owners to grow and expand their businesses.Kelly Assists Clients WithEstate Planning for FamiliesWills for Young FamiliesRevocable TrustsTestamentary TrustsReviewing and Amending Existing Estate PlansMaximizing Tax Efficiencies for BeneficiariesTransferring Wealth to the Next GenerationPowers of AttorneyAvoiding ProbateFunding Revocable Trusts to Avoid ProbateStructuring IRA and 401(k) Beneficiary DesignationsHelping Manage a Deceased Loved One’s AffairsTrust AdministrationsProbate AdministrationsNon-probate transfersInheritance Litigation MattersWill ContestsUndue Influence CasesTrustee DisputesProbate DisputesFiduciary ControversiesExperience/Representative Client WorkAdvanced Planning Attorney, Northwestern Mutual, 2016–2017Associate Attorney, Mawicke & Goisman, S.C., 2013–2016Clerk, Waukesha County Probate Registrar, 2013Professional Associations & AffiliationsMember, State Bar of WisconsinMember, Society of Financial Service ProfessionalsBoard Member, Society of Financial Service ProfessionalsMember, Professional DimensionsAwards/DistinctionsMartindale-Hubbell® Peer Review Rating™–AV, reflecting an attorney who has reached the height of professional excellence and is recognized for the highest levels of skill and integritySelected for inclusion on The Best Lawyers in America: Ones to Watch list, 2021–presentSelected for inclusion in Wisconsin Super Lawyers Rising Stars, Law & Politics and Milwaukee Magazine, 2022–presentDean’s List, Marquette UniversityMember, Alpha Sigma Nu–Jesuit Honor SocietyMember, Sigma Delta Pi–National Collegiate Hispanic Honor SocietyCALI Award–Real Estate & Finance Development, 2012Articles/PresentationsEckhardt’s Workbook for WI Estate Planners, “Planning for Nonprobate Transfers,” March 2019Community InvolvementMember, Soles for Catholic Education Walk committeeEducationMarquette University Law School (J.D.)Marquette University (B.S.)

Kelly leads O’Neil Cannon’s Trust, Estates and Succession Planning Group. She assists clients with estate planning, succession planning, probate administration, trust administration, and inheritance litigation. She is licensed to practice law in both Wisconsin and Florida.Kelly enjoys working with families and believes in educating her clients on how their estate plan will work while they are alive, what happens in an emergency, and what happens upon the loss of a loved one. She believes that a good estate plan will help ease potential family tensions and stress upon the loss of a loved one.Kelly grew up working on her family’s dairy farm and her mother’s family’s 3rd generation machine shop. She watched many business decisions being made at the kitchen table and understands how family dynamics are inseparable from the family business. She appreciates the ingenuity, perseverance, and dedication required of business owners to grow and expand their businesses.Kelly Assists Clients WithEstate Planning for FamiliesWills for Young FamiliesRevocable TrustsTestamentary TrustsReviewing and Amending Existing Estate PlansMaximizing Tax Efficiencies for BeneficiariesTransferring Wealth to the Next GenerationPowers of AttorneyAvoiding ProbateFunding Revocable Trusts to Avoid ProbateStructuring IRA and 401(k) Beneficiary DesignationsHelping Manage a Deceased Loved One’s AffairsTrust AdministrationsProbate AdministrationsNon-probate transfersInheritance Litigation MattersWill ContestsUndue Influence CasesTrustee DisputesProbate DisputesFiduciary ControversiesExperience/Representative Client WorkAdvanced Planning Attorney, Northwestern Mutual, 2016–2017Associate Attorney, Mawicke & Goisman, S.C., 2013–2016Clerk, Waukesha County Probate Registrar, 2013Professional Associations & AffiliationsMember, State Bar of WisconsinMember, Society of Financial Service ProfessionalsBoard Member, Society of Financial Service ProfessionalsMember, Professional DimensionsAwards/DistinctionsMartindale-Hubbell® Peer Review Rating™–AV, reflecting an attorney who has reached the height of professional excellence and is recognized for the highest levels of skill and integritySelected for inclusion on The Best Lawyers in America: Ones to Watch list, 2021–presentSelected for inclusion in Wisconsin Super Lawyers Rising Stars, Law & Politics and Milwaukee Magazine, 2022–presentDean’s List, Marquette UniversityMember, Alpha Sigma Nu–Jesuit Honor SocietyMember, Sigma Delta Pi–National Collegiate Hispanic Honor SocietyCALI Award–Real Estate & Finance Development, 2012Articles/PresentationsEckhardt’s Workbook for WI Estate Planners, “Planning for Nonprobate Transfers,” March 2019Community InvolvementMember, Soles for Catholic Education Walk committeeEducationMarquette University Law School (J.D.)Marquette University (B.S.)

Kelly leads O’Neil Cannon’s Trust, Estates and Succession Planning Group. She assists clients with estate planning, succession planning, probate administration, trust administration, and inheritance litigation. She is licensed to practice law in both Wisconsin and Florida.

Kelly enjoys working with families and believes in educating her clients on how their estate plan will work while they are alive, what happens in an emergency, and what happens upon the loss of a loved one. She believes that a good estate plan will help ease potential family tensions and stress upon the loss of a loved one.

Kelly grew up working on her family’s dairy farm and her mother’s family’s 3rd generation machine shop. She watched many business decisions being made at the kitchen table and understands how family dynamics are inseparable from the family business. She appreciates the ingenuity, perseverance, and dedication required of business owners to grow and expand their businesses.

Kelly Assists Clients With

Experience/Representative Client Work

Professional Associations & Affiliations

Awards/Distinctions

Articles/Presentations

Community Involvement

Member, Soles for Catholic Education Walk committee

Education