About
I am an OHIO Attorney working with people from Northeast Ohio mainly the Summit, Portage, Medina and Cuyahoga Counties.
I have worked with small business owners and individuals to protect their assets and families and assisted them in moving toward their goals. My legal & tax education and experience help me work with clients to find the right solutions for them. My business thinking and experience helps me to work with clients to create and implement plans.
For Individuals I also practice estate planning, Probate and Tax Representation in front of the IRS, Federal Tax Court (Small) and Ohio work for individuals.
My goals is protecting and educating my clients to make good decisions and put in place documents that work. Many have documents but they are not connected with plans and there are issues that need to be addressed. This takes more time and opens people to litigation, which is costly.
I work with Business Owners to get their businesses back under their control, and meet their goals. Sometimes this is a long process, but when you can see the changes in the owner's attitude and life, you begin to see the business become more profitable. I enjoy working with them to not only make this possible, but to then really work on their business. Growth is important to a business, but a balance in life means that there is intentional growth.
Reviews
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Frequently asked questions
What is your typical process for working with a new customer?
Initial contact to get contact info and a little regarding their need. If the situation is more complex I have them answer some questions and give me a short summary of facts with their questions by email. I try to secure information and if need be documents to review prior to our meeting. My goal is to start working with them on the problem or need at our first meeting. This allows us to move more quickly and allows us to create a plan with tasks with goal dates to start resolving any urgent issues and creating a working plan. Thus allows me to review and provide fixed rates where I can.
What education and/or training do you have that relates to your work?
Bachelor of Science in Accounting; Juris Doctorate from University of Akron School Of Law (Tax Track which meant I also took Masters of Tax classes at the Business School)
Planning to get certified in Exit Strategy Planning.
I have been a self employed attorney since 1990, and had a bigger firm from 1996 to 2014. I have extensive experience in Ohio Probate Cases. This assists me in planning for my estate planning cases.
Do you have a standard pricing system for your services? If so, please share the details here.
i usually provide my pricing after securing the needs of the client. If the need is more complex there may be more than one solution and I provide costs for each solution so the client can weigh the pros and cons and make a decision that is best for them.
How did you get started in this business?
I have always been interested in small businesses. While in accounting I knew that the classes that appealed to me the most were analytical (cost accounting , tax, business law, and the classes that applied Real life cases so I knew that I would not fit in Audit. I applied for law school and for an MBA at various schools. I was. accepted to some great programs and purposely picked Akron so I could continue to work and attend night school. As I progressed through school, I worked for a lawyer whose practice was centered in small businees owners and their businesses. He gave me a taste of writing briefs and preparing him for IRS appeals and Tax Court. I loved the way his practice operated and the relationships he built with his clients. This is what I wanted to do.
What types of customers have you worked with?
Small business start ups, companies in distress that needed help turning around, businesses and owners in IRS Audits that needed to go to tax Court in order to resolve this and then worked with them to move their business forward, simple estate planning (Wills, Power of Attorneys, etc), developing plans and writing Trusts, helping buyers purchase businesses, start ups, helping shareholders take over a business and take it to the next level which includes ISO certification. Probates Of small and high end asset cases. Resolution of Probate litigation cases. Ohio and IRS tax cases. Helping multiple owners
What advice would you give a customer looking to hire a pro in your area of expertise?
before you attend a meeting grab a cup of coffee and outline what happened; think about your questions; be prepared to state what outcome you are looking for, how much you have to spend, and what you would be willing to settle for.
What questions should customers think through before talking to pros about their needs?
What happened and do you have third party evidence to show your point of view.
What are you looking for?
what are your questions?
what is your budget?