Janet L. Lowder

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. She received her law degree, summa cum laude, from Cleveland Marshall College of Law.

Janet is a recognized authority on Medicaid issues and estate planning for families with special needs. She is a member of the National Academy of Elder Law Attorneys, certified in Elder Law (CELA) by the National Elder Law Foundation and is certified as an Elder Law Specialist by the Ohio State Bar Association. Janet is one of the founders of, and counsel to, the Community Fund Management Foundation, a non-profit organization that provides the Master Trust and the Pooled Medicaid Payback Trust for individuals with disabilities. She was the recipient of the Foundation's 1999 Amicus Award as well as the Cuyahoga County Board of DD's 2000 Top Hat Award. She received the 2009 President’s Award from the Cleveland Trial Lawyers Association for her work with settlements and special needs trusts. Janet is consistently chosen as an Ohio Super Lawyer, and is included in Best Lawyers in America for Elder Law and Trusts and Estates. She was named "Lawyer of the Year" by Best Lawyers in the areas of Trusts and Estates (2013) and Elder Law (2016) in the Cleveland-area. Janet is a member and former president of the Special Needs Alliance. She has also served as Co-Chair of the Long Term Care, Medicaid and Special Needs Trust Committee of the Real Property, Trust and Estate Law Section of the American Bar Association.