Dunker was barrister with access to work with the Supreme Court from 1841. Among his more than 800 court cases, the trial against Marcus Thrane and his supporters is probably best known, when Bunker defended their demands for right to vote and political rights. He served as Attorney General of Norway from 1859 to 1870. His written works include Om den norske Constitution (1845), Om Revision af Foreningsakten mellem Sverige og Norge and Reise til Tellemarken og til Arendal sommeren 1852.[1][2] He chaired the board of Christiania Theatre from 1860 to 1863, and again from 1865 to 1866.[1]
The barrister "Berent" in Bjørnstjerne Bjørnson's play En Fallit is modelled after Dunker,[4] and Bjørnson also wrote the poem "Til Regjeringsadvokat Dunker" dedicated to him.[1]