Lifetime Achievement Award

Joseph E. Tierney III, Bus Ad '64, Law '66
Wauwatosa, Wis.

When he followed them to Marquette, Joe graduated first in his class at the Law School and served as editor in chief of the law review. His distinguished career in tax law has involved 57 years with the firm now known as Meissner, Tierney, Fischer & Nichols, SC. “I’m blessed with interesting work that has a practical effect on people’s lives,” he reflects.

He has delivered more than 100 presentations on tax law topics before organizations including the American Bar Association, New York University Tax Institute, and Wisconsin Bar Association. With his son, Martin, also an attorney, Joe teaches a course at the Law School called “Taxation in the Sport Industry.” He enjoys this contact “with young lawyers-to-be,” he says.

Joe credits his wife, Kay (Jour ’67), for being the person who has influenced him most. “She has kept me grounded and enabled me to see clearly how to relate to others,” he explains. “I rely on her advice every day. We met in the offices of the Marquette University Press, so my life with her is another thing I owe to Marquette.”

Fun Facts:

Joe was a long-time volunteer for the Milwaukee Kickers soccer league, as the coach of a state champion U-14 boys team, an area director, and a member of the board of directors. He was inducted into the Kickers Hall of Fame in 2011.

Name someone (past or present) with whom you’d like to have dinner:

The authors G.K. Chesterton and Oscar Wilde.