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Overview
John is the Chair of Tonkon Torp's Estate Planning Practice Group, involved in all aspects of gift, estate, and generation-skipping transfer taxes. His practice includes the preparation and implementation of wills and all types of specialty trusts, including revocable living trusts, qualified terminable interest property (QTIP) trusts, life insurance trusts, generation-skipping trusts, Crummey trusts, title holding trusts, and grantor retained annuity trusts (GRAT).
Much of his practice involves minimizing taxes on the transfer of wealth, using such techniques as family limited partnerships, family limited liability companies (LLC), and installment sales.
He specializes in estate and business planning for owners of closely held businesses. This involves the analysis of life insurance proposals, and preparation of shareholder agreements, buy-sell agreements, Section 303 redemption agreements and documents for corporate, partnership, and LLC reorganizations and recapitalizations.
His practice includes advising clients on maximizing the tax benefits of charitable gifts, including the use of charitable remainder unitrusts and annuity trusts. He also represents public and private charitable organizations.
He is regularly involved in the administration of probate and non-probate estates, which involves post-death tax planning as well as the fundamentals of estate administration and the preparation of estate tax, gift tax, and fiduciary income tax returns.
Much of his practice involves minimizing taxes on the transfer of wealth, using such techniques as family limited partnerships, family limited liability companies (LLC), and installment sales.
He specializes in estate and business planning for owners of closely held businesses. This involves the analysis of life insurance proposals, and preparation of shareholder agreements, buy-sell agreements, Section 303 redemption agreements and documents for corporate, partnership, and LLC reorganizations and recapitalizations.
His practice includes advising clients on maximizing the tax benefits of charitable gifts, including the use of charitable remainder unitrusts and annuity trusts. He also represents public and private charitable organizations.
He is regularly involved in the administration of probate and non-probate estates, which involves post-death tax planning as well as the fundamentals of estate administration and the preparation of estate tax, gift tax, and fiduciary income tax returns.
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Featured Work
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Professional Memberships
American Bar Association
American College of Trust and Estate Counsel, Fellow
Estate Planning Council of Portland
Multnomah Bar Association
American College of Trust and Estate Counsel, Fellow
Estate Planning Council of Portland
Multnomah Bar Association
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Awards & Recognition
The Best Lawyers in America
1995-2020, Trusts & Estates
Super Lawyers
2006-2018, Oregon Super Lawyer – Estate Planning & Probate
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Recent News
8.20.2020
Best Lawyers in America® Includes 49 Tonkon Torp Attorneys on 2021 List
Forty-nine Tonkon Torp lawyers representing 36 practice areas have been selected for inclusion in The Best Lawyers in America® 2021. A majority of attorneys have been named to the peer-review list in past years, and most have been recognized for more…
8.15.2019
2020 List for Best Lawyers in America® Includes 48 Tonkon Torp Attorneys
Forty-eight Tonkon Torp lawyers representing 39 practice areas have been selected for inclusion in The Best Lawyers in America® 2020. A majority of attorneys have been named to the list in past years, and most have been recognized for more than five…
8.17.2018
Best Lawyers in America® Names 51 Tonkon Torp Attorneys to 2019 List
Fifty-one Tonkon Torp lawyers representing 41 practice areas have been selected for inclusion in The Best Lawyers in America® 2019. Nearly all attorneys have been named to the list in past years, and have been recognized for more than five years
7.24.2018
31 Tonkon Torp Attorneys Honored on 2018 Super Lawyers Lists
Thirty-one Tonkon Torp attorneys in 11 practice areas have been included in the 2018 Oregon Super Lawyers or Rising Stars lists. Tonkon Torp partner and bankruptcy authority Albert Kennedy has been once again recognized on the Top 50 list of Oregon…
8.16.2017
Best Lawyers in America® Names 49 Tonkon Torp Attorneys to 2018 List
Forty-nine Tonkon Torp lawyers representing 39 practice areas have been selected for inclusion in The Best Lawyers in America® 2018. Nearly all attorneys have been named to the list in past years, and have been recognized for more than five years…
7.11.2017
28 Tonkon Torp Attorneys Honored on 2017 Super Lawyers Lists
The national attorney rating service Super Lawyers has named 28 Tonkon Torp attorneys in 10 practice areas to its 2017 Super Lawyers and Rising Stars lists for Oregon. The annual Super Lawyers list represents the top 5 percent of attorneys in Oregon…
8.15.2016
Best Lawyers in America® Names 44 Tonkon Torp Attorneys to 2017 List
Forty-four Tonkon Torp lawyers representing 38 practice areas have been selected for inclusion in The Best Lawyers in America® 2017. Each attorney has been named to the list in past years, and nearly all have been recognized for more than five years…
7.11.2016
28 Tonkon Torp Attorneys Honored on 2016 Super Lawyers Lists
Twenty-eight Tonkon Torp attorneys in ten practice areas are named on the national 2016 Super Lawyers or Rising Stars lists. Super Lawyers are selected through a process that identifies outstanding lawyers in dozens of practice areas. Factors…
8.18.2015
45 Tonkon Torp Attorneys Named Best Lawyers in America® 2016
Forty-five Tonkon Torp lawyers representing 39 practice areas have been selected for inclusion in The Best Lawyers in America® 2016. All of them have been named to the list at least once before, and many of them have been recognized for a number of…
7.23.2015
2015 Super Lawyers Honors 23 Tonkon Torp Attorneys
Twenty-three Tonkon Torp attorneys in nine practice areas are named on the national 2015 Super Lawyers or Rising Stars lists. Two partners are recognized on the Oregon Top 50 list, lawyers rated most highly by their peers statewide.
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Publications & Presentations
"Support and Set Aside," and "Elective Share for Surviving Spouse," Oregon Probate System Manual
"Professional Responsibility of Lawyers in Life Insurance Planning," The National Law Journal
Recent speech topics:
- Alternatives to a Living Trust
- Distributing Estates and Trusts
- Charitable Remainder Trusts
- Second Marriages
- Dissolution and Death Taxes
- Second and Third Generation
- Wealthy Families