Tax and Wealth Transfer Strategies

Suzanne L. Shier is the Wealth Planning Practice Executive and Chief Tax Strategist/Tax Counsel for Wealth Management at Northern Trust and serves on the Wealth Management Operating Group. She is responsible for leading Wealth Planning Advisory Services and for providing thought leadership on wealth planning and tax issues of interest to clients, their families and their advisors, with a special emphasis on wealth planning and tax policy, legislation, strategies, trends and developments.

Throughout Suzanne’s more than 30 year career she has worked closely with her clients developing wealth planning solutions tailored to their particular circumstances. Prior to joining Northern Trust, Suzanne spent 26 years as a partner at Chapman and Cutler LLP in Chicago, ultimately leading the firm’s Trusts and Estates practice, representing individuals, charitable organizations, and corporate fiduciaries in a full range of wealth planning and fiduciary matters, including philanthropy, domestic and international wealth planning, and fiduciary administration.

Suzanne is a Fellow of the American College of Estate and Trust Counsel, an Academician of The International Academy of Estate and Trust Law and an adjunct professor in the Tax Program at Northwestern University Pritzker School of Law. A frequent speaker and author, she has been quoted in publications such as the Wall Street Journal and Bloomberg and has received numerous professional honors and recognitions, including selection for inclusion in Best Lawyers in America in Trusts and Estates.

Suzanne earned her bachelor’s degree with distinction in economics and sociology from the University of Michigan in 1982. She received her law degree, cum laude, from the Loyola University Chicago School of Law in 1985 and a master of laws in taxation (LLM) from the DePaul University College of Law in 1997.

In the civic community, Suzanne is passionate about providing access to higher education and career mentoring. She has served on the Boards of Directors and Executive Committees of Gads Hill Center, the Chicago Coalition of Women’s Initiatives in Law, Chicago Scholars, a college access program for high potential urban students, and a Trustee and member of the Executive Committee of Hope College.

Suzanne is a member of the Chicago Bar Association, Chicago Estate Planning Council, American Bar Association, International Bar Association and the International Society of Trust and Estate Practitioners.