H. Hurst Coffman Named Inaugural Winner of Distinguished Partner in Philanthropy Award

Long-time estate planning attorney Hurst Coffman will be presented the Distinguished Partner in Philanthropy Award by the Topeka Community Foundation at 8:45 a.m. on Thursday, Sept. 15th at the Topeka Country Club.

Hurst grew up in Ottawa, Kansas. He graduated from Ottawa public schools and received a B.A. degree in English Literature in 1969 from Ottawa University. Following college, he taught English as a foreign language at a school in Japan for one year.  Returning to the U.S. for law school in 1970 at the Washington College of Law at the American University in Washington, D.C., he received his J.D. degree in 1974.

Hurst returned to Kansas where he became affiliated with the firm of Schroeder, Heeney, Groff and Hiebert in July, 1976, as a tax and estate planning attorney.  Through the years, the firm evolved into Coffman, DeFries and Nothern, and in 2021, Hurst joined Morris, Laing, Evans, Brock & Kennedy, Chartered.  Hurst practices in the areas of Trust and Estate Planning, Trust Administration, Elder Law, and Estate and Gift Tax Planning.  He still represents some of the clients and their families that he worked with from the beginning of his practice.

The presentation of the award will kick off a morning of learning for attorneys, accountants and professional advisors with special guest speaker Pamela Jones Davidson, J.D. She will address charitable planning techniques that may further a clients’ estate, tax, retirement and financial planning goals via lifetime and/or testamentary gifts.