Mark Burnstein

I see my work as a specialized form of problem solving. Estate planning involves a variety of legal areas –trust and estate law, family law, corporate law, tax law, real property law - and requires the ability to conceptualize and plan for multiple potential futures. Generally, you are dealing with someone’s entire personal and financial life. It's the big picture and the small details.
​
I strive to get things done as efficiently as possible. I need to know what a client wants so we don't spend time going in the wrong direction. This means asking questions and carefully reviewing necessary materials. Then asking more questions. Then coming to a consensus on a plan of action that the client understands. By doing this I can solve the problem the client has come to me about.

I take a lot of ideas from negotiation and mediation. Both study the psychology of how people make decisions. Every decision is some combination of emotional and rational. Something may make logical sense but you also have to believe it. I try to be mindful of this in dealing with clients and opposing parties.
​
I try to look ahead and prevent future problems. I don’t believe it does a lot of good to come up with a solution today that just pushes problems into the future. You prevent yourself from being in a bad position tomorrow by actions today. As your attorney it's hard to prove I’m good at this because if I’m successful nothing happens. But it’s always part of the strategy
​​