David Lefton is an equity partner in the law firm, Barron Peck Bennie & Schlemmer (BPBS) in Cincinnati, Ohio. For more than 20 years David has found satisfaction in helping his clients protect their financial futures, provide for their heirs, handle business and real estate concerns (including foreclosure difficulties) and resolve other legal problems. David has earned an AV Rating from the respected Martindale-Hubble Directory. David also is a leader in activities of both the Ohio State Bar Association and American Bar Association, and is involved with a variety of community service organizations.
David’s practice centers around helping individuals of all ages and their families achieve their estate planning goals. To help people better understand estate planning, he writes a monthly law column in a Cincinnati publication, Hyde Park Living Magazine.
David also represents for-profit and non-profit start-ups and established businesses on their organizational operations and transactions; home buyers and sellers; and leads a team of BPBS attorneys who initiate foreclosure actions in Ohio courts.
David’s peers have recognized his professional abilities by endorsing him for a wide range of bar association leadership responsibilities. In the ABA, David is presently GPSolo’s Director of Division 2 -Member Benefits. David oversees the Division’s Programs Board, Book Publications Board, Content Committee, and Publications.
David has played a significant role in the ABA’s professional development activities for solo and small firm lawyers, having served as Chair of Programming for the GPSolo and as a member of the ABA’s Commission on Continuing Legal Education. In addition to his formal efforts to expand continuing legal education opportunities, David is a frequent speaker and writer for local, regional and national legal and professional organizations about estate planning and business topics.
At the state level, David is again serving as Chair of the Ohio State Bar Association (OSBA) Solo, Small Firm and General Practice Section, making him one of the few lawyers in the history of the OSBA’s largest section to serve as Chair for two different non-successive terms. Since 2000, David has been active in OSBA governance, having:
- Served previously for three years as Section Chair.
- Acted as Council Chair, Chair of Programming for the Annual Meeting, and Chair of the Solo and Small Firm Technology Conference.
- Served on the OSBA Council of Delegates, as well as in the Association section that reviews and proposes new estate planning, trust and probate legislation.
- Contributed as author to the13th edition of the OSBA’s popular book, The Law and You.
At the national level of professional activity, David was honored at the 2010 ABA Annual Meeting with a “Service to Others” Award in recognition for his involvement in the Bar and in the community. David also Chaired the OSBA Economics of Law Survey, which under his direction won the ABA GPSolo Solo Bar Project of the Year.
David is married, has two children and devotes his personal time to his family and to improve the lives of people throughout the Cincinnati region. He presently serves as Co-Chair for the Planned Giving Council of the FreeStore FoodBank of Greater Cincinnati, working with other lawyers and financial executives to promote charitable giving in support of the FreeStore. He is also on the board of the Cincinnati Arts Association, which brings Broadway theatre and other entertainment to Cincinnati and manages Music Hall, The Aronoff Center, and the Weston Art Gallery. During the past decade David has helped lead the youth programs of the Greater Sycamore Soccer Association (GSSA) in the Sycamore School District, as President and also as Attorney, Board Member, and Head Coach in both the GSSA’s Recreational and Select Programs.
David notes that working within GPSolo has been one of the most rewarding experiences in his career, “It is an honor to have the opportunity to work with and meet attorneys from all around the country that are dedicated to serving the profession. GPSolo has a great group of individual and staff that work hard to bring real value to the solo, small firm and general practitioner.”
