As people age, they come face-to-face with challenges that are frightening to them and their families – their friends die, their health begins to fail, their memory fades. They worry about having enough money to make it through retirement. They realize their families may be forced to place them in a care facility and they grasp for ways to maintain their dignity without becoming a burden. For the first time, they are facing their own mortality and they feel the need to make sense of their lives and leave some type of legacy.

40+ years ago Thom Cooper founded our law firm in Centerburg, Ohio with two guiding principles: You should not have to lose what you’ve spent a lifetime to earn, and life should be easier for those you leave behind. We still believe and follow these principles, focusing exclusively on estate planning and elder law.

Growth

Mitchell Adel joined the firm in 2005 and became our Managing Partner in 2010. Mitch was responsible for expanding our offices into new territory. He set up the offices, developed new seminars and introduced a new group of clients to the vision he and Thom developed about creating a multidimensional firm offering comprehensive and cohesive plans for clients, integrating legal, tax and financial assistance to face the challenges of aging.

Dan Vu joined the team in 2010 and became a partner in 2015, bringing his knowledge of advanced trust and estate planning strategies for farmers and our high net worth clients. Dan’s major contribution to the firm has been in refining and developing the trusts and planning strategies that we personalize for each of our clients.

Ted Brown joined the firm in 2011 and became a partner in 2019 with a focus on small businesses and farms and to expand healthcare tax planning for our clients.

Lauren Cooper worked at the firm for over 10 years before joining as an Associate Attorney in 2014. Lauren became a partner in 2019. Lauren was responsible for developing the legal strategies that we employ when we work with our younger clients who are planning for longevity and making the most of Social Security.

Nathan Simpson joined the firm in 2011 as a member of the Healthcare Planning Team. Nathan meets with Healthcare Planning and Trust clients in our Monroe, Sidney, and Anderson Township offices. Nathan has presented informational seminars for seniors around Ohio regarding special needs and also crisis planning. Attorney Nathan Simpson became a partner in 2020 and was recognized for his leadership in Special Needs Planning.

We now have grown the company state-wide with 7 offices in Anderson Township, Centerburg, Chillicothe, Hilliard, Medina, Monroe, and Sidney; 13 attorneys; and over 50 staff members.

Estate Planning

We have built a multidimensional firm by expanding the firm’s umbrella of services to include a financial company with four securities-licensed financial advisors who are available to assist in implementing our clients’ plans. In addition, we have added tax services to offer tax preparation and consulting year-round for interested clients. Our goal is to offer a one-stop shop for our clients’ planning needs.

In addition to building our business, our firm encourages staff to remain current with trends in estate planning and elder law. We are one of only a handful of law firms in Ohio with three attorneys dually certified* by the National Elder Law Foundation as Certified Elder Law Attorneys (CELAs)* and by the Ohio Bar Association as a Specialists in the Area of Elder Law.

We are proud to have a substantial portion of our clients referred to us by other clients and we have many second, third and even fourth generation family members of our original clients who have decided to complete their planning with our team.

Everyone at the firm believes that people should not have to lose what they’ve spent a lifetime to earn and that life should be easier for those that they leave behind. These beliefs have helped thousands of Ohio families minimize taxes, avoid probate, and plan for healthcare expenses. Whether you use our retirement, tax, or estate planning and elder law services, you will find a group of dedicated individuals with the knowledge needed to help you protect your hard earned assets for those you love. With all of the success we have enjoyed, we are not standing still. We continue to scan the horizon for new ways to assist you as our client: to save taxes and protect your wealth; to make you more secure as you age and to ensure that your wishes for your hard-earned life savings are followed at your passing.