Find Lawyers in Cleveland, Ohio for Trusts and Estates
Practice Area Overview
How Can a Trusts and Estates Attorney Help You?
Trust and estate attorneys help clients plan for the efficient and effective transfer of assets to spouses, to younger generation family members, to other persons clients wish to benefit, and to charities. The practice involves the preparation of trust agreements, wills, powers of attorney, medical directives, and closely held business structures, including partnerships, limited liability companies, and corporations.
What are the Trusts and Estates Practices Focal Points?
Wealth Planning
When attorneys begin the planning process, they consider your objectives, your family relationships, charitable inclinations, and the relationship of federal and state estate tax, gift tax, and generation skipping transfer tax laws to these objectives. Attorneys then work with you and, in some cases, with other advisers to design the appropriate plan to meet your goals and objectives, prepare the necessary documents to carry out the desired plan, and assist with the implementation of your plan. In connection with family wealth planning, attorneys plan and draft trust agreements and wills, create various business entities, and carry out business reorganizations.
Estate Administration
Trust and estate attorneys also handle the administration of estates. Attorneys confer with members of a decedent’s family on the various issues, including:
• Assistance to the executor with the preparation of the required probate documents and assist in valuation of estate assets
• Making insurance claims
• Preparation of final income tax returns and the estate’s income and federal and state estate tax returns
• Monitoring of the investment of the estate’s assets
• Arranging for the distribution of the estate’s net assets
• Throughout the administration of an estate, consideration is given to income tax savings through the timing of distributions and the timing and claiming of appropriate deductions.
Trust Administration
In the trust administration area, attorneys advise and consult with corporate and individual trustees concerning the discharge of the trust’s terms and consult with beneficiaries concerning trust administration matters including the preparation of trust accounts.
Trust and Estate attorneys also assist clients in all phases of probate and trust litigation. This may involve construing or reforming the terms of a will or trust, prosecuting or defending a will contest action or surcharge actions against trustees.
What is a Trusts and Estates attorneys goal for its clients?
The goal of an trust and estate attorney is to assist clients to achieve their personal goals while obtaining the significant tax savings which may be available to them through proper planning. Attorneys in the practice spend a significant amount of time dealing with the federal estate, gift, and generation skipping tax issues involved in transfer planning.
Family Law Legal Guide 2024
View Legal GuideChuck Adler joined the firm in 1993 and became a Partner in 1995. He has a special interest in planning for individuals, families, and closely held businesses. Chuck counsels individuals and families on complex estate, charitable, financial, and retirement planning matters; on estate, gift, and generation-skipping taxes; and on the organization and operation of private foundations. He also works with owners of closely held and family businesses on succession planning. Before joining the firm,...
Jim Bright has been practicing law since 1976. He applies his considerable expertise to advising individuals and families on estate planning, tax planning (including income and estate, gift, and generation-skipping taxes), and charitable gift planning. He also provides counsel to trustees of private foundations on administration, initial formation, and tax qualification. Prior to the formation of SSSB, he served as President of Spieth, Bell, McCurdy & Newell Co., L.P.A. Jim is a Fellow of...
Douglas C. Carlson has extensive experience in corporate, partnership, individual and estate tax matters. The primary emphasis of his practice is on transactional planning, including acquisitions and dispositions, reorganizations and limited partnership syndications, liquidations and executive compensation, including stock options and deferred compensation. He has substantial experience in compliance activities, controversy matters, and state and local tax matters. As a business law attorney,...
M. Patricia Culler focuses her practice on wealth transfer and business succession planning, wills, trusts and estates, and tax. She has extensive experience in sophisticated estate planning, charitable gift planning, prenuptial agreements, estate settlement, trust administration and fiduciary litigation. She also works with clients on tax matters relating to trusts and estates, including income, gift, estate and generation-skipping taxes. With more than 30 years of experience, Patricia&rsquo...
As a partner in Hahn Loeser’s Business Practice Area, Dana Marie DeCapite dedicates her practice to estate planning, business succession planning, asset protection planning, prenuptial planning, and estate and trust administration. Dana collaborates with individuals, families and businesses to recommend and draft custom-tailored plans that implement each client’s personal, financial and charitable goals. Dana has extensive experience drafting and interpreting documents ranging fro...
Bill's practice includes advising clients on benefits and compensation issues and ERISA. He provides consulting, preparation of plan documentation, implementation of plans and ongoing representation to participants, trustees, fiduciaries, sponsors and third-party administrators in a wide variety of employee benefits matters.Bill counsels individuals and small business owners in the design of estate and succession plans, including retirement plan aspects. He also provides general business repr...
Christina D’Eramo Evans is a partner and Chair of the firm’s Cleveland office Estate Planning, Wealth Transfer & Preservation Section. Christina is an OSBA Board Certified Specialist in Estate Planning, Trust and Probate Law and a fellow of the American College of Trust and Estate Counsel. Her practice is focused on assisting individuals and families with the transmission of their wealth in a tax advantaged manner that at the same time accomplishes desired intent and preserves...
Paul Fidler joined the firm in 1996 and became a Partner in 2003. He works with individuals, businesses, and foundations, and his practice emphasizes estate planning and administration; trust administration; income taxation of estates, trusts, and individuals; planning for charitable gifts and foundations; and business succession planning. Paul is a frequent speaker and author on a wide range of estate planning topics. In particular, he has a strong expertise in qualified retirement plans and...
Stephen H. Gariepy chairs Hahn Loeser’s nationally respected Estate Planning and Business Succession Group. Steve focuses his practice on leading-edge estate planning techniques. His ability to design creative and comprehensive plans – and make them practical and understandable – has attracted clients nationwide from the ranks of Forbes 400, business owners, families and nonprofit organizations. Steve regularly counsels owners of privately held companies and guides business ...
An elected Fellow of the American College of Trust and Estate Counsel (ACTEC), Kyle has years of experience counseling multi-generational families, business owners, fiduciaries, entities, family offices and beneficiaries regarding: Administration of estates and trusts (including tax compliance, selection of investment counsel, discretionary distributions and fiduciary accountings) Asset protection Business succession Charitable giving (including private foundations, donor-advised funds, pledg...
Joe Gibbons joined the firm in May 2005 and became a Partner in January 2006. Prior to joining SSSB, Joe spent the majority of his career with McGinty, Gibbons, Hilow & Spellacy Co., LPA, and Carney & Broadbent, both located in downtown Cleveland, Ohio. Over the years, Joe has represented a variety of individuals, businesses, institutions, and governmental entities. His primary practice areas include estate planning, estate and trust administration and related litigation, real estate,...
Joan M. Gross is Senior Counsel to the firm’s Estate Planning, Wealth Transfer and Preservation Section, working out of the Cleveland office. For over 40 years, Joan has assisted clients in transferring their wealth, in a tax efficient manner, to the individuals and charities they wish to benefit. Joan is an OSBA Board Certified Specialist in Estate Planning, Trust and Probate Law. She is also listed in the 2005-20 editions of The Best Lawyers in America® and the 2008-20 editions of...
Ralph has over 35 years of experience counseling clients on estate planning, business succession, and transfer tax issues. He also has extensive experience in trust administrations, both as counsel to trustees and as a fiduciary. Ralph has helped administer and finalize a vast number of probate estates over the years. Ralph has achieved the highest ranking, AV Preeminent, from Martindale-Hubbell and has been named to the Ohio Super Lawyers list.
Matt's practice covers a wide range of tax-related areas, including estate planning and business succession, foreign bank account reporting (FBAR) and related issues, entity taxation, exempt organizations, and representation of clients before the Internal Revenue Service and U.S. Tax Court. Matt formerly served as an attorney-advisor to Judge Herbert L. Chabot of the U.S. Tax Court, and, in addition to Cleveland, has practiced in Honolulu, Hawaii, and Washington D.C. Matt has spoken nationall...
Frank C. Krasovec, Jr. has a practice focused on estate planning, estate administration and taxation. Frank is well-versed in the intricacies and specific benefits of the various methods of estate planning, including revocable living trusts, wills, lifetime gifting, joint ownership, beneficiary designations and life estates.
David Lenz joined the firm in 2006, became a Partner in 2013, and was elected to serve as Managing Partner in 2020. His practice focuses primarily on planning for and administering wealth transfer for individuals and families, in addition to counseling charitable organizations. David considers each client’s unique estate planning needs, creating comprehensive plans and helping families communicate their purpose and goals to the next generation. This often includes complex charitable, re...
Attorney Janet L. Lowder has devoted her career to defining, promoting, and protecting the legal rights of the elderly and of persons with mental and physical disabilities. Janet's activities have encompassed individual representation, litigation on a local and state-wide scale, representation of agencies and county programs serving people with disabilities and the elderly, legislation, and publication in professional journals. Janet is a recognized authority on Medicaid issues and estate pla...
Lisa Monihan is a Partner in the Trusts & Estates practice group, and she also serves as a practice group co- coordinator. Her practice is focused on wealth transfer planning for individuals and fiduciaries, including income, gift, estate, and generation-skipping transfer tax planning; trust and estate administration; multi-generational family issues; retirement planning; succession planning for closely-held businesses; and charitable planning. A client once told Lisa that the decision to...
Jennifer is a partner at Schneider Smeltz Spieth Bell LLP. She serves as a high net worth family counselor with knowledge and understanding of sophisticated estate planning techniques and the broader needs of high net worth families. Her strength lies in communicating complex matters in plain terms and working collaboratively as part of an advisor team to provide practical counsel to multigenerational families consistent with their risk tolerance, goals, family dynamics, and desire for comple...
Dave has over 35 years experience counseling clients on all aspects of business law. His advice includes the legal aspects of the formation, operation, disposition, merger and acquisition of closely held enterprises. Dave has significant experience in estate and gift planning, advanced retirement plan designs, and the operation of tax-qualified plans. He also represents clients in IRS tax controversies, particularly those arising out of retirement plan audits and estate gift tax audits.
Erica K. Williams brings more than 25 years of comprehensive and sophisticated estate planning services to high net-worth individuals and families. She earned the designation as an Accredited Estate Planner® (AEP®) by the National Association of Estate Planners & Councils, awarded to estate planning professionals who meet stringent requirements of experience, knowledge, education professional reputation, and character. Erica is experienced in all aspects of tax planning, including...
Tal Young has practiced trust and estate law for more than 45 years. He had been a Director and Shareholder of Spieth, Bell, McCurdy & Newell for a decade when it combined with Schneider, Smeltz, Ranney & Lafond in 2016 to form SSSB. Prior to that, he had been a Founding Partner of Young and Dietsch for 11 years, which followed 19 years as an Associate and Partner with Squire Sanders & Dempsey. He applies his years of expertise to handling a wide range of probate, trust, and estat...
Ashton Bizzarri is an Associate Attorney in the firm’s Trusts & Estates Practice Group. She focuses her practice in the areas of estate planning and trust and estate administration, while also representing clients in trust and estate litigation. Prior to joining SSSB, Ashton was an Associate Attorney at two Akron law firms, focusing exclusively on estate planning and trust and estate administration. She was also a Trust Officer at Key Private Bank, where she handled trust administra...
Christopher T. Cheh is an associate in Hahn Loeser’s Cleveland office and is a member of the firm’s Business Area, Trust & Estates group. He works with clients on all aspects of estate planning matters, including wealth transfer planning through the creation of wills, living trusts, and irrevocable trusts, while implementing strategies to protect assets and maximize wealth preservation. Additionally, Christopher handles all aspects of probate and trust administration matters i...
Veronica Garofoli focuses her practice in the areas of probate litigation, probate and estate administration, and estate planning. She provides representation for issues that can complicate the settling of an estate or trust, such as probate and trust disputes involving will contests, charges of undue influence, and breach of fiduciary duty actions. She also advises fiduciaries and families in guardianship, trust, and estate administrations. Veronica is experienced in reviewing, designing, an...
Jamie McHenry is an Associate attorney in Schneider Smeltz Spieth Bell LLP’s Trusts & Estates practice group, focusing in the areas of probate, estate planning, and tax matters. Her particular experience focuses on assisting clients with charitable planning and trust and probate administration matters. Jamie also contributes to the Trusts & Estates group by providing assistance to clients on legal matters involving estate planning and administration, estate and gift tax planning...
As a Partner in the firm’s Trust and Estate practice group, Justin provides estate planning solutions to high-net-worth individuals and families. This includes preparing full estate plans, from Wills to Revocable and Irrevocable Trusts, as well as handling probate and tax matters. Prior to joining SSSB, he worked at one of America’s largest financial institutions, where he spearheaded a team of experts in investment management, financial and estate planning, lending and deposit so...
Attorney Ethan A. Welch is committed to helping families with vulnerable loved ones preserve their resources and plan for the years ahead. His primary areas of focus are elder law, Medicaid planning, and special needs planning. He also practices in the associated areas of estate planning, trust and estate administration, and probate. Ethan's extensive knowledge of elder law and special needs planning ensures that his clients' rights are protected. His compassion and understanding bring his cl...
Geoffrey D. Wills is an Associate Attorney in the firm’s Trusts & Estates Practice Group. He focuses his practice in the areas of estate planning, trust and estate administration, and taxation. Prior to joining SSSB, Geoffrey was an Associate Attorney at another Cleveland law firm, where he built a solid base of estate, trust, and tax knowledge. He was also a Tax Analyst at Bloomberg Industry Group in Washington, D.C., where he analyzed federal tax laws, rules, and regulations to as...
Jonathan C. Wolnik is a Principal in McCarthy Lebit’s Taxation, Estate Planning, and Business & Corporate practice groups. In addition to his Ohio law license, Jonathan previously held other licenses as a Certified Public Accountant, a Certified Fraud Examiner, and a Forensic Accountant (now inactive). Coupling a strong business background with his legal skills enables Jonathan to bring an insightful perspective to resolving a wide array of client matters. In his legal practice, Jon...
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