David M. Lenz - Lawyer in Cleveland, OH

David Lenz joined the firm in 2006, became a Partner in 2013 and was elected to serve as Managing Partner in 2020. His practice focuses on planning for and administering wealth transfer for individuals and families. He develops comprehensive plans that can involve complex charitable, retirement, and tax planning strategies, including commonly overlooked items such as digital assets and pets, and also helps families communicate their goals and purpose to the next generation. Beyond representing individuals with respect to their personal charitable planning, David also counsels organizations on issues ranging from formation and filing of applications for tax-exempt status for start-up nonprofit organizations to planned giving for established public charities and governance and compliance for private family foundations.

David is certified by the Ohio State Bar Association as a specialist in Estate Planning, Trust, and Probate Law and was a part of the Ohio State Bar Associations subcommittee that led to the adoption of the Revised Uniform Fiduciary Access to Digital Assets Act in Ohio in 2017. He is a frequent speaker and author on estate planning with digital assets and charitable planning.

David has also served as a leader in the local legal community, primarily through his volunteer efforts with the Cleveland Metropolitan Bar Association, where he is a past chair of its Estate Planning, Probate Trust Law Section, its Estate Planning Institute, and its 3Rs Oversight Committee, which administers a program that sends hundreds of lawyer volunteers into the Cleveland and East Cleveland schools to teach constitutional law and career counseling in 11th grade U.S. Government classes. He has also led in various roles in his faith community, having served as President of his congregation, Advent Lutheran Church in Mentor, served nine years on the (regional) Synod Council for the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America, and is now serving a six-year term on the ELCAs national Church Council.

David resides in Mayfield Village with his wife, Jennifer, and their daughters.