We have a dedicated and talented staff and we would like to introduce you to each of our co-workers. If you have questions or concerns to which anyone of us can respond, please contact us. Our staff and their areas of emphasis are:
Paul is the founding principal in Wright Law Co. LPA. Many Ohio farmers and agribusinesses seek his counsel. Paul earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Agriculture Education in 1960 and a Master of Science degree in Agricultural Economics in 1970 from The Ohio State University. In 1978 he earned a Law degree from the University of Toledo.
Paul's career includes 29 years of service with The Ohio State University Extension and serving as a County 4-H Agent, Area Farm Management Agent and State Specialist in Agricultural Law. As State Specialist, he focused on conducting educational programs in agricultural law including continuing education and on-campus teaching. Paul retired from The Ohio State University as Associate Professor Emeriti in January 1988.
Paul has written numerous Ohio State University Extension publications, magazine articles and research papers and has spoken extensively on topics related to Agricultural Law and Agricultural Economics.
Paul served as President of the American Agricultural Law Association (AALA) in 1998, as President Elect in 1997 and as a former Director of the Association. Paul was Chair of the AALA Strategic Planning Committee in 2000-2001. Paul has also served as Chair of the AALA's Membership Committee and was a member of the Association's Distinguished Service Award Committee. He was State Chair of the Association's Program Committee when the conference was held in Ohio. In 1994, Paul was recognized by the AALA when he was given their Distinguished Service Award. As a member of the Ohio State Bar Association, Paul has served as the Chair of its Agricultural Law Committee.
In 2003, Paul was honored by The Ohio State University by receiving the Distinguished Alumni Award. The award recognized his 16 years of practicing law, 29 years with OSU extension and his service as Area Farm Management Agent and State Specialist in Agricultural Law.
In August 2006, Paul was inducted into the Ohio Agricultural Hall of Fame. This award recognized his 46 years of being of service to the Agricultural Industry. Paul feels very honored to have received this recognition.
Paul is very active in community activities. He is a member of the Northwest United Methodist Church in Upper Arlington, Ohio and serves on its Capital Funds Management Committee. He is a Past Chair of the Board for the Methodist Eldercare Services, an elder care organization with several affiliates in central Ohio, and is currently chairing the Long Range Planning Committee and Vice Chair of the Board. Paul served as Chair of the Wesley Glen Board of Trustees (a retirement center), and prior to being Chair, headed the building committee that oversaw a $14,000,000 expansion.
Paul and his wife Sue live in the Dublin area and share the experience of four adult children and their families.
James K. Leonard, whose law practice is limited to estate planning and estate administration, has helped hundreds of clients achieve their estate planning goals. Using techniques like Living Trusts, Agricultural Easements, Irrevocable Life Insurance Trusts, Family Limited Partnerships, Charitable Remainder Trusts, and rollover IRA’s, he has enabled clients to implement customized estate plans; to minimize federal and Ohio estate taxes; to avoid the probate process at disability and death; to preserve farmland while saving federal income taxes; to fulfill charitable goals; to protect assets from creditors, lawsuits, divorce, and re-marriage; to eliminate capital gains taxes; to continue IRA tax-free compounding for an extra generation; to transfer businesses and farms; and to implement special planning for disabled children, second marriages, and many other situations.
Mr. Leonard is a frequent speaker on estate planning topics. He has spoken at public seminars, at continuing education programs, and, by invitation, at churches and other organizations.
In the July/August 2001 and the September/October 2003 issues of the Ohio Probate Law Journal, Mr. Leonard published articles on his “Leveraged Exclusion Amount” technique. The technique, which has been approved by the Ohio Department of Taxation, enables married couples to save tens of $1,000’s of Ohio estate taxes.
Mr. Leonard developed the Charitable Multiplier® concept for using an IRA, 401(k), or other retirement account to make a highly tax-effective contribution to charity at one’s death. The Charitable Multiplier® takes account of the fact that IRA’s and other retirement accounts are subject to both to estate tax and income tax. For the part of an account designated to charity, all taxes are eliminated. This results in a “multiplied” gift, compared to the fraction of the account that family members would have received after taxes.
Mr. Leonard is a Founding Member of the WealthCounsel group of estate planning attorneys. He is a member of the Ohio Bar Association and its Estate Planning, Trust & Probate Law Section. He is also a member of the Worthington Estate Planning Council and the Christian Legal Society.
A graduate of Lima (Ohio) Senior High School, Princeton University, and the University of Denver College of Law, Mr. Leonard lives in the Clintonville neighborhood of Columbus.
Robert Moore joined Wright Law Co. LPA in May 2004. The primary focus of his practice at Wright Law is business organizations, real estate transactions, landlord/tenant issues, contracts, and Farm Service Agency programs. Wright Law Co., located in Dublin, Ohio, primarily focuses its practice in the area of agricultural law.
Robert was raised on a dairy farm in Coshocton County. In addition to the dairy, his family raises beef cattle, hogs and sheep, and produces hay and grain. Robert remains active in the operation. Growing up, Robert was a member of 4-H and FFA. Robert graduated from Riverview High School in 1987.
Robert received a Bachelor of Science degree in Dairy Science and a Master of Science Degree in Agricultural Economics from the Ohio State University. Upon graduating from OSU, Robert spent four years as an Agricultural Extension Agent in Fairfield County and five years as an Extension Associate in the Department of Agricultural, Environmental and Developmental Economics. While employed at OSU, Robert attended Capital University Law School's evening program. In January, 2005 he graduated Cum Laude. Robert was admitted to the Bar in May, 2005.
Robert lives near Delaware with his wife Kelly and daughter Maddie.
Kelly Brakefield Moore joined Wright Law Co. LPA in August, 2005. Her areas of focus are Estate Administration, Estate Planning and litigation.
Kelly graduated from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill with a BA in Psychology and Recreation Administration. She received her Masters of Education Degree in 1996 and taught children with special needs in her hometown of Kannapolis, North Carolina. Additionally, Kelly is a licensed real estate broker and sold real estate in North Carolina before moving north to Ohio.
While working full time in Columbus, Kelly attended Capital University Law School in the evenings and graduated in 2005. She was admitted to the Bar in May, 2005. While attending Capital Law School, Kelly met fellow student, Robert Moore, another Attorney at Wright Law. The couple married in the Fall of 2005 and have a beautiful daughter.
Dave joined Wright Law Co., LPA in 2004 following a distinguished career in the armed forces as a military attorney. The primary focus of his practice at Wright Law is civil litigation.
Adrienne Fisher is the newest attorney to join Wright Law Co. LPA. She is a native of Knox County, Ohio. After graduating from Fredericktown High School, Adrienne attended the University of Toledo where she earned her Bachelor’s degree in Psychology. After working for a few years, she decided that she wanted a more challenging career and enrolled in Capital University Law School.
During Law School, Adrienne spent time working as an extern under the supervision of Peggy Hall at OSU’s Department of Agricultural and Resource Law and she spent her last two summers working as an intern here at Wright Law. In May of 2009, Adrienne earned her J.D. from Capital with a concentration in Environmental Law. Her legal interests include farmland preservation, real estate, land use, and agricultural/environmental issues.
Adrienne is currently assisting the Wright Law attorneys in all practice areas which will help her become a well rounded attorney and will help her better represent Wright Law’s clients in the future.
Dave joined Wright Law Co., LPA in 2004 following a distinguished career in the armed forces as a military attorney. The primary focus of his practice at Wright Law is civil litigation.
Dave was born in 1952 in Columbus, Ohio and began his military career by enlisting in the regular Army in 1972. Upon completion of a three-year tour of duty with the Army, Dave entered the University of Washington in Seattle where he received his Bachelor of Arts Degree in June, 1979. That same year he entered a dual degree program at the Ohio State University in Columbus, Ohio. As one of only two individuals to attempt this particular program as of 1979, Dave was awarded his Juris Doctor in December, 1982 and a Master of Health Services Administration three months later. Following passage of the Ohio Bar, Dave was commissioned as an Air Force officer in July, 1983 and spent the next twenty (20) years as a military attorney (Judge Advocate or “JAG”). His tours of duty as a JAG included service at Nellis Air Force Base, Nevada; Sarajevo, Bosnia-Herzegovina and the Headquarters of the Nevada National Guard in Carson City, Nevada. As a JAG, Dave gained experience in many areas of the law but the primary focus of his military practice was government contracting, land use, environmental law and litigation. He retired from active duty in April 2003.
Dave has also been a lifelong advocate of handicapped children, serving as a volunteer legal advisor to the Nevada Association for the Handicapped, while stationed in Nevada, and as a part-time administrative law judge for the Nevada Department of Education. In the latter position he adjudicated disputes between parents of handicapped children and local school districts under authority of the federal Individuals with Disabilities Education Act.
Dave is married to the former Cynthia Russell, of Hilliard, Ohio and has three children (Tawni, Scott and Brian). Dave and Cindy are both active members of the Northwest Bible Church of Hilliard.