Blake A. Benson

Overview

Blake Benson is an Associate attorney in the Trusts & Estates practice group at McCarthy Lebit. His practice focuses on estate planning and business advisory services for individuals and small businesses throughout Northeast Ohio.

Taking a pragmatic, educational approach to his practice, Blake works closely with clients to help them understand the nuances of their legal matters and make informed decisions. He counsels clients on estate planning strategies tailored to their specific needs and prepares wills, trusts, powers of attorney, and advance directives.

Blake has served as primary counsel for fiduciaries, heirs, and beneficiaries in dozens of estate and trust administrations across Cuyahoga, Lorain, Medina, and Summit counties, successfully resolving complex issues including non-conforming wills, creditor disputes and insolvency, fiduciary appointment challenges, and asset allocation matters. He handles estate and trust administrations, guiding fiduciaries through the complex process of asset management and distribution. His work includes comprehensive will and trust preparation tailored to each client's unique circumstances, as well as beneficiary counseling to help heirs and beneficiaries understand their rights and responsibilities.

In addition to traditional estate planning, Blake assists clients with business succession planning, entity restructuring, real estate transactions, and tax planning, as necessary to effectuate their estate planning goals, recognizing that effective estate planning often requires coordination across multiple areas of law. His experience with small business clients includes formation and corporate document preparation, contract and settlement negotiation and drafting, acquisition and purchase due diligence and document drafting, and pre-litigation risk management. He handles real estate matters across probate, commercial, and individual contexts, including title review and preparation of deeds, purchase agreements, and court-ordered sale documents.

Throughout his career, Blake has gained valuable litigation experience, having handled personal injury matters resulting in multiple six-figure settlements, as well as contested hearings and bench trials in family law and commercial disputes. This background enhances his ability to anticipate potential issues and provide strategic counsel to clients.

Blake earned his undergraduate degree in Political Theory from Michigan State University and his law degree from the University of North Carolina School of Law. He was admitted to practice in 2019. A Northeast Ohio native, Blake currently resides in Broadview Heights.