Marcia Mueller concentrates her practice in the areas of estate planning, tax qualified retirement benefit plans governed by ERISA, non-qualified deferred compensation plans, tax-related matters and financial planning projects.
Ms. Mueller also handles aspects of corporate representation, including helping her clients structure and create appropriate operating entities and advising closely held businesses in the area of succession planning.
Ms. Mueller has completed several significant senior financial training programs and holds related professional certifications. She graduated with honors from the American Bankers Association’s
National Graduate Trust School at
Northwestern University, and has been awarded the designation of Certified Retirement Plan Specialist (CRPS). Ms. Mueller also completed the Certified Financial Planner Professional Education Program through the College for Financial Planning,
Denver, Colorado, in 1998.
Ms. Mueller is a member of the American Bar Association (Real Property, Probate and Trust Law Section, and Labor and Employment Law Section), Illinois Bar Association (Trusts and Estates Section, Federal Taxation Section, and Employee Benefits Section), the Winnebago County Bar Association (Estate Section), the Employee Benefits Association of Northern Illinois and the Northern Illinois Estate Planning Council.
She has been recognized by her peers as a Leading Lawyer in the categories of Employee Benefits Law and Trusts, Wills & Estate Planning Law. Ms. Mueller is the subject of a profile, “Tax, Estate Clients Benefit from Her Laser Focus,” in the November 2010 Women’s Edition, of
Leading Lawyers Network Magazine.
Ms. Mueller has appeared many times on
Leading Lawyers Magazine’s “Top” lists, including:
- 2011 Consumer Edition: Top 50 Women Consumer Lawyers in Illinois, and Top 50 Downstate Illinois Consumer Lawyers
- 2010 Women’s Edition: Top 10 Women Downstate Illinois Lawyers, Top 50 Women Downstate Illinois Lawyers, Top 100 Women Consumer Lawyers in Illinois
- 2009 Consumer Edition: Top 50 Women Consumer Lawyers in Illinois
- 2009 Women’s Edition: Top 10 Women Downstate Illinois Lawyers Downstate, Top 100 Women Consumer Lawyers in Illinois
- 2008: Top 50 Leading Women Consumer Lawyers in Illinois
- 2007: Top 50 Leading Women Lawyers in Illinois in all areas of law.
Ms. Mueller has been rated by Martindale-Hubbell for ethics and legal ability. In 2005, she has was named to the
Super Lawyers list in the area of Estate Planning/Trusts, by
Illinois Super Lawyers magazine.
Prior to joining Hinshaw & Culbertson LLP in November 1995, Ms. Mueller was a Vice President and Trust Officer with First of America Trust Company, and had been designated Regional Employee Benefit Specialist. While working in the trust industry Ms. Mueller had more than 16 years of trust administration experience, which encompassed administering a variety of qualified retirement plans, including ESOPs, 401(k) Plans, other Defined Contribution Plans, Defined Benefit Plans, IRAs, personal trusts, and estates.
Ms. Mueller is the author of “Retirement Plans and IRAs,” a chapter in the 2010 edition of “Postmortem Estate Planning,” published by the Illinois Institute for Continuing Legal Education.
Ms. Mueller’s presentations include:
- “2010 Tax Relief Act,” Savant Capital Management, Inc., Estate Planning Roundtable Discussion, Rockford, Illinois, March 2011.
- “Current Estate Planning Issues (Including How to Prevent the IRS or Other ‘Undesirables’ from Being your Primary Beneficiaries),” Hinshaw’s 2005 Breakfast Seminar Series, Rockford, Illinois, April 2005.
Ms. Mueller's community activities include serving as a member of the board of directors of the Northern Illinois Planned Giving Council. She also serves as a board member for the Rockford Symphony Orchestra, and serves on the steering committee for Greenwich Village Art Fair, a benefit for the Rockford Art Museum.
By mayoral appointment, she is a trustee of the Rockford Police Pension Board, and is also a member of the Rockford East Cherry Valley Rotary Club.
Ms. Mueller previously served on the Board of Directors of Klehm Arboretum & Botanic Garden in Rockford, Illinois, and in October 2010 she was honored with Klehm’s President’s Award – Certificate of Appreciation for her hours of commitment and service. She also previously served on the Board of Directors of New American Theater, a professional equity theater; P.H.A.S.E., Incorporated, a drug abuse and domestic violence treatment agency; and Wesley Willows Corporation, a not-for-profit retirement community.