Brenda Wolff specializes in estate planning, trust and estate administration, guardianships, and federal and state taxation, encompassing income, gift, estate, and generation-skipping transfer tax planning. She also has experience in real estate matters related to estate and trust planning and administration.
Principal practice areas
- Estate planning
- Estate administration
- Federal and state taxation
- Elder law
- Guardianships
- Special needs planning
- Medicaid eligibility
Representative experience
- Drafting of wills, trusts, health care powers of attorney, financial powers of attorney, living wills and other estate planning documents
- Preparation of individual, trust and estate income tax returns
- Counseling of executors, administrators and trustees in the administration of estates
- Representation in the appointment of a guardian for an incompetent adult
- Counseling of elderly persons concerning Medicaid eligibility standards
- Counseling of fiduciaries on the payment of debts in insolvent estates
Bar admissions
- Ohio Supreme Court (1994)
- Massachusetts (2001)
Career and educational background
- Member, Nicola, Gudbranson & Cooper (2012-present); associate (2002-2011)
- Nexus unit supervisor, Audit and Collections Division, Idaho State Tax Commission (1998-2000)
- Cleveland-Marshall College of Law, Cleveland State University (JD, 1994)
- Cleveland State University (BBA, accounting, 1991)
Professional and civic activities
- Member, Ohio State Bar Association
- Member, Cleveland Metropolitan Bar Association, Estate Planning, Probate and Trust Law section
- Member, Geauga County Bar Association
- Member, Estate Planning Council of Cleveland
- Volunteer, Legal Aid Society of Cleveland
- Volunteer, Resource Center, Cuyahoga County Probate Court
Publications and interviews
- Author, 'Why a Healthcare Directive is More Critical Now Than Ever,' Geauga County Maple Leaf (Spring 2020)
- Author, 'Leaving a Lasting Legacy through Charitable Gifts,' NGC Legal Insights (Fall 2019)
- Author, 'Wills May Be Contested for Many Reasons: Challenges Are Similar to Civil Litigation,' NGC Legal Insights (Summer 2019)
- Co-author, 'Five Common Estate Planning Mistakes,' NGC Legal Insights (Spring 2017)
Contact the Firm
