About Jennifer Sheppard
Jennifer Sheppard Jacobs was born and raised in Nashville, Tennessee. She graduated from Hillwood High School and attended The University of Tennessee, Knoxville where she earned a B.A. in Political Science and Child & Family Studies. She was a member of both Phi Eta Sigma and Gamma Beta Phi Honor Societies. Jennifer continued her education at Nashville School of Law, where she earned her J.D.
Jennifer maintained a solo practice in Nashville for eight years before joining her current firm, MHPS, in 2013. Her early practice included criminal defense, family law and various other matters of civil litigation. Over the last several years, her focus has shifted to cases involving children and disabled adults. Today, Jennifer handles probate litigation, conservatorships, guardianships, the administration of estates, adoptions, and appellate work. She also accepts appointments from the Davidson County Probate Court to serve as Conservator, Personal Representative for Estates, and Guardian ad litem.
Jennifer is a founding partner of MHPS. She is a member of the Tennessee Bar Association and the Nashville Bar Association, and she serves as a hearing panel member for the Tennessee Board of Professional Responsibility. Jennifer sits on the Board for the Conservatorship Association of Tennessee (CAT), and she chairs CAT’s Legislative Committee. She’s also involved with Cable: Moving Women Forward and the Nashville Area Chamber of Commerce. She serves on Davidson County’s Office of Conservatorship Management’s Policies and Procedures Committee, the Probate Committee for the Nashville Bar Association, and she is an active volunteer for both the Legal Aid Society and Youth Court.
Jennifer is a frequent lecturer for the Nashville Bar Association, the Tennessee Bar Association, and the Nashville Business Institute on topics related to probate administration, probate litigation, client relations, and professional ethics.
On a personal note, Jennifer is married to another Nashville native, Ben Jacobs. They live in West Nashville with their daughter, dog and cat. When she’s not working, Jennifer enjoys travelling, attending music festivals, and spending time with loved ones.
Education
J.D., Nashville School of Law, 2005
Nashville, Tennessee
B.A., University of Tennessee, 2000
Knoxville, Tennessee
- Honors: Phi Eta Sigma Honor Society
- Honors: Gamma Beta Phi Honor Society
- Major: Political Science/Child and Family Studies
Jurisdictions Admitted to Practice
Tennessee, 2005
Professional & Bar Association Memberships
Tennessee Bar Association
Member Since: 2005
Nashville Bar Association
Member Since: 2005
Publications
Testimonials
“I highly recommend this firm, and particularly, Ms. Jennifer Sheppard and Ms. Katie Aeschliman. I send them both my sincere thanks for the wonderful job they did, along with all their efforts, in settling a complicated estate for me and my grandchildren. They made an unbearable process bearable and the professionalism and kindness shown to me was so appreciated. Never have I had my every legal question or concern so promptly and correctly addressed. I can’t say enough good things about them! Even though I don’t live in Nashville area, I shall call upon them in the future if the need arises. I send best wishes for their continued success.” – Debra V.
“Jennifer and Katie were beyond great in assisting me with my mothers estate after she passed. Their patience, empathy and extensive knowledge of what I needed to handle this, exceeded my expectations. And I’m forever grateful for them (and Shanae).” – Jayda M.
“Absolutely, I recommend this law firm! I worked with Jennifer Sheppard and she worked tirelessly to help me in making sure I was awarded conservatorship over my mom’s well being and her finances! Even after my mother’s death, I was awarded executor over Mom’s estate due to an emergency order! She never gave up and I am forever grateful I found her!” – Becky M.
”Jennifer Sheppard is an outstanding attorney who has that unique skill of being a kind & passionate advocate for her clients, while also being a fearless and persistent warrior against those who are out to hurt those same clients. She has always negotiated the most favorable outcome for me in all the tough situations in which I have unfortunately had to face and needed to ask her for help. She has saved my life, and I will forever be grateful for having such a wise and professional advocate! She is my Angel!” – Barbara R.
“From our initial phone conference with you, we felt comfortable and your advice coupled with your subsequent swift actions truly helped restore peace to our family. You’re seeming to operate with the ‘Gold Standard of Best Practices’ contributed to our family achieving what feels like a ‘golden repair.’ In summary, what touched us deeply was your generous giving of your time to truly ‘listen’ to our story with compassion. The critical guidance you provided helped us maneuver safely and effectively through a figurative minefield! Your combination of Courage and Caring shined through and contributed to our feeling we’d absolutely made the right decision in Consulting with you!” – Sheila S.
“I’d be remiss if I didn’t drop this message to express my appreciation to Jennifer and Katie. Realizing you both maintain an extremely busy schedule, your diligent & swift action in assisting our family was especially appreciated. You truly made a positive difference & your efforts touched this family deeply! I will recommend Jennifer to anyone looking for an attorney. She is the real deal. Many firms ‘talk the talk’ regarding compassionate concern & effectiveness, but what truly sets the great firms apart from others are those who also walk the walk. Jennifer demonstrated the latter, as she figuratively ‘took our hand & walked with our family’ to help us reach a successful goal.” – Juliette
“Most recently, we hired Jennifer Sheppard to help us gain legal custody of a child. She has worked on numerous cases for our family. She was easy to contact via email and telephone and returned all communication promptly. She and her staff informed us of each phase of the process and showed up to court on our behalf. Jennifer was easy to work with and had the right combination of empathy and toughness to handle our case. She will always be my first choice when I need legal counsel.” – J. Pina
“Just a review about Mrs. Jennifer Sheppard …I hired her firm and would definitely hire again. She is co-atty of the year. I would hire this Atty again absolutely. Want results, get this atty. Hands down my pick.” – Former Client
“I hired Jennifer to handle the probate of my late mother’s estate. Jennifer stayed in contact with me throughout the probate process (several months), updating me on the next steps. There was an issue with a difficult sibling and Jennifer handled that situation professionally and with the utmost courtesy. I would highly recommend Jennifer Sheppard to anyone seeking legal assistance on probate and family matters. She certainly is knowledgeable on the law.” – Former Client
“I have a very complicated family law case that Ms. Sheppard is representing me in. She has been on my case for about a year now and I have to say I’m glad to have her in our corner. Im very comfortable with her and her office as they have always been honest with me, she has always been accessible to me to answer any questions I have and I don’t feel like anyone else could have brought my case this far under the circumstances. I highly recommend her and her firm!” – Lori
“In June of 2017, my sister, Erin Kathleen Harris, my junior by 14 years, died unexpectedly. She was 64, had no husband or children and no will. I realized that at 77, I was the youngest and most healthy of the three surviving siblings. I also realized that I could never take on the responsibilities of her estate without legal help. Thus began my relationship with Jennifer Sheppard, attorney with the firm of MHPS in Nashville, Tennessee. At all times in my dealings with her, Ms. Sheppard was honest, fair and even-keeled, especially when I was close to panic over the sad upkeep of my sister’s home. She made a truly messy situation settle into a doable situation. I would recommend her and her able staff to anyone seeking estate help and counsel.” – Evelyn P. Severns
“Jennifer and her staff were sincere and responsive, and respectfully guided my family through a very difficult time.” – Wendy Monday
“Thank you for being my attorney! You are such a caring person. The world needs more people like you.” – Melissa L.
“Thank you so much for all your patience and hard work throughout this emotional and scary time.” – Margo F.
“I collect quotes and I found one that expresses how I feel about you. When you hire an attorney that you know nothing about, you take a big chance. I could not have picked anyone better than you. You made me feel like you always had my best interest at heart and you really took time to listen to and understand my position… I will recommend you highly. So here is the quote I picked out just for you: ‘People will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel. – Maya Angelou’” – Diane J.
“We cannot thank you enough for your dedication to our case. We appreciate your time and all you have done.” – Stacy H.
“Thanks for all your help. You certainly made my life easier.” – Kathy M.
“Thank you. You’re appreciated more than you’ll ever know.” – B. Hankins
“Thank you dearly for standing by my side during such a trying time. I hate that [my family had] to go through so much hardship, but I am truly thankful that we have you standing on the front line in our army.” – Crystal D.
“You have been my guardian angel! God has given you a wonderful gift of being an attorney and He will bless you many times over for helping [my family]” – Jennifer R.