Margaret M. Derus

Margaret Derus is of counsel in Reinhart’s Tax, Litigation and Tax-Exempt Organizations practices, where she draws on her considerable experience to handle complex issues. She represents mid-sized to large clients including manufacturers, utilities, telecommunications companies, airlines, commercial businesses and health care and housing providers. Her practice includes tax planning and tax litigation related to multistate income/franchise tax, sales/use tax, property tax and selected federal tax matters.

Before joining Reinhart, Margaret was second in command of the Wisconsin Department of Revenue (DOR) where she formulated and developed tax policy and legislation. She is also a Certified Public Accountant (CPA) and formerly worked at a national accounting firm. Collectively, her legal experience, DOR experience and CPA provide Margaret a unique perspective and holistic understanding of her clients’ issues, and she offers strategic solutions that consider both business and legal implications.

Margaret lends her historical knowledge of previous negotiations to young attorneys, offering helpful insight while strengthening the team and the community. She frequently speaks to business and industry audiences at local and national events on a variety of taxation issues. She was a faculty fellow at the University of Wisconsin Deloitte & Touche Center for Multistate Taxation and a guest lecturer at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee Masters of Science – Advanced State and Local Taxation Program.

In her free time, she loves traveling (especially in Europe), participating in a book club and spending time with her many nieces and nephews.