About Mildred
Mildred Palmer began her legal training at the University of Florida, where she earned her J.D. in 1990. Her studies concentrated on taxation and estate planning. The curriculum and clinic work she pursued there set the foundation for a career that would bridge accounting-adjacent practice and traditional estate law.
After law school she entered the private sector at Ernst & Young in 1990. Her earliest professional years were spent advising on tax matters inside a large accounting firm environment. That experience exposed her to corporate tax structures and complex compliance issues, and it informed the practical approach she later brought to private practice.
In 2008 she became a partner at Waltz, Palmer & Dawson, LLC. The move into partnership marked a shift from the big-firm accounting world to firm leadership and client-facing lawyering. As a partner she has handled planning and transactional work and overseen teams that manage probate and tax filings. Her role also includes mentoring younger attorneys and participating in firm management decisions.
Her practice centers on taxation and estate planning. She works on matters that require detailed tax analysis and careful drafting of estate documents. The cases she accepts range from straightforward will preparation to more complex estate plans that involve tax considerations. She approaches each matter by breaking down tax consequences and arranging documents to reflect client objectives and legal realities.
Professionally she maintains active memberships in several bar organizations. She is a current member of the Northwest Suburban Bar Association, the Chicago Bar Association, and the Illinois State Bar Association. Participation in those groups keeps her connected to continuing education and to peers who handle complementary areas of law.
Colleagues describe her as practical and detail-oriented in courtroom preparation and transactional work. She has combined the tax training of her early career with hands-on estate practice at the firm she helped lead. She practices from the offices of Waltz, Palmer & Dawson, LLC, where her work concentrates on taxation and estate planning.
