David G. Weibel

• Serves as outside counsel for scores of closely-held and family businesses, providing counsel in connection with governance issues, shareholder disputes, and the day-to-day operation of the enterprise, including such diverse matters as leases, contracts and contract disputes, employment contracts and related deferred compensation, and employee benefits
• Engages in all facets of succession planning for closely-held and family businesses, including close corporation and buy-sell agreements, stock option agreements and other similar arrangements, and where appropriate or necessary, the establishment of employee stock ownership plans (ESOPs) and implementation of tax-deferred sales to the ESOP
• Represents entrepreneurs in connection with the formation and capitalization of start-up business enterprises, including seed money and all succeeding rounds of capital investment therein, and the issuance of interests therein to key employees and service providers
• Represents owners of business enterprises in the sale of such enterprises to third parties and represents capital investors in the acquisition of business enterprises, including pre-transaction restructuring of the enterprise being sold or purchased to facilitate the most tax efficient result
• Represents owners of real estate in the sale thereof to third parties and represents capital investors in the acquisition of real estate and the further development thereof
• Represents individuals in connection with their estate and gift planning, including in addition to wills, trusts and related fundamental documents, the design and implementation of estate freezes, sales to defective trusts, grantor retained annuity trusts, and family partnerships, as well as Internal Revenue Service audits in connection therewith and beneficiary disputes arising therefrom
• Consults with individuals and enterprises regarding income tax planning, and represents individuals and entities before the Internal Revenue Service and state and local taxing authorities

Education

• Case Western Reserve University School of Law, J.D., 1980
• John Carroll University, B.A., magna cum laude, 1977

Admissions

• State of Ohio
• U.S. District Court, Northern District of Ohio
• U.S. Tax Court

Professional Affiliations

• Ohio State Bar Association—Member (1980-Present)
• Cleveland Metropolitan Bar Association—Member (1980-Present)
• Estate Planning Councel of Cleveland—Member (1984-Present)
• Tax Club of Cleveland—Member (1984-Present)

Community Involvement

• Geauga Park District Foundation—Trustee (2000-2006); Secretary (2004-2006)
• Troy Township (Geauga County) Board of Zoning Appeals—Member (2006-2012); Chairman (2010-2012)
• Geauga County Bluecoats, Inc. (2010-Present)
• Parkside Church—Member (2000-Present)

• Named to The Best Lawyers in America in the areas of Closely Held Companies and Family Businesses Law; Employee Benefits (ERISA) Law; Tax Law; and Trusts and Estates (2009-2024)
• Named Best Lawyers' "Lawyer of the Year" in Closely Held Companies and Family Businesses Law in Cleveland (2019) 
• AV Preeminent Peer-Review Rated—Martindale-Hubbell
• Named to the Ohio Super Lawyers list (2010; 2017-2023)

• "Transfer restrictions for closely held businesses," Currents Magazine (November 2021)
• "Ohio's New LLC Statute Will Become Effective in 2022," Frantz Ward Client Alert (August 2021)
• "Congress Clarifies the Deductibility of Expenses Paid with Forgiven PPP Loan Proceeds," Frantz Ward Client Alert (December 2020)
• "Deadline for Rolling Over 2020 RMDs Expires August 31, 2020," Frantz Ward Client Alert (July 2020) 
• "Ohio Income Tax Filing Date Extended to July 15," Frantz Ward Client Alert (March 2020) 
• "The SECURE Act May Have a Material Impact on Your Estate Planning," Frantz Ward Client Alert (January 2020)

• "When Closely Held Businesses Are Held Too Closely?" Association of Corporate Counsel, Cleveland, OH (August 2021)
• "Contract Implications in the Age of COVID-19," Association of Corporate Counsel Webinar (October 2020) 

• Mentioned in, "Lawyers, Firms Receive Recognition," Cleveland Jewish News (January 2021)