Best Lawyers Near You in Middleburg Heights, Ohio for Trusts and Estates
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...
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...
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...
Elena has focused her career on issues affecting older persons and individuals with disabilities. Her practice includes Medicaid planning, planning for families with special needs, estate planning, guardianship, estate administration, and trust administration. Elena provides her clients with steadfast support and guidance as they plan for the years ahead. She understands the challenges encountered by individuals with disabilities. For over a decade, she worked with community mental health age...
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...
As 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 and titling Beneficiary representation Business succession Charitable giving (including priva...
Woods King III is a top attorney recognized by Best Lawyers in the practice area(s) of Real Estate Law and Trusts and Estates. Woods, who practices law in Cleveland, Ohio, has been recognized since 2025. This recognition is based on an exhaustive peer-review survey, reflecting the high esteem in which Woods is held by other top lawyers in the same geographic and legal practice area.
As Chair of Hahn Loeser’s Cleveland Trusts and Estates Practice Group, Dana Marie DeCapite dedicates her practice to serving as a trusted legal advisor for high-net worth families through estate planning, estate/trust administration, business succession planning, asset protection planning and prenuptial/postnuptial planning. Dana represents local, national, and internationally based individuals, families, and businesses to recommend and draft custom-tailored solutions. Dana also counsel...
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...
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 ...
Edmund G. Kauntz is a top attorney recognized by Best Lawyers in the practice area(s) of Tax Law and Trusts and Estates. Edmund G., who practices law in Cleveland, Ohio, has been recognized since 2024. This recognition is based on an exhaustive peer-review survey, reflecting the high esteem in which Edmund G. is held by other top lawyers in the same geographic and legal practice area.
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...
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, ...
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...
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...
Ashton Bizzarri is a Partner 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 the Firm, 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 administrations, w...
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.