Bonnie L. Ball Wahrer

Bonnie Ball Wahrer represents individuals, families, fiduciaries, and institutional clients in all aspects of trust and estate planning, administration, controversy, and probate litigation.

Bonnie enjoys working with families to help implement their goals to reduce gift and estate taxes, generation-skipping transfer taxes, and to put in place a comprehensive estate plan that addresses their families’ needs for transferring wealth to future generations.

She is also skilled in preparing and negotiating premarital agreements. Bonnie’s strong technical understanding of gift and estate tax and her attention to detail give her the edge in providing high quality services to her clients.

In addition to her trusts and estates practice, Bonnie works with charitable organizations to incorporate and gain 501(c)(3) tax exempt-status. She regularly counsels public charities with respect to governance and compliance matters.

Prior to joining Pierce Atwood, Bonnie gained valuable insight into state appellate litigation as law clerk to the Honorable Chief Justice Leigh I. Saufley of the Maine Supreme Judicial Court, and federal pretrial management and trial litigation experience as law clerk to the Honorable John H. Rich III of the United States District Court for the District of Maine.

While in law school, Bonnie served as editor-in-chief of the Maine Law Review, and pioneered the path for dual enrollment in the University of Maine School of Law, Juris Doctor, and University of Southern Maine, Muskie School of Public Service, Master of Public Health (MPH) programs after being accepted into both in 2015.

Bonnie, a Buffalo, New York, native, lives in southern Maine, with her husband, Bill, their standard poodle, Belize, cats, Theodore and Alvin, and horse, Simon. Bonnie is also an avid equestrian. She started riding as a young child, continued riding competitively at the intercollegiate level, and currently competes as an adult amateur in New England.

Honors & Distinctions
  • Katahdin Counsel, attorney recipient, given to attorneys who have contributed 50 hours or more of pro bono legal services in a year (2022)
  • Recipient of Pierce Atwood's Lancaster Pro Bono Attorney of the Year, given to the attorney who has contributed the highest number of pro bono hours in a year (2022)
  • Recognized as a "Rising Star" in Estate Planning and Probate by Super Lawyers (2022-present)
  • Katahdin Counsel student honoree (2017)
  • University of Maine School of Law Award for Overall Achievement, ALI CLE Scholarship and Leadership Award, given to the student in the graduating class who best represents a combination of scholarship and leadership
  • University of Maine School of Law Award for Outstanding Scholastic Achievement in Health Law, given to the student achieving outstanding academic performance the selected area of the Maine Law curriculum
Professional Activities
  • Maine Estate Planning Council
  • Maine State Bar Association
  • Bar Preparation Taskforce, mentor, University of Maine School of Law (Summer 2020, Summer 2021, Summer 2022, Summer 2023)
  • Cumberland Legal Aid Clinic, student attorney (2017-2018)
  • Maine State Bar Association New Lawyer’s Section and University of Maine School of Law’s SBA formal liaison (2016-2018)
  • Maine Association for Public Interest Law (MAPIL), co-chair (2016-2018); MAPIL Fellowship recipient (2017); and MAPIL Fellowship Selection Committee member (2018)
  • Volunteer Legal Project, volunteer student legal aid (2016-2017)
  • Maine Law Policy Group, co-chair (2016-2017)
Civic Activities
  • Maine State Society for the Protection of Animals, volunteer (2016 – 2017)
  • State of Maine Dressage Association, board member, communication's team member, and membership coordinator