Ralph P. Higgins, Jr.

• Serving as Co-Trustee and legal counsel for irrevocable trusts with an aggregate fair market value in excess of $200 million.
• Counsel numerous clients with closely-held business interests with regard to succession planning and tax issues.
• Provided counsel to clients and prepared documents for a $70 million bequest to The Cleveland Foundation, to be used for charities in Northeast Ohio.
• Represented numerous probate estates throughout different counties in Northeast Ohio ranging in size from less than $35,000 to up to $16 million.
• Prepared and handled the audit for federal and Ohio estate tax returns with values of up to $62 million.
• Prepare estate plans for clients with varying degrees of wealth and planning needs.

Education

• University of Notre Dame, J.D., cum laude, 1980
• University of Notre Dame, B.B.A., magna cum laude, 1977

Admissions

• State of Ohio

Professional Affiliations

• American Bar Association—Member
• Ohio State Bar Association—Member
• Cleveland Metropolitan Bar Association—Member

Community Involvement

• Court Community Service
• The Cyrus Eaton Foundation
• The Arthur L. Parker Foundation
• The LaRue Foundation
• Case Western Reserve University—Estate Planning Advisory Council
• University Hospitals—Diamond Advisory Group
• Magnificat High School—Board of Directors (2008-2016)
• Lakewood Catholic Academy—Board of Directors (2011-2018)

Firm Involvement

• Founding Partner—Frantz Ward LLP

• Distinguished Advisor Award—Diamond Advisory Group of University Hospitals (2020)
• Named to The Best Lawyers in America in the area of Trusts and Estates (2021-2024)
• Recipient of Estate Planning Lawyer of the Year in Ohio—International Advisory Experts (2018)
• AV Preeminent Peer Review Rated—Martindale-Hubbell
• Named to the Ohio Super Lawyers list (2004; 2006)

• "Estate Planning," Association of Corporate Counsel, Cleveland, OH (August 2019)