Knowledgeable, energetic and compassionate, Jennifer Woodhouse assists clients with estate, charitable and business transition planning, probate, trust administration, and tax controversies.

A customized approach to estate planning

Jennifer advises clients with planning for federal, Oregon, and Washington estate taxes and can help with planning issues unique to farming and timber businesses and closely held businesses. Working closely with her clients, Jennifer helps identify their estate planning needs and drafts the necessary documents. Depending on each client’s individual circumstances, Jennifer can prepare wills, revocable or irrevocable trusts, joint or individual trusts, qualified domestic trusts (QDOTs), powers of attorney, and advance directives. She also helps form non-profit organizations and private foundations, and prepares and files applications for federal tax-exempt status. She helps charitably inclined clients with evaluating and implementing charitable plans, including charitable remainder trusts, charitable lead trusts, private foundations, and non-profit organizations.

Next-generation business planning

For clients seeking to transition a business to the next generation of ownership, Jennifer develops and implements succession plans for all types and sizes of businesses.  

Counsel to the counselors

Jennifer represents personal representatives through the probate process in Oregon and Washington. She assists and advises trustees with the administration of trusts of all types and sizes, handling even relatively small matters in a cost-efficient manner. Jennifer also assists trustees and beneficiaries with the modification and termination of irrevocable trusts as permitted by Oregon and Washington law.

Resolving tax controversies

Jennifer represents clients in a range of tax matters, including collection cases, innocent spouse cases, audits (including estate and gift tax audits), and state and federal tax court cases. She helps clients respond to lien and levy notices as well as evaluate and pursue collection options. Jennifer represents clients through all stages of the trust fund recovery penalty interview process.

Jennifer Woodhouse has a wide-ranging private wealth practice and regularly acts for wealthy families and business owners. One Portland attorney says Woodhouse is "a great lawyer" who is "very conscientious and very easy to work with." — Chambers USA 2020

Bar Admissions

• Oregon Supreme Court
• Washington State Courts
• United States District Court, District of Oregon
• United States Tax Court

Education

• Lewis & Clark College, Bachelor of Arts degree, Hispanic Studies (2003)
• Lewis & Clark Law School, Juris Doctor degree, cum laude (2008)

• Issues to Consider for Estate Planning and Business Transitions Before Year-End
• Estate Planning and Business Transition Issues Not to Overlook Before Year-End
• Tax Reform: Three Estate Planning Proposals to Watch
• OP-ED: Potential Tax Changes May Increase Cost of Passing Family Businesses
• Transferring the Family Business to the Next Generation May Get More Expensive
• Four Critical Steps to Estate Planning During Uncertain Times
• The SECURE Act: How It Will Affect Your Retirement Accounts and Your Estate Plan
• The SECURE Act: How It Will Affect Your Clients
• Schwabe CPA Shoptalk: 8 Takeaways
• Tax Reform: What Does the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act Mean for the Real Estate and Construction Industry?
• Tax Reform: What Does the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act Mean for the Transportation, Ports and Maritime Industry?
• Tax Reform: What Does the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act Mean for the Healthcare Industry?
• Tax Reform: What Does the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act Mean for the Manufacturing, Distribution and Retail Industry?
• Tax Reform: What Does the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act Mean for the Agriculture Industry?
• Tax Reform: What Does the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act Mean for the Technology Industry?
• Tax Reform: Summary of Tax Cuts and Jobs Act
• Corporate Buy-Sell Agreements, Advising Oregon Businesses (2017 ed.)
• Technology Companies: Oregon's Unique Legal Landscape
• OP-ED: Tax reform may affect companies’ transition plans
• In the Field: Recent Report Highlights Importance of Estate Planning for Farmers and Ranchers
• Charitable Lead Trusts: Still a Promising Plan
• Planning for Digital Assets
• OP-ED: Discount Landscape May Change Soon
• OP-ED: Time May Be Right to Dust Off that Estate Plan

Seminar

• Tax and Estate Planning Roundtable