Marie D. Carter

"Employee benefits law is like a 2000 piece puzzle with no edges. I enjoy putting the pieces together to help clients understand the issues and achieve their benefit plan objectives effectively and efficiently."

Marie counsels public, private, governmental, and tax-exempt entities on a range of legal issues related to tax-qualified retirement plans, health and welfare plans, annual and long-term incentive programs, and executive compensation arrangements. Leveraging more than 30 years of combined in-house and private practice experience, she routinely:

• Provides advice on the design and administration of employee benefit and equity compensation plans
• Assists with the design of deferred compensation plans governed by Internal Revenue Code Section 409A
• Assists with the employee benefit and executive compensation aspects of M&A transactions
• Provides counsel regarding ERISA fiduciary requirements applicable to retirement plan and IRA investments

Prior to joining Hirschler Fleischer, Marie served as assistant general counsel to one of the nation’s largest energy companies, where she served as corporate legal counsel for employee benefit and executive compensation matters, including related SEC proxy statement disclosures. Marie previously was a partner and chair of the employee benefits and executive compensation practice group at a national law firm.

She is the author of Daily Bread from My Kitchen to Yours, a cookbook inspired by her mother and written in tribute to the millions of individuals coping with cancer.

Named to "Legal Elite," Employee Benefits, Virginia Business, 2001 - 2010

Six Sigma (Green Belt Certified)

Professional Affiliations

American Bar Association

Virginia State Bar

Ethics and Compliance Officer Association, Former Member

Central Virginia Employee Benefits Council, Board Member, 2000-present; Chair, 2009-2010

Business and Civic Organizations

St. Stephen’s Episcopal Church, Vestry Member, Richmond, Virginia

St. Andrews School, Richmond, Virginia - Board Member, 1999-2009; Chair, 2005-2008

Marie was born in Montreal, Québec and developed a passion for cooking from her French Canadian mother and the wonderful cooks in Québec. She is the author of a cookbook, Daily Bread From My Kitchen To Yours (published by Wimmer Cookbooks, October 2014) and donates a percentage of sales profits to the Massey Cancer Center and St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital. Marie can also be seen occasionally at a local Farmers Market selling prepared foods to those who are not so passionate about cooking.   

The Charlevoix region of Quebec, which was the site of the 2018 G-7 Summit, is Marie’s “home away from home.” She and her husband Hugh and their four adult children look forward to returning there each summer for a reunion with extended family and life-long friends. In addition to spending time with her family, Marie enjoys reading (John Grisham and Louise Penny are favorites), swimming, knitting and needlepoint, and being involved with volunteer activities at her church.