Bunker L. Highmark

Bunker is an estate planning attorney who concentrates his practice in estate and tax planning and estate administration. He works with individuals, couples and families, including across multiple generations. Bunker has extensive experience advising clients on ways to reduce estate tax burdens, provide for future generations, contribute to charitable causes and protect family assets.

In addition to traditional estate planning, Bunker works closely with entrepreneurs and family businesses. He advises on business restructuring to limit exposure to risk, performs asset protection analysis, creates asset protection structures and helps clients with succession planning for their closely held businesses.

Bunker brings clients a practical approach to estate planning. He offers an emphasis on flexibility, with the goal of avoiding the frustrating constraints often associated with the estate plans of prior generations. Bunker stays on top of changes in the methods by which trusts and estate are administered, helping clients to proactively plan for the benefit of future generations. He also advises other professionals in the trusts and estates community, from participating in continuing legal education lectures for attorneys new to estate planning, to publishing hyper-technical guidance for gift tax preparers. 

Representative Experience

• Helps clients create specialized trust structures that meet specific charitable intentions both during life and for the future.
• Counsels multi-generational families through the establishment of structures that hold and maintain family land and other assets for future generations.
• Works with clients on international estate planning needs, such as developing plans for multiple residencies in different countries, multi-jurisdictional assets, citizenship concerns and planning for transitioning international assets.
• Works with small business owners to restructure family businesses so that overall liability exposure is reduced, leading to the smooth transition of the business to future generations.
• Serves as a trustee for clients and their beneficiaries, often working with a team of professionals to manage assets and make appropriate distributions.