Jill Kaess

ATTORNEY
Estate Planning & Trust Attorney

Jill Kaess is a highly respected estate planning and trust attorney, providing clients with strategic guidance in drafting and executing comprehensive estate plans. With a strong focus on estate tax, gift tax, and charitable gift planning, she helps individuals, families, and fiduciaries navigate the complexities of wealth preservation and transfer.

As a Certified Public Accountant (CPA) and a Board-Certified Specialist in Estate Planning and Fiduciary Law by the North Carolina State Bar, Jill brings exceptional financial and legal expertise to her clients. She is also a Fellow of the American College of Trust and Estate Counsel (ACTEC), a distinction earned by leading estate planning professionals nationwide.

Beyond her practice, Jill has been actively involved in numerous community organizations and currently serves on the Board of Amazima Ministries.

  • J.D., Wake Forest University School of Law (Magna Cum Laude, 2002)

   – Order of the Coif

  • B.S. in Accountancy, University of North Carolina at Wilmington (Summa Cum Laude, 1999)
  • Certified Public Accountant
  • Board Certified Specialist, Estate Planning and Fiduciary Law
  • Recognized by Chambers High Net Worth (HNW) North Carolina (2020-2025)
  • “Leader in the Field” in North Carolina for Private Wealth Law (2018)
  • American College of Trust and Estate Counsel (ACTEC)
  • Fellow
  • Wilmington’s Best Lawyers
  • Trusts and Estates Law Lawyer of the Year (2016, 2018, 2021)
  • The Best Lawyers in America® (Woodward/White, Inc.)
    Trusts and Estates (2015-2023)
  • North Carolina Super Lawyers

         – Rising Stars Edition (2009-2017)

         – Estate and Probate (2018-2022)

  • Business North Carolina’s Legal Elite

         – Tax and Estate Planning (2011, 2014, 2015, 2018-2022)

  • Rated AV Preeminent™ by Martindale-Hubbell®
  • North Carolina
  • North Carolina State and Federal Courts
  • North Carolina Bar Association
  • Board of Governors, Past Member
  • Estate Planning and Fiduciary Law Section, Past Council Member
  • Estate Administration Manual Committee, Past Chair
  • Technology Committee, Past Chair
  • North Carolina State Bar, Estate Planning and Probate Law Specialization Committee, Past Member and Past Chair
  • New Hanover County Estate Planning Council, Past President