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Cleveland Business Succession Planning Lawyers

Integrated Succession Planning for Ohio Business Owners

Any small business owner or family operation needs to consider what to do with the company after retirement or how to continue its smooth operation in the event of death or disability. The business attorneys of Ziegler Metzger have advised several generations of Ohio business owners about exit strategies, tax planning, management succession and similar issues since our firm was established in 1952. Contact us in Cleveland, Painesville or Chagrin Falls to learn more about your options for your company and your own future security.

Coordinated Planning for Smooth Transfer of Management Control

We offer practical and flexible advice based on the characteristics of the business, the goals of the ownership, and the special personal and family circumstances that will impact your decisions. Our corporate lawyers work closely with our clients, their financial and tax professionals, and our own estate planning colleagues to create seamless, fully integrated business succession solutions wherever possible.

On the business side, buy-sell agreements, voting trusts or family LLPs can address the equity and management issues implied by significant changes in ownership or daily operations. On the estate planning side, the goal is to make sure that current trust and testamentary instruments support plans for the smooth transfer of business assets and management control without interfering with estate tax planning or other family goals.

The sooner you start planning for future transfer of business interests to the next generation, an unrelated partner or a third-party purchaser, the better you'll be able to anticipate and avoid intrafamily disagreements and the more you'll protect your options. In some cases, especially when none of the owner's children are interested in continuing family business operations, it makes best sense to plan for the eventual sale of the company and take steps to maximize its value to a prospective purchaser.

Find out how you can benefit from the advice of experienced Cleveland business succession planning attorneys. Contact Ziegler Metzger for further information.

Precisely what you need.

The qualities that make a good partnership feel like the right partnerships are sometimes hard to get your arms around. When you're working with a law firm that's made up of professionals who truly work well together on their clients' behalf, that intangible feeling of satisfaction becomes easier to understand. There's a certain sense of balance between efficiency and expertise that can only be delivered by a firm that is comfortable with who they are and what they are working toward. We think it's this time-honored approach that leads to the value of good counsel.