Harlan S. Louis
p: (614) 229-3225
f: (614) 221-0479

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Practice Areas

Harlan S. Louis, Member

Harlan practices in the areas of estate planning, probate and trust administration, and Ohio tax appeals. He is an Ohio State Bar Association Certified Specialist in Estate Planning, Trust and Probate Law. He administers trusts and estates with a wide range of tax and probate issues. Harlan has extensive experience with dynasty trusts, asset protection strategies, generation skipping trusts, life insurance irrevocable trusts, family limited partnerships, planning for non-traditional families and charitable giving. Harlan also represents clients before Ohio Board of Tax Appeals, Ohio Department of Taxation, and county Boards of Revision concerning estate, real property, personal property, sales and use tax issues. He assists clients in tax strategies, including planning for Ohio's new commercial activity tax. He represents Crew Stadium on tax matters, including passage of new legislation to exempt the stadium from real property tax. Harlan is a certified public accountant (inactive) and is licensed to practice law in the U.S. Tax Court, Florida and Ohio. He has achieved a Martindale-Hubbell AV peer review rating and has twice been named an Ohio Super Lawyers Rising Star by Law & Politics magazine.

Articles/Publications

• Client Alert: Estate Tax Repeal? March 2010
• Estate Planning and Transfer Tax Updates: February 2009 (view article)
• Snowbirds Come Home: Tax Policy Revision Intended to Reverse Ohio Wealth and Talent Drain (view article)
• Unique Estate Planning Issues for Same-Sex and Unmarried Couples (view article)

Noteworthy Matters

• Part of the first class designated as a Certified Specialist in Estate Planning, Trust and Probate Law by the Ohio State Bar Association.
• Extensive estate planning and business succession work, including gifting strategies, life insurance trusts, dynasty trusts, family limited partnerships, qualified personal residence trusts, grantor retained annuity trusts (GRATs), charitable giving, and planning for non-traditional families.
• State and local tax matters, including representing Crew Stadium on tax matters, including passage of new legislation to exempt the stadium from real property tax.
• Frequent lecturer on estate planning and tax topics.
• Chairman of the Probate Court Committee of the Columbus Bar Association.

Memberships and Community Involvement

• Certified Specialist in Estate Planning, Trust and Probate Law by the Ohio State Bar Association
• Columbus Bar Association
     Chairman, Probate Court Committee
• Columbus Jewish Foundation
     Member, Board of Trustees and Executive Committee
     Chairman, Legal and Tax Advisory Committee
• Transition Committee, Franklin County Probate Judge Eric Brown
     Chairman, Estate Administration & General Probate Committee
     Member, Trust & Corporate Fiduciary Committee
• Member, Professional Council, The Columbus Foundation
• Ohio State Bar Association (Estate Planning, Trust and Probate Law Section)
• Florida State Bar Association
• Columbus Estate Planning Council
     Member, Planning Committee
• Institute for Professionals in Taxation (IPT), Affiliate Member, Property Tax
• Pro-bono attorney, Low Income Taxpayer Clinic, Ohio State Legal Services Association
• Certified Public Accountant, Ohio (currently inactive)
• Former Member, BalletMet, Planned Giving Council

Honors and Awards

• Martindale Hubbell, AV Rating
• Ohio Super Lawyers - Rising Star, Named by Law & Politics magazine, 2005 and 2006
• Leave a Legacy Professional Advisor Award, 2001