Growing up, Jennifer had a lot of things she wanted to be—a news analyst, an actress, a lawyer. As she weighed options (the more realistic ones), her love of advocating for others was one factor that drove her to law school. After graduation, she practiced law for several years, but found herself getting burned out with heavy litigation schedules.

She set about to find a different spot where she could still use her skills—looking at compliance jobs because she loves rules, and looking at clerkship jobs because she enjoyed her summer working for a Federal Magistrate Judge. Unfortunately, her job hunt coincided with the financial/tech crisis when the legal job market was tight. She found herself competing with people with over fifteen years of experience and took a minute to reassess.

A friend’s father was a financial advisor and talked to Jennifer a bit about his job, because he thought her background in estate planning and family law would make her a great fit. “I don’t want to sell stuff,” was Jennifer’s first reaction. She didn’t want to be the person people avoided at cocktail parties. “You won’t have to,” was his reply. A discussion about financial planning gave Jennifer a comfort level to join his team, secure her licenses, and begin working with clients. While Jennifer very much enjoyed the work, she felt like she needed to search for new growth opportunities.

Barbara Archer, who was looking for someone to join the firm, heard about Jennifer from multiple people, gave her a call, and at the end of the interview Jennifer had an informal offer, with a formal offer turned around shortly after. She has never looked back. At Hightower Wealth Advisors she has found a spot and a team that she believes in, and she works actively to reinforce the positive culture so it stays a place no one would ever want to leave (either client or team member). She loves the opportunity to use the skills gained through her estate planning and family law practice to help clients and speed up processes that might otherwise drag.

Jennifer’s an avid golfer and an avid traveler; she was fortunate to have grandparents and parents who took her to amazing places, and the memories she holds of those trips were key to her decision to bring her son traveling with the family from a young age. Family experiences and memories with her husband, Brent, and son, Liam, are what she wants to invest in. She serves on the Board of Directors for the Fathers and Family Support Center and YouthBridge Community Foundation. She is also active in several lawyer mom social groups. She believes strongly in supporting her community, friends, and colleagues. Her commitment and involvement to her community was recognized in 2020 when she was named a St. Louis Business Journal “40 Under 40.”

Asked what she’d want people to remember about her years from now, Jennifer’s answer will surprise no one who knows her: “She was always authentic, we always felt encouraged, and she helped us build confidence.”