Best Lawyers in Ohio, United States for Litigation - Trusts and Estates
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Paul 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 IRAs, ...
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...
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...
Timothy C. Sullivan is a top attorney recognized by Best Lawyers in the practice area(s) of Commercial Litigation, Litigation - Banking and Finance and Litigation - Trusts and Estates. Timothy C., who practices law in Cincinnati, Ohio, has been recognized since 2006. This recognition is based on an exhaustive peer-review survey, reflecting the high esteem in which Timothy C. is held by other top lawyers in the same geographic and legal practice area.
Aaron Kaplan is a top attorney recognized by Best Lawyers in the practice area(s) of Litigation - Trusts and Estates, Nonprofit / Charities Law and Trusts and Estates. Aaron, who practices law in Cincinnati, Ohio, has been recognized since 2025. This recognition is based on an exhaustive peer-review survey, reflecting the high esteem in which Aaron is held by other top lawyers in the same geographic and legal practice area.
Bart spent the first part of his career as an insurance advisor and securities analyst. He later became a lawyer and developed his skills as a litigator and trust attorney. This wide range of experience enables him to give his clients a comprehensive view of financial planning not often found in estate planning attorneys. Bart Leonardi is a Certified Specialist in Estate Planning, Trust and Probate Law by the Ohio State Bar Association. His practice is concentrated in the areas of estate plan...
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...
Charles Brown is an accomplished estate planning and probate attorney with more than 26 years of experience in probate litigation. He has previously served as Magistrate since 1988, and Chief Magistrate and Probate Court Mediator since 2009 for Cuyahoga County , the largest and most prominent probate court in the state of Ohio. Mr. Brown has handled thousands of cases involving all aspects of probate litigation, including wealth management and estate planning. He is a lecturer and continuing ...
Jim Brun focuses his practice on estate planning as well as probate and trust administration. Prior to joining Keating Muething & Klekamp, he was a partner with a large Cincinnati law firm where he practiced for more than 21 years, concentrating his practice in the estate planning and personal tax areas. Jim served as a law clerk to the Honorable George H. Palmer, Judge of the Court of Appeals for the First Appellate District of Ohio from 1976-1978.
Mark Mikhaiel’s practice focuses on litigation, encompassing a range of interconnected legal disciplines. He frequently represents clients in complex commercial and professional liability disputes, with a particular emphasis on non-medical professional malpractice; shareholder, fiduciary and business tort litigation; probate litigation; and employment-related disputes. He is driven by complex cases, striving to provide practical and efficient advice to his clients. Mark has handled over...
Steve focuses his practice in the areas of business and complex litigation, construction law, patent and trademark litigation, employment litigation, probate litigation, dispute resolution and appeals. He has 43 years of experience in more than 60 trials (both jury and non-jury). Among his accomplishments, Steve was listed in the 2004-21 editions of "Ohio Super Lawyers" by Law & Politics magazine; in 2009 and 2017, Steve earned the distinction of being listed one of the Top 100 Super Lawy...
Ryan Nowlin is a Fellow and a Certified Arbitrator with the American Academy of Matrimonial Lawyers, a nationally recognized group of leading practitioners of family law, and he is board certified by the Ohio State Bar Association as a specialist in the practice of Family Relations law. Ryan represents individuals in every phase of divorce and custody proceedings and appears in Domestic Relations and Juvenile courts throughout Northeast Ohio. He was drawn to family law as an opportunity to he...
Kurt Friedmann is a top attorney recognized by Best Lawyers in the practice area(s) of Corporate Law, Elder Law, Litigation - Trusts and Estates and Trusts and Estates. Kurt, who practices law in Cincinnati, Ohio, has been recognized since 2024. This recognition is based on an exhaustive peer-review survey, reflecting the high esteem in which Kurt is held by other top lawyers in the same geographic and legal practice area.
Dan Baron is a top attorney recognized by Best Lawyers in the practice area(s) of Business Organizations (including LLCs and Partnerships), Elder Law, Litigation - Trusts and Estates and Trusts and Estates. Dan, who practices law in Independence, Ohio, has been recognized since 2023. This recognition is based on an exhaustive peer-review survey, reflecting the high esteem in which Dan is held by other top lawyers in the same geographic and legal practice area.
Taylor Carlucci (née Smoske) is an associate in Hahn Loeser’s Trusts and Estates Practice Area, where she focuses her practice on probate and fiduciary litigation, estate and trust administration, and estate planning. Taylor is licensed in both Ohio and New York. Probate and Fiduciary Litigation Taylor specializes in handling adversarial probate matters, including contested trust and estate administrations, will and trust contests based on claims undue influence, lack of capacity...
Our Methodology
Recognition by Best Lawyers is based entirely on peer review. Our methodology is designed to capture, as accurately as possible, the consensus opinion of leading lawyers about the professional abilities of their colleagues within the same geographical area and legal practice area.
The Process
Best Lawyers employs a sophisticated, conscientious, rational, and transparent survey process designed to elicit meaningful and substantive evaluations of the quality of legal services. Our belief has always been that the quality of a peer review survey is directly related to the quality of the voters.