Mark W. Starnes

Mark works with individuals who are business owners, successful entrepreneurs, or highly compensated executives to make sure their wealth is protected and their families are provided for in a way that limits tax exposure or other potential inheritance issues. He offers them estate planning advice, discusses the tax consequences of wealth transition strategies, and can also provide advice on succession planning for a family owned enterprise.

Mark also works with a wide variety of businesses with regards to contract development, developing, implementing and/or modifying the corporate structure, drafting buy-sell agreements, asset sales and acquisitions, and general business matters. Mark particularly enjoys assisting business owners in making modifications to their corporate structures to minimize tax consequences for the going concern and for the transition of a business to other family members. Through this process Mark has confronted the need to counsel his clients regarding mergers and acquisitions or divesting of the business entirely through a sale process. Mark has helped the high net-worth clients of Sullivan Mountjoy, PSC since 2003.

Mark also helps entities such as foundations and other non-profits with tax and related legal matters. In some cases this goes hand-in-hand as families form foundations for charitable giving. He helps determine how these organizations should be funded, organized and structured.

Mark enjoys working with clients in need of developing and establishing an appropriate estate plan for passing on their assets and who desire to preserve their wealth, business operations or farms for their heirs, all in a manner that makes sense for their heirs. He likes to take the time to completely understand what their goals are from a legacy and financial planning standpoint and to instill confidence that he is providing advice that will deliver the outcome they desire. He likes to work with people in the western Kentucky region who have enough wealth that planning for a transition of this wealth to one or more future generations of family members is warranted.

Mark works with a range of clients, from those with basic estate planning needs to those in need of more sophisticated, tax-based planning. The perfect client for Mark is one who needs help with developing an estate plan that includes their will, trust, advanced directives, business succession planning or retirement planning, and minimizing the tax consequences associated with their various options.

Bachelor of Arts in Finance, University of Kentucky – 2000

Juris Doctorate, University of Kentucky College of Law – 2003

KBA Probate and Trust Law Section – Vice-Chair

Green River Area Community Foundation, Inc. – President

Daviess County Estate Planning Council, Past President

Greater Owensboro Chamber of Commerce, Vice Chair Legal Counsel – 2007 to 2009

Kentucky Bar Association – Taxation and Probate and Trust Divisions

Daviess County Bar Association

Daviess County Estate Planning Council

Commonwealth of Kentucky

U.S. District Court, Western District of Kentucky

Co-Author, Chapter 7, “Irrevocable Trusts in Kentucky,” Kentucky Estate Planning Handbook, 4th Ed. (UK/CLE 2015)

Co-Author, Chapter 4, “Capital Structure of the Corporation,” Kentucky Corporation Law Practice Handbook, 2d Ed. (UK/CLE 2010)

Author, “Boise Cascade Corp. v. State of Oregon: Signaling the End of Sovereign Immunity as a Shield for Environmental Regulation,” Journal of Natural Resources & Environmental Law, 2002-2003, Volume 17, Number 1