David G. Bale

Probate, Estate and Elder Law

• Adoptions
• Asset Protection
• Contested Guardianships
• Contractual Beneficiary Issues
• Elder Law
• Fiduciary Removal
• Guardianships
• Healthcare Power of Attorney
• Joint Survivorship
• Life Insurance
• Living Wills
• Power of Attorney
• Probate
• Probate Litigation
• Trust Disputes
• Trusts
• Will Contests
• Wills

Small Business Law and Litigation

• Banking and Finance
• Business Formation and Dissolution
• Commercial and Contract Law
• Commercial Insurance
• Construction
• Contract Disputes
• Franchising
• International Law
• Non-Competition and Trade Secrets
• Nonprofits
• Ownership Disputes/Fiduciary Relationships

Why did you become an attorney?

I attended law school because I wanted to know the rules that influenced our culture; I became a lawyer because I found that the law was interesting, often challenging, and it offered a great deal of variety. Often practicing law is about recognizing how to fit unique facts and circumstances into recognized and accepted legal solutions.

What experiences (work and personal) help you to be a better attorney?

All life experiences assist in making me a better attorney. However, those that assist most are those experiences that help define the limits of a rule or of a law, and that develop intuition to understand underlying beliefs and feelings of the people involved in a legal problem, in order to better understand their motives for action.

What makes your law firm unique?

Our practice is unique because we listen. We answer the telephone and return calls timely; we work actively with our clients by email and in other ways to reduce the time for response and improve performance of our clients’ objectives. Also, in a pragmatic sense, we have experience with litigation and other dispute resolution methods, and we are well grounded in business liabilities, business transactions, estate planning, probate and real estate matters. We focus on adding value for our clients. We work closely with clients, keep clients informed about the status of their case, return calls promptly and provide the type of accessible personal service expected from a smaller law firm.

Describe your ideal client.

Our ideal client is an individual or business with whom we have an ongoing relationship, and often this involves business, estate, probate and real estate matters. We work for some firms and businesses as ‘general counsel’ in this regard, often advising about issues and where appropriate selecting other legal counsel with sub specialties in the law to better manage costs and service for our clients.

Free Initial Consultation?

We offer a free initial consultation to discuss your matter and determine if we may be of assistance to you.

Typical Retainer Fees

Our firm accepts payment in cash, check, and MasterCard and Visa.

Fixed-Price Services and Fees

We offer fixed-price services for many matters.

Fees by Hourly Rate

We offer fees by the hour for many services.

Degrees

School	Degree	Graduated
Cleveland State University	Juris Doctor (JD)	1978

State Licenses

State	Date Admitted	License #
Ohio	01/01/1978	0008321

Court Admissions

• All Ohio Courts
• U.S. District Court, Southern District of Ohio
• U.S. Court of Appeals, Sixth Circuit

Bar Association Memberships

• Columbus Bar Association
• Ohio State Bar Association
• American Bar Association
• Westerville Bar Association

Other Memberships

• Columbus Bar Common Pleas Court Committee
• Ohio State Bar Probate Committee
• Ohio State Bar Real Property Committee

Continuing Education

My continuing education requirements are current.

Accomplishments

Capital University, B.A., 1974; Wright State University, M.S., in Economics, 1975, Cleveland State University, J.D., 1978

Previous Employment

Grange Mutual Casualty Company, Insurance Defense Counsel / Baldwin, Menapace and Sheppard, Associate Member / Sheppard and Bale, Principal