As estate planners like Kathy Lambert know, most people don’t relish thinking about their own death or incapacity. But raise the question of charitable giving, she says, and all of a sudden “their faces brighten up and ideas start to flow.”
“That’s a pretty darn good feeling,” said Lambert, a founding member of the Herbert J. Mueller Society and winner of the 2013 Herbert J. Mueller Outstanding Professional Adviser Award. The award recognizes members who have gone above and beyond to help the Foundation and their own donors give back to the community.
Lambert credits the Foundation, with which she became acquainted 15 years ago, as helping her feel comfortable with incorporating the topic of philanthropy into conversations with clients. First through Whyte Hirschboeck Dudek and now through her own private practice, Lambert Law, Lambert has made dozens of referrals to the Foundation over the years, many of which have resulted in lifetime and deferred gifts. She also regularly speaks about the importance of planned giving to other attorneys and nonprofits through such associations as the Milwaukee Estate Planning Council and Partnership for Philanthropic Planning.