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Dancy plans for other’s future … and her own

By: JESSICA STEPHEN//February 8, 2013//

Dancy plans for other’s future … and her own

By: JESSICA STEPHEN//February 8, 2013//

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Kelly Dancy (Staff photo by Kevin Harnack)

For Kelly Dancy, helping clients in Fox Point avoid a fall off the “fiscal cliff” has everything to do with what happens in Washington, D.C.

“Politics really affects a lot of decisions,” said Dancy, an associate attorney with the two-person Walny Legal Group, which offers estate and business planning, as well as asset protection.

It’s a perspective Dancy gained in Washington, where she spent a semester in the American Bar Association’s government affairs office and a summer working in her home state for then-Indiana Sen. Richard Lugar.

Recent fights over the “fiscal cliff” and the debt ceiling have driven home just how small town those beltway battles can be.

“A lot of the decisions and negotiating they are doing is over tax policy,” she said, “and that affects estate planning and business planning.”

And since any concessions that come are often short-term and quick fixes are almost always revisited, it can be tough to tell clients the best path.

“It’s a constant challenge,” Dancy admitted. “You do the best you can with what you’ve got. But when you don’t know what Congress is going to do, it’s difficult.”

Since joining the firm in October, Dancy has quickly learned that drafting for flexibility is her best bet. That way, “if something does happen, we can address it,” she said.

It’s definitely not easy, but it’s a good fit for Dancy, who majored in political science and economics as an undergraduate and said she enjoys the analytical challenge of the law.

The service opportunities inherent in her work also are important, Dancy said. It’s part of the reason she’s involved as community outreach committee chair for the Association of Women Lawyers, and volunteers for the Marquette Volunteer Legal Clinic, and the Wills for Heroes Foundation.

“For me, helping families plan for their future is very rewarding,” Dancy said. “It’s about knowing that you’ve helped someone plan for their future, and they know they will be taken care of. And, when they’re gone, their families will be taken care of.”

No matter what happens in Washington.

Wisconsin Law Journal: What is the best part of being an attorney?
Kelly Dancy: Every day is different; every case is a different challenge. I like being able to help people plan for their futures. I’d also say the relationships we’ve established with our clients is something really nice about being an estate planning attorney.

WLJ: What do you consider your biggest achievement so far?
Dancy: On a personal level, I’m not from Milwaukee. To be able to move here and make it my home has been a great experience. On a professional level, finding an area of law I enjoy and joining a firm that focuses on high quality estate planning and services has been very rewarding.

WLJ: What object in your office means the most to you?
Dancy: I’m going to have to go with a picture of my grandmother; she’s been such a great support in my life.

WLJ: Which words or phrases do you most overuse?
Dancy: I think I tend to overuse the word ‘however’ a lot, or ‘likely.’

WLJ: What was your most useful law school course?
Dancy: I would say my tax class. The law and politics overlap and the fact that public policy and business decisions revolve, at least in part, on tax consequences means that knowledge has been really helpful.

WLJ: What was your least-favorite course in law school?
Dancy: I don’t know that I had a least-favorite course. Some courses were harder than others. In the end, all the courses were beneficial. And I got something out of everything.

WLJ: If you could develop one CLE course for credit, what would it be?
Dancy: The business of law, the disconnect between the practice of law and the business of law, which are two totally different things.

WLJ: What word in the English language do you wish you had invented?
Dancy: I’m gonna go with the word I use all the time, which is ‘however’ or ‘likely.’ Since I overuse them, I might as well have invented them.

WLJ: What is your greatest extravagance?
Dancy: You know, my heated steering wheel and my heated seats in my car. It makes my life in Wisconsin a little easier. I’m very glad I have those upgrade features.

WLJ: Finish this sentence: Happiness is …
Dancy: I would say happiness is knowing that you’ve done a good job. So, for me, it’s knowing that you’ve worked hard, your work is appreciated and you have positively impacted the lives of others.

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