Bryan
Shusterman

“I think of myself as an educator. I want my clients to really understand what we talk about and all of the different options they have to achieve their goals.”

For attorney Bryan Shusterman, art history and the law follow similar approaches. “Art history provides a set of tools, language, and ways of thinking,” Bryan says. “It answers the question of how we translate complex ideas into something that can be recognizable and understood by other people who may not speak the same language and who may be separated by hundreds of years.”

 

In his estate planning and corporate practices, Bryan takes abstract ideas and looks for concrete ways to clearly communicate the goal. “I do a lot of work in business entity selection and formation, both on the estate planning side and the corporate side,” he says. He finds the right plan to structure the business, transaction, or trust to achieve his client’s desires.

 

A concept from his undergraduate art history studies guided Bryan to study law. “Provenance is the history of an object, its chain of title, when and where it was purchased or inherited, and how it’s authenticated,” Bryan says. “It was interesting to see the history of an artwork, how it moved through time and space to different people, often through estate planning.”

 

Bryan helps clients decide how they want their assets to move through time and space. He helps his clients structure new startup businesses. He aids large established companies as they acquire other businesses or raise funds through securities offerings. He helps family businesses make multigenerational decisions.

 

Bryan focuses on organizational governance structures, corporate financing, and deals. He negotiates and drafts contracts. He advises on risk management and compliance issues. He also develops tax-efficient wealth transfer plans using a variety of trusts, closely-held entities, and asset protection strategies. “I really enjoy these areas of law because they’re constructive and goal-focused,” he says. “I tackle the client’s question of how is this going to work for me now, in five years, in 10 years, and beyond?”

 

Bryan delves into the details of his clients’ lives. “Estate planning is a deeply personal practice area,” Bryan says. “A lot of people have questions, but they don’t have the best places to get detailed and thoughtful answers for some of the most personal matters in their lives. It’s a very interesting and rewarding way to meet people.”

 

By focusing on the details that make every transaction, business, and family unique, Bryan finds solutions that survive the trials of time. “I always want our clients to feel involved and empowered. It may be the first time they’re going through a particular process so I always want them to understand it fully and completely.”

 

That desire underlies all Bryan’s client interactions. “If you strip away the veneers of the practice of law, at its heart, it’s a service industry,” he says. “We earn a client’s trust by providing sophisticated solutions, prompt service, a level of knowledge, and attention to detail.”

 

Growing up on the East Coast, Bryan never expected to find his home in Iowa. Law school and his first experiences practicing law changed that. “I’ve really taken to the Midwest,” he says. “I really like Iowa. The people here are earnest and thoughtful. The level of work and challenges here are interesting and sophisticated. I’m really grateful for all of the professional opportunities and support I’ve found here.”

 

Bryan and his wife, Anna, now happily make their home in Iowa with their two cats and several fish tanks, a hobby Anna, a Minnesota native, introduced to him. “It’s so fun to see these little underwater worlds grow and develop over time,” Bryan says.

Siouxland Estate Planning Council 
Former member

 

Sioux City International Film Festival 
Former board of directors member

OVERVIEW

For attorney Bryan Shusterman, art history and the law follow similar approaches. “Art history provides a set of tools, language, and ways of thinking,” Bryan says. “It answers the question of how we translate complex ideas into something that can be recognizable and understood by other people who may not speak the same language and who may be separated by hundreds of years.”

 

In his estate planning and corporate practices, Bryan takes abstract ideas and looks for concrete ways to clearly communicate the goal. “I do a lot of work in business entity selection and formation, both on the estate planning side and the corporate side,” he says. He finds the right plan to structure the business, transaction, or trust to achieve his client’s desires.

 

A concept from his undergraduate art history studies guided Bryan to study law. “Provenance is the history of an object, its chain of title, when and where it was purchased or inherited, and how it’s authenticated,” Bryan says. “It was interesting to see the history of an artwork, how it moved through time and space to different people, often through estate planning.”

 

Bryan helps clients decide how they want their assets to move through time and space. He helps his clients structure new startup businesses. He aids large established companies as they acquire other businesses or raise funds through securities offerings. He helps family businesses make multigenerational decisions.

 

Bryan focuses on organizational governance structures, corporate financing, and deals. He negotiates and drafts contracts. He advises on risk management and compliance issues. He also develops tax-efficient wealth transfer plans using a variety of trusts, closely-held entities, and asset protection strategies. “I really enjoy these areas of law because they’re constructive and goal-focused,” he says. “I tackle the client’s question of how is this going to work for me now, in five years, in 10 years, and beyond?”

 

Bryan delves into the details of his clients’ lives. “Estate planning is a deeply personal practice area,” Bryan says. “A lot of people have questions, but they don’t have the best places to get detailed and thoughtful answers for some of the most personal matters in their lives. It’s a very interesting and rewarding way to meet people.”

 

By focusing on the details that make every transaction, business, and family unique, Bryan finds solutions that survive the trials of time. “I always want our clients to feel involved and empowered. It may be the first time they’re going through a particular process so I always want them to understand it fully and completely.”

 

That desire underlies all Bryan’s client interactions. “If you strip away the veneers of the practice of law, at its heart, it’s a service industry,” he says. “We earn a client’s trust by providing sophisticated solutions, prompt service, a level of knowledge, and attention to detail.”

 

Growing up on the East Coast, Bryan never expected to find his home in Iowa. Law school and his first experiences practicing law changed that. “I’ve really taken to the Midwest,” he says. “I really like Iowa. The people here are earnest and thoughtful. The level of work and challenges here are interesting and sophisticated. I’m really grateful for all of the professional opportunities and support I’ve found here.”

 

Bryan and his wife, Anna, now happily make their home in Iowa with their two cats and several fish tanks, a hobby Anna, a Minnesota native, introduced to him. “It’s so fun to see these little underwater worlds grow and develop over time,” Bryan says.

PROFESSIONAL & COMMUNITY AFFILIATIONS

Siouxland Estate Planning Council 
Former member

 

Sioux City International Film Festival 
Former board of directors member