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Griffin Bridgers - Member at Illumine Legal LLC

Griffin Bridgers

Member

Griffin Bridgers is a Member of Illumine Legal LLC, contributing his extensive experience in estate planning, business succession, and taxation. With over 16 years of experience as both a practicing attorney and outsourced consultant, Griffin advises on complex wealth transfer issues in a strategic capacity while also dedicating significant time to professional education and content creation for the broader estate planning community. Griffin’s practice encompasses not just the drafting and maintenance of general estate planning structures, but also complex transfers of liquid and illiquid assets through structures such as defective grantor trusts, spousal lifetime access trusts, decanting, sales, qualified small business stock (QSBS), non-grantor trusts, and split-interest trusts. Griffin also acts in a co-counsel or outsourced capacity to review proposed or existing trusts and wealth transfer plans, as well as transfer tax returns such as Forms 706, 709, 706-GS(D), and 706-GS(T).

Through his writing, speaking, and visual content, Griffin focuses on demystifying wealth transfer strategies for professionals and beneficiaries alike. He publishes a widely-read Substack newsletter (State of Estates) exploring current and emerging topics in estate and tax planning, and an educational YouTube channel offering practical, visual guidance on foundational and advanced wealth transfer concepts. Those interested in engaging Griffin as a speaker for conferences, bar associations, estate planning councils, or private educational programs are encouraged to reach out with details of the proposed engagement.

A native Tennessean, Griffin and his family enjoy sneaking in visits to the mountains of Colorado between his children’s sports and other activities.

Education

• LL.M. in Taxation, 2009, New York University School of Law
• J.D., 2008, Cumberland School of Law, Samford University
• B.B.A. in Real Estate, 2003, University of Memphis

Experience

Publications

• Crummey Rights: A Fresh Look, WealthCounsel Quarterly, Volume 19, Number 2 (April 2025)
• Tax & Estate Planning for Colorado Nonresident Real Estate Owners, Co-Author with Brent W. Nelson, 53 THE COLO. LAWYER 34 (April 2024)
• Are Financial Advisors Turning Away from Referrals? Rethinking the Interaction of Estate Planning and Wealth Management Practices, TRUSTS & ESTATES (April 2021)
• Powers of Appointment Primer, Part 2: Taxation of Powers of Appointment, Co-Author, 47 THE COLO. LAWYER 56 (August/September 2018)
• Basis Step-Up Planning: A Double-Edged Sword, 32 PROBATE AND PROPERTY 24 (July/August 2018)
• Powers of Appointment Primer, Part 1: The Colorado Uniform Powers of Appointment Act, Co-Author, 47 THE COLO. LAWYER 54 (June 2018)
• Health and Education in Trust Administration: A More Active Role for Trustees, Co-author with Christopher Harrison, TRUSTS & ESTATES (February 2018)
• Proposed Valuation Regulations May Affect Real Estate Entities, COLO. REAL ESTATE JOURNAL (January 2017)
• Multi-State Issues When Appointing Guardians for Minors, 43 THE COLO. LAWYER 11 (November 2014)

Bar Admissions

• Colorado
• Tennessee

Presentations

• Don’t Let The Sun Go Down (on Certain Tax Provisions): An Overview of 2025 Tax Reform, FPA of Michigan Annual Symposium, October 9, 2025
• Breaking Down OBBBA, Western Michigan Estate Planning Council, October 8, 2025
• Evaluating Trust Documents for Tax Consequences, Post-OBBBA, The Tax & Estate Planning Forum, October 6, 2025
• Withdrawal Rights: A “Crummey” Solution?, WealthCounsel Symposium, September 11, 2025
• Use of Trusts for Asset Protection, WealthCounsel Symposium, September 9, 2025
• GST Tax: The Unfriendly Ghost of Estate Planning (Co-Panelist with Simon LeBleu), California Lawyer’s Association Estate and Gift Tax Conference, March 6, 2025
• Crummey Withdrawal Rights and Notices: Current State and Best Practices (Co-Panelist with Simon LeBleu), American Bar Association Mid-Year Tax Meeting, February 19, 2025
• CTA Compliance After Texas Top Cop Shop and Smith: What Do We Do Now?, Association of Trust Organizations, February 13, 2025
• Planning for the Three Ghosts of GST Tax – Past, Present, and Future, Colorado Bar Association Trusts & Estates CLE, October 29, 2024
• Estate Planning’s Most Powerful Tool: Powers of Appointment, The Tax & Estate Planning Forum, October 22, 2024
• Is Uncle Sam the Ultimate Creditor? Strategies and Missteps at the Intersection of Tax Planning and Asset Protection, Investments & Wealth Institute Strategy Forum, October 1, 2024
• Intro to Tax Filings: IRS Forms 706 and 709, WealthCounsel Symposium, September 23, 2024
• GST, Generally, WealthCounsel Symposium, September 23, 2024
• ChatGPT, Please Tell Me My Ethical Duties: The Use, Misuse, and Ethics of the Future of Law (Co-Panelist with the Hon. Elizabeth Weishaupl (Ret.)), Colorado Bar Association Estate Planning Retreat, June 15, 2024
• A Whole New World… of Estate Planning, FPA Colorado Chapter, April 25, 2024
• Oh, BOI! New Adventures in Reporting Beneficial Ownership Information under the Corporate Transparency Act, Colorado Women’s Estate Planning Council, March 14, 2024
• Don’t Skip Generation-Skipping Transfer Tax, Colorado Bar Association Trusts & Estates Luncheon, April 4, 2023
• Planning for Tax Efficiency, Family Business Essentials Workshop, Bailey Program for Family Enterprise at the University of Denver, March 9, 2023
• How Rising Interest Rates Affect Estate Planning Strategies and A Fresh Look at GST Tax, Redwood Empire Estate Planning Council, March 1, 2023
• The Pursuit of Mastery in this Journey We Call Practice (panel discussion with Paul Hood and John A. Warnick), Purposeful Planning Institute Symposium, February 7, 2023
• No-Contest Clauses: Recent Developments, Multi-State Conflicts, and More, Colorado Bar Association Trusts & Estates Fall Update, November 10, 2022
• Business Trends at the Intersection of Estate Planning and Wealth Management, Tennessee Bankers Association, November 1, 2022
• Estate Planning in a Rising Interest Rate Environment, Kitces.com, June 7, 2022
• Basis and Income Tax Planning Through Retained Interests, Santa Fe Estate Planning Council, April 20, 2022
• Advisor Alert: Important 2021 Developments in the Business Planning Space You Need to Know About Now (Co-Presenter with Paul Hood), Leimberg Information Services, Inc. (LISI), March 2022
• Estate Planning for Difficult Assets, FPA Colorado Chapter, October 2021
• Estate Planning ABCs: No Longer Just for JDs, FPA Idaho Chapter, February 2021
• The Estate Attorney Down the Hall, FPA Puget Sound Chapter, November 2020
• Estate Planning in a Financial Advisory Practice, FPA Utah Chapter, November 2020
• Inside, Outside, Upside Down: Balancing the Basics of Basis Adjustments, Denver Tax Institute, July 24, 2018
• Trust and Estate Tax Update, April 2018 to the Colorado Bar Association Tax Section and February 2018 to the Greater Denver Tax Council
• Employee Benefits Risks That Should Be on Your Radar (Co-Presenter), Association of Corporate Counsel – Colorado Chapter, May 2017
• FIRPTA Update, Colorado Bar Association Tax Section, February 2017

Professorship

Professional & Bar Association Memberships

Professional Memberships

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