James Bownas - Lawyer in Dublin, OH

James Herbert Bownas

Estate planning Attorney at Dublin, OH

About
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Reviews
Cost
Resume

Amazing Experience

Easy to understand, friendly and helpful tone

About James

Learn James’s areas of practice.

Practice areas

Estate planning

35%

Identifying your estate planning objectives, the strategies available to you to accomplish them, and preparing the documents to implement them.

52 years, 400 cases
Business

30%

Helping entrepreneurs get their businesses started, keep growing, overcome legal and tax challenges, and exit positively

52 years, 300 cases
Contracts and agreements

20%

Evaluating your critical agreements to be sure they reflect the deal you negotiated, the terms are fair to you, and you are able to enforce them.

52 years, 600 cases
Real estate

15%

Structuring, documenting, and closing transactions in residential and commercial properties to protect your ownership and to minimize your tax consequences.

52 years, 200 cases

Whenever someone asks me how I'm doing, I reply "I'm grateful!" I always hope they'll ask me what makes me grateful, so that I can tell them -- God has been remarkably good to me. Through an incredible web of "coincidences", I found the most wonderful woman in the world late in my life, and now I'm able to spend the rest of it deeply in love with my soul mate. Together, we have five of the most wonderful children, and seven of the most wonderful grandchildren a person could have. Each of them brings joy to our lives in a special way. I have a remarkable setting in which to practice my profession. The Lane Alton attorneys and staff are supportive, likeable, smart, and motivated to be the best they can be. My work with community service organizations has been profoundly gratifying, including the Columbus and Ohio State Bar Associations, Legal Aid Society of Columbus, The Society of Financial Service Professionals, My Very Own Blanket, Divine Mercy Ministry, The Catholic Foundation, and my parish church. I have been blessed with some of the best clients any lawyer has ever had, both business and personal. Many of them uplift me and inspire me to keep serving.

So, if you care to know how I'm doing ---- I'm grateful!!!

Photos and videos

Licensed for 51 years

State OH

Status Active

Acquired 1971

Updated 11/08/2022

We have not found any instances of professional misconduct for this lawyer.

Contact James

Lane, Alton & Horst, LLC

4248 Tuller Road

Suite 120

Dublin, OH, 43016

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Reviews

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5.0 / 5.0

3 customer reviews

5 Star

100%

4 Star

3 Star

2 Star

1 Star

Posted by anonymous | April 4, 2017

Amazing Experience

James Bownas went above and beyond to help me. I purchased one of the fixed rate deals to go over a contract and during the phone call he was very easy to talk to and was willing to go over the 30 minutes so I could ask all my questions. Not only did he answer all my questions but asked his own questions to better understand the situation. I am so happy I decided to contact him; he saved me money and did it with a smile. I will defiantly contact him again.

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Posted by Dave | March 29, 2016

Easy to understand, friendly and helpful tone

Jim helped me understand my options under a land contract. Our family and financial situations had changed significantly since we had entered into the contract. He fully explained things in terms I understood. He was very patient with me and never made me feel rushed. Using the information and recommendations Jim made I was able to reach an agreement with the seller on the contract that was very much in my favor. I appreciate the help.

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Posted by Mark | May 1, 2015

Did sensational job, helped negotiate acquisition of our building. many other things..

Jim is one of the finest attorney's I have ever worked with. He has been working with our organization for over 7 years. He has helped us in many situations. I have referred him to many others and would highly recommend him to everyone in need of an attorney.

Cost

Resume

AVVO RATING 10.0 (Superb)

Work Experience

Vice President, Secretary, and General Counsel
Cardinal Realty Services, Inc.
1989 - 1996

Lecturer - Pension and Profit Sharing Plans
The American College
1974 - 1976

Tax Return Processor
United States Department of Treasury
1966 - 1968

Education

Harvard University
Juris Doctor
1971

Xavier University
Bachelor of Science, cum laude
1968

Legal Cases

In re Cardinal Industries, Inc. and Affiliates
Successful reorganization and NYSE listing

Associations

Delaware County Foundation Professional Advisors Group
Member
2004 - Present

Catholic Foundation Professional Advisors Group
Member
2002 - Present

Columbus Bar Foundation
Fellow
2000 - Present

Columbus Bar Association, Business Tax Committee
Member
1971 - Present

Columbus Bar Association, Real Property Committee
Member
1971 - Present

Columbus Bar Association, Estate and Gift Tax Committee
Member
1971 - Present

Catholic Foundation Professional Advisors Group
Board of Directors
2009 - 2011

Ohio State Bar Association
Secretary, Banking, Bankruptcy and Commercial Law Section
2006 - 2007

Columbus Bar Association
Chair, Securities Law Committee
2004 - 2005

New Albany Area Chamber of Commerce
Board of Trustees
1999 - 2003

American Corporate Counsel Association, Central Ohio Chapter
Board of Directors
1995 - 1996

View all associations

Languages Spoken

English

Awards

Forrest Sharrock Alumni Award
St. Francis DeSales High School
2013

AV Preeminent 5.0 out of 5 Peer Review Rated
Martindale-Hubbell
2005

Best Lawyers in Central Ohio
Business First
2001

Publications

Columbus Bar Association
Notarizing Deeds and Other Conveyance Instruments
2013

Speaking Engagements

Estate Planning Beyond the Documents -- All the Other Stuff
Estate Planning
2014

Ohio Real Estate Conference
Real Estate
2013

Real Property Law Institute
Real Estate
2013

Notary Wars
Notary Public
2011

Sauter Estate Planning Conference
Federal and Ohio Estate Taxes
2011

Taxes Affecting a Decedent's Estate
Probate
2011

Estate Planning for Intellectual Property
Estate Planning
2011

Certification Exam Review Course
Estate Planning
2008

Is an LLC Right for You
Entity Selection
2007

The Amazing ESOP
Business
2007

Keeping the "Fun" in Funerals
Probate
2007

Asset Protection Strategies
Asset Protection
2007

Adding Asset Protection to Your Practice
Asset Protection
2006

Overcoming Title and Bankruptcy Obstacles During Foreclosure
Ethics
2006

Better Investing National Convention
Estate Planning
2006

Drafting LLC and LLP Agreements in Ohio
Entity Selection
2006

Drafting Effective Wills and Trusts
Estate Planning
2006

Demystifying Asset Protection Vehicles
Asset Protectin
2005

Counseling the Small Business
Business
2005

Ohio Estate Planning Fundamentals
Estate Planning
2004

State and Federal Securities Conference
Securities
2004

Effective Estate Planning for the Small Estate
Estate Planning
2002

Family Limited Partnerships and LLCs
Estate Planning
2002

View all speaking engagements

Attorney endorsements

Received (6)

Given (3)

Endorse James

Jeffrey Perry

Contracts and agreements Attorney | May 24
Relationship: Fellow lawyer in community

"From Mr. Bownas's contributions to Avvo users’ questions, he’s clearly a skilled and highly knowledgeable lawyer. Given his excellent advice, I recommend Mr. Bownas to provide best-in-class legal guidance and representation."

Kwame Christian

Estate planning Attorney | Jan 05
Relationship: Fellow lawyer in community

"Jim is a great lawyer and mentor. He has extensive experience and is well equipped to meet your legal needs."

Chad Hemminger

Estate planning Attorney | May 20
Relationship: Fellow lawyer in community

"Jim is an excellent estate planning attorney. Whenever, I have estate planning or probate issues arise with my own clients, I am always quick to refer them over to Jim. I know that Jim will always give clients the personal attention that they need and deserve. I highly endorse this lawyer!"

Timothy Owens

Probate Attorney | Apr 28
Relationship: Co-worker

"Jim has been very helpful my clients who have probate and estate planning issues."

Thomas Switzer

Estate planning Attorney | Apr 27
Relationship: Co-worker

"I endorse this lawyer. Jim possesses superior experience and expertise. Jim has a wonderful way with people and he has a knack for explaining complex ideas in a clear and understandable way."

Nicholas Andersen

Business Attorney | Jul 13
Relationship: Worked for lawyer

"Jim has forgotten more about being a lawyer than most of us will ever know! I worked with Jim for three years and he was always my sounding-board. A great attorney."

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