Monthly Feature: Get to Know... Jennifer M. Boll

January 31, 2019

By: Jennifer M. Boll

Jennifer Boll has been described by one colleague as “brilliant, energetic, sincere and creative.” Another endorsement comes from an attorney outside the firm, who praises Jennifer for being “wholly competent, capable and in possession of a deep understanding of the human factor.”

Widely respected across the firm for her intellect, business acumen and commitment to doing the right thing, Jennifer was selected by her peers to sit on the seven member management committee which runs the firm. She is also co-deputy chair of the firm’s business department. Jennifer’s practice includes corporate, tax, and estate and business succession planning matters and she advises her clients with respect to a wide range of corporate and tax matters, including mergers and acquisitions, real estate, financial transactions, and complex trust and estate matters. 

The path to Jennifer’s success began at Siena College, and continued in law school. Accepted by Harvard Law School, Columbia Law School and Albany Law School, Jennifer opted for Harvard. Her favorite professor there is currently the senior United States Senator from Massachusetts, Elizabeth Warren. “As a professor, Elizabeth Warren took a real interest in her students and got to know us, which was different from most of the other professors there,” recalls Jennifer. She offered me a valuable piece of advice, ‘Be yourself’ that really resonated with me.” 

Like Warren, Jennifer believes in the value of mentorship paired with a deep commitment to the advancement of women in the workplace. In addition to her practice, Jennifer has served as a lecturer for the M.S. in Taxation program at the University at Albany, SUNY for close to two decades. She teaches courses on federal, state and interstate taxation. She is also an adjunct professor at Albany Law School, where she teaches corporate tax, partnership tax, state and local tax, and business. “I help guide my students and young lawyers working with me, much as I was guided by my professors and my mentors in law practice. I tell them to be themselves and find a path that will make them happy. Women often face more significant barriers and I encourage women to first think about what it is they want and then keep working towards that.”

Jennifer initially joined Bond as a summer associate in 1997 and landed an associate position post-law school in the business department, where she stayed until 2001. She then joined a boutique corporate and tax firm, attaining partnership by her mid-twenties and later returned to Bond. “I came back to Bond because of the attorneys, support staff and the culture. Our people are our greatest asset and because of them we deliver great client service.”

Jennifer’s desire to mentor and support women attorneys extends beyond Bond. In 2012 she founded the Women’s Partner Forum, a group of nine women who are all partners at different Capital Region law firms. “Women are still underrepresented at the partnership level of law. As women partners, we recognize the challenges we each are facing. The camaraderie and support of the members of Women’s Partner Forum enables us to grow as leaders and mentors and to better run our practices and firms.”

A native of the Capital Region, Jennifer and her family live on the same street Jennifer lived on as a child. “We spend a lot of time with family—my parents, my husband’s family, our cousins. We all live within five minutes of each other.” 

Jennifer counts health, overall wellness, children and the advancement of people in her community among what is most important to her. Her community service is reflected by her board commitments to Make a Wish Foundation of Northeast NY and Junior Achievement of Northeastern New York, and her service to the Go Red committee, American Heart Association, the advisory board, Lung Cancer Alliance and as a former board member and Co-Chair, Community Cradle. 

How does Jennifer do it all? “I am really, really organized,” she explains.” As a parent and attorney with a large practice and management committee duties, I have a lot of responsibilities and many meetings. I get up early and get to work early, but it’s my organization and prioritization that are key to my accomplishments.”