Michelle Rosenblatt
Practice Areas
Experience
- Asset Protection
- Charitable Planning
- Family Office
- Family-Owned Business
- Fiduciary Advice & Counsel
- International
- Premarital, Marital, & Cohabitation Agreements
- Probate, Trust, & Guardianship Administration
Biography
Michelle’s practice focuses on U.S. and international tax, estate, business, and wealth preservation planning for individuals and family offices. Michelle helps clients structure their holdings to benefit the individuals and charitable causes important to them. Helping clients understand the choices available to them to create a plan that achieves their goals while reducing the potential for conflict and minimizing gift, estate and income taxes is a key principle of Michelle’s practice. She works closely with her clients’ other advisors to ensure the plans are respected and properly maintained. Individuals, families, and trustees comprise the bulk of Michelle’s clients.
She also assists individual and professional fiduciaries with estate and trust administration.
Michelle is the Treasurer and a Board Member of KMFA 89.5, Austin’s classical music radio station. Michelle taught the course “Financial Methods for Lawyers” at the University of Texas at Austin School of Law for several semesters.
Education
B.A., with high honors, The University of Texas at Austin
J.D., Pepperdine School of Law
Bar Admissions
California
Texas
Michelle’s practice includes:
- Estate, gift, and income tax planning
- Charitable planning
- Inbound and outbound international estate planning
- Preparing Wills and documents to address incapacity (including powers of attorney)
- Preparing revocable and irrevocable trusts
- Preparing premarital, marital, and cohabitation agreements
- Business structuring and succession planning
- Preparing estate and gift tax returns
- Estate and trust administration
- The Best Lawyers in America (Woodward/White Inc.), Trusts and Estates, 2021-2025
- Fellow, Texas Bar Foundation, 2021-present
- “Austin’s Top Attorneys” List – Wills, Estates, and Probate, Austin Monthly, 2021-present
- Rated AV Preeminent, Martindale-Hubbell, 2014-present
- Texas Rising Star, Super Lawyers – Rising Stars by Thomson Reuters, 2016
- Speaker and Author, “U.S.-Mexico Cross-Border Planning: Planning Techniques from a U.S. and Mexican Perspective,” Texas Bar CLE 2021 Annual Advanced Estate Planning & Probate Course, Virtual Conference, Jun. 9-11, 2021
- Speaker and Author, “Providing Flexibility In Trust Agreements: Using Trust Protectors, Trust Advisors, Trust Consultants, and Trust Committees,” Texas Bar CLE 25th Annual Estate Planning & Probate Drafting Course, Houston, TX, Oct. 8-9, 2020
- Author, “Drafting & Enforcing Arbitration Clauses in Wills, Trusts & Settlement Agreements,” Texas Tech Estate Planning & Community Property Law Journal, Vol XII, Book I, Fall 2019
- Author, “Drafting & Enforcing Arbitration Clauses in Wills, Trusts & Settlement Agreements,” Journal of National College of Probate Judges (NCPJ), Fall 2019
- Speaker and Author, “Drafting & Enforcing Arbitration Clauses in Wills, Trusts & Settlement Agreements,” West LegalEdCenter, Webinar, Dec. 16, 2019
- Author, “Drafting & Enforcing Arbitration Clauses in Wills, Trusts & Settlement Agreements,” Texas Bar CLE 43rd Annual Advanced Estate Planning & Probate Course, San Antonio, TX, Jun. 2019
- Speaker and Author, “Drafting & Enforcing Arbitration Clauses in Wills, Trusts & Settlement Agreements,” Texas Bar CLE 43rd Annual Advanced Estate Planning & Probate Course, San Antonio, TX, Jun. 2019
- Speaker, “Navigating the World of Contested Probate Proceedings and Fiduciary Litigation: A Guide for Litigators on the Ins and Outs of Probate Court and Fiduciary Litigation,” Austin Bar, Civil Litigation Section CLE, May 21, 2018
- Speaker, “To Be or Not to Be a Grantor Trust,” Austin Tax Study Group, Austin, TX, Mar. 20, 2018
- Speaker, “Fathers, Mothers, Sisters, Brothers and Others: Shower the People You Love with ‘Tangential’ Planning,” ACTEC 2017 Rocky Mountain Regional Meeting, Austin, TX, Sept. 9, 2017
- Speaker, “Asset Protection: Strategies and Recent Developments,” Maxwell Locke & Ritter LLP CPE Program, Austin, TX, Aug. 16, 2017
- Speaker, “Estate Planning Update,” Section of Taxation, 2017 State Bar of Texas Annual Meeting, Dallas, TX, Jun. 22, 2017
- Author and Speaker, “Asset Protection: Strategies and Recent Developments,” Texas Bar CLE 41st Advanced Estate Planning & Probate Course, Houston, TX, Jun. 7-9, 2017
- Co-Author, “A Rose by Any Other Name: Utilizing and Drafting Powers for Trustees, Trust Advisors, and Trust Protectors,” Estate Planning Community Property Law Journal, Spring 2016, Vol. 8, No. 1
- Speaker, “Maximizing Personal Wealth When Planning for a Liquidity Event: Planning Concepts to Maximize Wealth Through Tax Savings,” Maxwell Locke & Ritter LLP CPE Program, Austin, TX, Sept. 16, 2015
- Speaker, “Avoiding Unintended Estate Planning,” Section of Taxation, 2015 State Bar of Texas Annual Meeting, San Antonio, TX, Jun. 19, 2015
- Author, “2014 Form BE-10 Filing Requirements: Deadline for 2014 New Filers Extended to June 30, 2015,” ABA Asset Protection Planning Committee Website, May 2015
- Co-Author, “A Rose by Any Other Name: Utilizing and Drafting Powers for Trustees, Trust Advisors, and Trust Protectors,” The Texas Tax Lawyer, Spring 2015, Vol. 42, No. 2, Part 3
- Co-Author and Co-Speaker, “A Rose by Any Other Name: Utilizing and Drafting Powers for Trustees, Trust Advisors, and Trust Protectors,” Texas Bar CLE 25th Annual Estate Planning & Probate Drafting Course, Houston, TX, Oct. 9, 2014
- Author, “Practical and Tax Considerations of Drafting ILITs,” The Texas Tax Lawyer, Winter 2014, Vol. 41, No. 2
- Author and Speaker, “Practical and Tax Considerations of Drafting ILITs,” Texas Bar CLE 24th Annual Estate Planning & Probate Drafting Course, Houston, TX, Oct. 24, 2013
- Speaker, “Common Decanting Issues,” Austin Tax Study Group, Austin, TX, Feb. 24, 2012
- Co-Author, “Federal Attempts to Close Offshore Tax ‘Loopholes’ — Necessity or Nuisance?,” IMCA’s Investments & Wealth Monitor, Jul./Aug. 2009
- Speaker, “Annual Charitable Update,” San Antonio Estate Planners Council, San Antonio, TX, Jan. 2009
- Speaker, “Common Mistakes in Lifetime and Testamentary Charitable Giving,” Corpus Christi Estate Planning Council, Corpus Christi, TX, Jan. 2009
- Speaker, “Charitable Gift Annuities Best Practices Panel,” Speaker, “Current and Deferred Charitable Gift Annuities,” Practical Planned Giving Conference, Orlando, FL, Sept. 2006
- Speaker, “Circular 230,” Speaker, “Changes in IRS CRT Documents,” Speaker, “Spousal Waivers and CRTs,” Leave a Legacy Conference, Fresno, CA, Mar. 2006
- Speaker, “Flexible Deferred Gift Annuities,” Crescendo Interactive Webcast, Mar. 2006
- Author, “Hidden in the Shadows: The Perilous Use of ADR by the Catholic Church,” Pepperdine Dispute Resolution Journal, Apr. 2005
- Board Member and Treasurer, KMFA 89.5
- Member, American Bar Association
- Member and Former Treasurer, Austin Tax Study Group
- Member, California Bar Association
- Member, College of the State Bar of Texas
- Member, Estate Planning Council of Central Texas
- Member, International Bar Association
- Member, Section of Real Property, Probate and Trust Law, State Bar of Texas
- Member, Section of Taxation, State Bar of Texas
- Former Board Member, Austin Bar Association, Estate Planning & Probate Section
- Former Board Member, Austin Public Library Commission
- Former Member, Estate and Gift Tax Committee, Section of Taxation, State Bar of Texas
- Former Member, Society of Trust and Estate Practitioners (STEP)
- Former Member, Planning Committee, 41st Advanced Estate Planning & Probate Course, Texas Bar CLE
- Former Member, Planning Committee, 39th Advanced Estate Planning & Probate Course, Texas Bar CLE
- Former Member, Planning Committee, 24th Annual Estate Planning & Probate Drafting Course, Texas Bar CLE
- Former Member, Planning Committee, Section of Taxation CLE, 2017 Texas State Bar Annual Meeting
- Former Member, Planning Committee, Section of Taxation CLE, 2016 Texas State Bar Annual Meeting
- Former Member, Planning Committee, Section of Taxation CLE, 2015 Texas State Bar Annual Meeting
- Former Member, Planning Committee, Section of Taxation CLE, 2014 Texas State Bar Annual Meeting
- Former Member, Planning Committee, Intermediate Estate Planning & Probate Intermediate Course, Texas Bar CLE
- Former Member, Trust Decanting Subcommittee, Section of Real Estate, Probate and Trust Law, Texas Bar Association
- Former Member, Inaugural Leadership Academy, Section of Taxation, Texas Bar Association
- Former Secretary, Blue Car Committee, Beverly Hills Bar Association
August 15, 2024
Attorney News
‘The Best Lawyers in America’ Features 306 Jackson Walker Attorneys in 2025 Edition, Including 9 “Lawyers of the Year” and 75 “Ones to Watch”
The Best Lawyers in America has recognized 306 Jackson Walker attorneys across 81 specialty practice areas in its 2025 edition, including 9 Lawyers of the Year and 75 Ones to Watch. In this year’s guide, Jackson Walker saw the largest number of attorneys in the areas of Commercial Litigation (75 attorneys) and Real Estate Law (55 attorneys) and the addition of 27 attorneys as Best Lawyers.
August 24, 2023
Newsletters
JW Diversity & Inclusion Newsletter – August 2023
View Jackson Walker’s August 2023 Diversity & Inclusion Newsletter, Perspectives.
August 17, 2023
Attorney News
‘The Best Lawyers in America’ Honors 287 Jackson Walker Attorneys in 2024 Edition, Including 12 “Lawyers of the Year” and 80 “Ones to Watch”
The Best Lawyers in America has recognized 287 Jackson Walker attorneys across 5 offices and 82 specialty practice areas in its 2024 edition, including 12 Lawyers of the Year and 80 Ones to Watch. In this year’s guide, Jackson Walker saw the largest number of attorneys in the areas of Commercial Litigation (66 attorneys) and Real Estate Law (60 attorneys) and the addition of 35 attorneys as Best Lawyers.
July 17, 2023
Attorney News
‘Austin Monthly’ Lists 12 Jackson Walker Attorneys Among “Austin’s Top Attorneys” of 2023
Jackson Walker congratulates the 12 attorneys recognized among Austin Monthly’s list of “Austin’s Top Attorneys” for 2023. For recognition in the list, Austin attorneys must be nominated by their peers on the basis that they offer experienced counsel in one of 39 categories.
November 17, 2022
Newsletters
JW Diversity & Inclusion Newsletter – November 2022
View Jackson Walker’s November 2022 Diversity & Inclusion Newsletter, Perspectives.
October 25, 2022
Attorney News
‘Austin Monthly’ Lists 14 Jackson Walker Attorneys Among “Austin’s Top Attorneys” of 2022
Jackson Walker congratulates the 14 attorneys recognized among Austin Monthly’s list of “Austin’s Top Attorneys” for 2022. For recognition in the list, Austin attorneys must be nominated by their peers on the basis that they offer experienced counsel in one of 38 categories.
August 18, 2022
Attorney News
‘The Best Lawyers in America’ Honors 214 Jackson Walker Attorneys in 2023 Edition, Including 11 “Lawyers of the Year” and 41 “Ones to Watch”
The Best Lawyers in America has recognized 214 Jackson Walker attorneys across 6 offices and 79 specialty practice areas in its 2023 edition, including 11 Lawyers of the Year and 41 Ones to Watch. Best Lawyers listings are based on an exhaustive peer review survey of thousands of attorneys who vote on the legal abilities of others in their practice areas.
April 21, 2022
Newsletters
JW Diversity & Inclusion Newsletter – April 2022
View Jackson Walker’s April 2022 Diversity & Inclusion Newsletter, Perspectives.
November 16, 2021
Attorney News
Texas Bar Foundation Elects Michelle Rosenblatt and Josué Galván to Fellowship
Fellows are chosen for their outstanding professional achievements and demonstrated commitment to improving the Texas justice system. Each year, one-third of 1% of State Bar members are invited to become fellows.
October 5, 2021
Newsletters
JW Diversity & Inclusion Newsletter – October 2021
View Jackson Walker’s October 2021 Diversity & Inclusion Newsletter, Perspectives.
Practice Experience
Michelle’s practice includes:
- Estate, gift, and income tax planning
- Charitable planning
- Inbound and outbound international estate planning
- Preparing Wills and documents to address incapacity (including powers of attorney)
- Preparing revocable and irrevocable trusts
- Preparing premarital, marital, and cohabitation agreements
- Business structuring and succession planning
- Preparing estate and gift tax returns
- Estate and trust administration
Recognition & Accolades
- The Best Lawyers in America (Woodward/White Inc.), Trusts and Estates, 2021-2025
- Fellow, Texas Bar Foundation, 2021-present
- “Austin’s Top Attorneys” List – Wills, Estates, and Probate, Austin Monthly, 2021-present
- Rated AV Preeminent, Martindale-Hubbell, 2014-present
- Texas Rising Star, Super Lawyers – Rising Stars by Thomson Reuters, 2016
Publications & Speeches
- Speaker and Author, “U.S.-Mexico Cross-Border Planning: Planning Techniques from a U.S. and Mexican Perspective,” Texas Bar CLE 2021 Annual Advanced Estate Planning & Probate Course, Virtual Conference, Jun. 9-11, 2021
- Speaker and Author, “Providing Flexibility In Trust Agreements: Using Trust Protectors, Trust Advisors, Trust Consultants, and Trust Committees,” Texas Bar CLE 25th Annual Estate Planning & Probate Drafting Course, Houston, TX, Oct. 8-9, 2020
- Author, “Drafting & Enforcing Arbitration Clauses in Wills, Trusts & Settlement Agreements,” Texas Tech Estate Planning & Community Property Law Journal, Vol XII, Book I, Fall 2019
- Author, “Drafting & Enforcing Arbitration Clauses in Wills, Trusts & Settlement Agreements,” Journal of National College of Probate Judges (NCPJ), Fall 2019
- Speaker and Author, “Drafting & Enforcing Arbitration Clauses in Wills, Trusts & Settlement Agreements,” West LegalEdCenter, Webinar, Dec. 16, 2019
- Author, “Drafting & Enforcing Arbitration Clauses in Wills, Trusts & Settlement Agreements,” Texas Bar CLE 43rd Annual Advanced Estate Planning & Probate Course, San Antonio, TX, Jun. 2019
- Speaker and Author, “Drafting & Enforcing Arbitration Clauses in Wills, Trusts & Settlement Agreements,” Texas Bar CLE 43rd Annual Advanced Estate Planning & Probate Course, San Antonio, TX, Jun. 2019
- Speaker, “Navigating the World of Contested Probate Proceedings and Fiduciary Litigation: A Guide for Litigators on the Ins and Outs of Probate Court and Fiduciary Litigation,” Austin Bar, Civil Litigation Section CLE, May 21, 2018
- Speaker, “To Be or Not to Be a Grantor Trust,” Austin Tax Study Group, Austin, TX, Mar. 20, 2018
- Speaker, “Fathers, Mothers, Sisters, Brothers and Others: Shower the People You Love with ‘Tangential’ Planning,” ACTEC 2017 Rocky Mountain Regional Meeting, Austin, TX, Sept. 9, 2017
- Speaker, “Asset Protection: Strategies and Recent Developments,” Maxwell Locke & Ritter LLP CPE Program, Austin, TX, Aug. 16, 2017
- Speaker, “Estate Planning Update,” Section of Taxation, 2017 State Bar of Texas Annual Meeting, Dallas, TX, Jun. 22, 2017
- Author and Speaker, “Asset Protection: Strategies and Recent Developments,” Texas Bar CLE 41st Advanced Estate Planning & Probate Course, Houston, TX, Jun. 7-9, 2017
- Co-Author, “A Rose by Any Other Name: Utilizing and Drafting Powers for Trustees, Trust Advisors, and Trust Protectors,” Estate Planning Community Property Law Journal, Spring 2016, Vol. 8, No. 1
- Speaker, “Maximizing Personal Wealth When Planning for a Liquidity Event: Planning Concepts to Maximize Wealth Through Tax Savings,” Maxwell Locke & Ritter LLP CPE Program, Austin, TX, Sept. 16, 2015
- Speaker, “Avoiding Unintended Estate Planning,” Section of Taxation, 2015 State Bar of Texas Annual Meeting, San Antonio, TX, Jun. 19, 2015
- Author, “2014 Form BE-10 Filing Requirements: Deadline for 2014 New Filers Extended to June 30, 2015,” ABA Asset Protection Planning Committee Website, May 2015
- Co-Author, “A Rose by Any Other Name: Utilizing and Drafting Powers for Trustees, Trust Advisors, and Trust Protectors,” The Texas Tax Lawyer, Spring 2015, Vol. 42, No. 2, Part 3
- Co-Author and Co-Speaker, “A Rose by Any Other Name: Utilizing and Drafting Powers for Trustees, Trust Advisors, and Trust Protectors,” Texas Bar CLE 25th Annual Estate Planning & Probate Drafting Course, Houston, TX, Oct. 9, 2014
- Author, “Practical and Tax Considerations of Drafting ILITs,” The Texas Tax Lawyer, Winter 2014, Vol. 41, No. 2
- Author and Speaker, “Practical and Tax Considerations of Drafting ILITs,” Texas Bar CLE 24th Annual Estate Planning & Probate Drafting Course, Houston, TX, Oct. 24, 2013
- Speaker, “Common Decanting Issues,” Austin Tax Study Group, Austin, TX, Feb. 24, 2012
- Co-Author, “Federal Attempts to Close Offshore Tax ‘Loopholes’ — Necessity or Nuisance?,” IMCA’s Investments & Wealth Monitor, Jul./Aug. 2009
- Speaker, “Annual Charitable Update,” San Antonio Estate Planners Council, San Antonio, TX, Jan. 2009
- Speaker, “Common Mistakes in Lifetime and Testamentary Charitable Giving,” Corpus Christi Estate Planning Council, Corpus Christi, TX, Jan. 2009
- Speaker, “Charitable Gift Annuities Best Practices Panel,” Speaker, “Current and Deferred Charitable Gift Annuities,” Practical Planned Giving Conference, Orlando, FL, Sept. 2006
- Speaker, “Circular 230,” Speaker, “Changes in IRS CRT Documents,” Speaker, “Spousal Waivers and CRTs,” Leave a Legacy Conference, Fresno, CA, Mar. 2006
- Speaker, “Flexible Deferred Gift Annuities,” Crescendo Interactive Webcast, Mar. 2006
- Author, “Hidden in the Shadows: The Perilous Use of ADR by the Catholic Church,” Pepperdine Dispute Resolution Journal, Apr. 2005
Community Involvement
- Board Member and Treasurer, KMFA 89.5
- Member, American Bar Association
- Member and Former Treasurer, Austin Tax Study Group
- Member, California Bar Association
- Member, College of the State Bar of Texas
- Member, Estate Planning Council of Central Texas
- Member, International Bar Association
- Member, Section of Real Property, Probate and Trust Law, State Bar of Texas
- Member, Section of Taxation, State Bar of Texas
- Former Board Member, Austin Bar Association, Estate Planning & Probate Section
- Former Board Member, Austin Public Library Commission
- Former Member, Estate and Gift Tax Committee, Section of Taxation, State Bar of Texas
- Former Member, Society of Trust and Estate Practitioners (STEP)
- Former Member, Planning Committee, 41st Advanced Estate Planning & Probate Course, Texas Bar CLE
- Former Member, Planning Committee, 39th Advanced Estate Planning & Probate Course, Texas Bar CLE
- Former Member, Planning Committee, 24th Annual Estate Planning & Probate Drafting Course, Texas Bar CLE
- Former Member, Planning Committee, Section of Taxation CLE, 2017 Texas State Bar Annual Meeting
- Former Member, Planning Committee, Section of Taxation CLE, 2016 Texas State Bar Annual Meeting
- Former Member, Planning Committee, Section of Taxation CLE, 2015 Texas State Bar Annual Meeting
- Former Member, Planning Committee, Section of Taxation CLE, 2014 Texas State Bar Annual Meeting
- Former Member, Planning Committee, Intermediate Estate Planning & Probate Intermediate Course, Texas Bar CLE
- Former Member, Trust Decanting Subcommittee, Section of Real Estate, Probate and Trust Law, Texas Bar Association
- Former Member, Inaugural Leadership Academy, Section of Taxation, Texas Bar Association
- Former Secretary, Blue Car Committee, Beverly Hills Bar Association