Suzanne Shier is Of Counsel in the firm’s Trusts & Estates Group. She is experienced in advising high net worth individuals and families in wealth, tax, business, and philanthropic planning. Her focus is on positioning clients to use their assets to achieve the desired impact, and she advises her clients to use their resources to fulfill the aspirations they have for their families, businesses, and communities. Suzanne’s clients include executives, entrepreneurs, professionals, family wealth owners, corporate fiduciaries, and charities with both domestic and international residence and assets. She has decades of experience both in private practice and with a leading global wealth management firm.

Suzanne is a frequent speaker and is regularly quoted in the media, including the Wall Street Journal, the New York Times, Penta, and Barron’s. She is the recipient of the Chicago Estate Planning Council Austin Fleming Distinguished Service Award, a fellow of the American College of Trust and Estate Counsel where she is the chair of the International Estate Planning Committee and Co-chair of the International Membership Committee, and an Academician of The International Academy of Estate and Trust Law. Suzanne is an adjunct professor in the Northwestern Pritzker School of Law LLM in Taxation Program, where she teaches estate and gift taxation and international estate planning and mentors law students to use their talents to serve clients and the community.

Suzanne is active in the civic community, serving on philanthropic boards, concentrating on access to educational excellence at all levels. Sher serves on the Board and Executive Committee of Kids Hope USA and Chicago Scholars Foundation and formerly served on the Board and Executive Committee of Hope College.

Suzanne’s greatest joy is her family – her husband, daughters, sons-in-law, and golden retriever. She enjoys spending time outdoors, including hiking, swimming, skiing, and snowshoeing.

EDUCATION
DePaul University School of Law, LLM Taxation
Loyola University School of Law, J.D., cum laude
University of Michigan, B.A., Economics and Sociology, with distinction

BAR ADMISSIONS
Illinois

MEMBERSHIPS
American College of Trust and Estate Counsel
Certified Financial Planner
Center for Conflict Resolution Mediation Training
The International Academy of Estate and Trust Law

AWARDS
Illinois Super Lawyer 2009-2023
The Best Lawyers in America, 2024
Chicago Estate Planning Council Austin Fleming Distinguished Service Award

Q&A
What is the most interesting part of your job?
My clients, their families, and their businesses. Incredible individuals making their impact for those who
follow.

What’s your favorite quote?
“The closer an organization comes to being defined as a movement, the closer it will come to fulfilling its
potential.” – Max DePree, Executive
“Compassion stirs us to remove the pain of the world. Justice stirs us to remove its cause.” Randy Lewis,
Executive, Author, and Advocate

What is one thing your learned during COVID/the past year?
Be quiet, listen, and care. We seldom know the burdens others carry as well as we coulD.