Hickman & Lowder Company

What Hickman & Lowder Company does

Hickman Lowder Lidrbauch & Welch Co., L.P.A. (operating under the brand Hickman & Lowder) is a Cleveland-headquartered law firm founded in 1979 by Franklin J. Hickman and Janet L. Lowder. The firm focuses on three interlocking practice areas: special needs planning for children and adults with disabilities, elder law (including Medicaid eligibility planning, long-term care, guardianship, and care advocacy), and estate planning and administration. It serves individual consumer clients and families across Northeast Ohio and throughout the state from four offices in Independence (headquarters), Sheffield Village, Mentor, and Cuyahoga Falls. Hickman & Lowder positions itself as the first Ohio law firm dedicated specifically to disability law, and the practice has built a multi-decade book of recurring client work tied to ongoing trust administration, Medicaid eligibility, and life-cycle planning for vulnerable populations.

The firm is staffed by approximately 24–26 people including roughly 8 attorneys and 5 paralegals, with two of its attorneys — Janet L. Lowder and Elena A. Lidrbauch — holding Certified Elder Law Attorney (CELA) credentials from the National Elder Law Foundation, placing the firm among a small group of credentialed elder-law practices in the state. The firm is a member of the Special Needs Alliance and the National Academy of Elder Law Attorneys, and its attorneys hold individual recognitions including Best Lawyers "Lawyer of the Year" for Elder Law and Education Law (Cleveland), AV Preeminent rating from Martindale-Hubbell, and a Lifetime Achievement Award from the Ohio Association of County DD Boards. Revenue is generated through professional service fees (billable hours and fixed-fee engagements) for services spanning special needs trusts, pooled trusts, Medicaid payback trusts, guardianships and conservatorships, probate, and settlement services for personal injury attorneys. Payment options include credit card (with 1.5% surcharge, waived for retainers), debit card, e-check, and Affirm financing.

The go-to-market is sales-led and referral-driven: attorneys, financial advisers, parent groups, and support groups routinely refer cases, supplemented by free community seminars, educational events (Trustee School, Elder Law Talk Series, SPED Talk Series), a blog, a monthly newsletter ("Connections"), and active presence across Facebook, X, LinkedIn, YouTube, and Instagram. The firm participates in an ecosystem anchored by Community Fund Management Foundation and Community Fund Ohio — co-founded by Janet L. Lowder — which provide pooled special needs trusts and Medicaid payback trust services that complement the firm's practice. The firm is mid-transition: founder Hickman retired from active practice in February 2024 while remaining as Of Counsel, Lidrbauch's full-time retirement is set for July 4, 2026, and the firm is bringing on successors including Amanda M. Buzo (returned August 2024), Riley A. Williams (promoted October 2024), and Matthew O. Lyons (joined 2026).

Name

Hickman & Lowder Company

Legal name

Hickman Lowder Lidrbauch & Welch Co., L.P.A.

Website

https://hickman-lowder.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1979

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Hickman & Lowder is a Cleveland-area law firm founded in 1979 specializing in elder law, estate planning, and special needs planning for individuals with disabilities, the elderly, and their families across Ohio, with two of only 39 CELAs in Ohio on staff and four offices across Northeast Ohio.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Elder Law and Special Needs Legal Services

NAICS

Offices of Lawyers (541110)

SIC

Services-Legal Services (8111)

akta.pro primary industry

Family & Private Client (Trusts & Estates) Law (BPAHAAAK)

akta.pro secondary industry

Benefits, Insurance & Long-Term Care Planning Navigation (Medicare/Medicaid/LTC) (HLADALAI)

Keywords

• Elder law services
• Special needs planning
• Estate planning
• Medicaid planning
• Trust administration

Headquarters

HQ city

Cleveland

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices4 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Legal Services - Professional Fees: The firm generates revenue through legal fees for services including elder law, Medicaid planning, estate planning, special needs trusts, guardianships, care advocacy, probate, and trust administration. Fees appear to be billable hours or fixed-fee arrangements typical of law firms, with payment options including credit cards, debit cards, e-check, and Affirm financing.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Hickman Lowder Lidrbauch & Welch Co., L.P.A. is a Cleveland-based Ohio law firm that provides legal services in elder law, special needs planning, and estate planning to individuals, families, and caregivers across Northeast Ohio and the state. Core practice areas include legal services for adults with disabilities, children with special needs, elder law, estate planning, trust and estate administration, Medicaid eligibility planning and asset protection, guardianships and conservatorships, probate, and settlement services for personal injury attorneys. The firm was founded in 1979 and bills clients through professional fees (hourly or fixed-fee arrangements) with payment options including credit/debit cards, e-check, and Affirm financing.

Product overview

Hickman Lowder Lidrbauch & Welch Co., L.P.A. is a Northeast Ohio law firm founded in 1979 offering a comprehensive suite of legal services centered on estate planning, elder law, and special needs planning. The firm operates as a single integrated legal practice with multiple service areas that work together to serve clients across four core practice areas: Adults With Disabilities Legal Services, Children With Special Needs Legal Services, Elder Law Services, and Estate Planning. Supporting these core areas are specialized services including Trust And Estate Administration, Special Needs Estate Planning (featuring special needs trusts, pooled trusts, and Medicaid payback trusts), Medicaid Eligibility Planning And Asset Protection, Care Advocacy Services, Legal Guardianships And Conservatorships, Probate, and Settlement Services For Attorneys. The firm is known for its focus on special needs trust administration, having been the first Ohio law firm to focus specifically on disability law.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Adults With Disabilities Legal Services Legal representation and advocacy for adults with disabilities, covering Medicaid planning, guardianship, special needs trust creation, and estate planning to protect benefits and quality of life.
• Children With Special Needs Legal Services Legal services for families of children with special needs, including special needs estate planning, trust creation, government benefits protection, transition planning, and IEP/special education advocacy.
• Elder Law Services Comprehensive elder law practice including Medicaid planning, long-term care planning, guardianship, conservatorship, and estate planning for seniors and their caregivers.
• Estate Planning Estate planning services for individuals and families, including wills, trusts, powers of attorney, living wills, and advance directives.
• Trust And Estate Administration Administration of trusts and estates, including preparation of probate documents, estate tax returns, fiduciary income tax returns, and asset distributions for executors and trustees.
• Special Needs Estate Planning Specialized estate planning for individuals with disabilities, including first-party and third-party special needs trusts, pooled trusts, and Medicaid payback trusts designed to protect government benefits.
• Medicaid Eligibility Planning And Asset Protection Medicaid eligibility planning including asset limit strategies, penalty period analysis for asset transfers, and asset protection techniques for long-term care.
• Care Advocacy Services Care coordination and advocacy services connecting families with resources, monitoring loved ones' care, and assisting with legal and financial planning for care needs.
• Legal Guardianships And Conservatorships Legal representation for obtaining or defending guardianships and conservatorships for individuals who cannot manage their own affairs.
• Probate Probate court representation for guardians, executors, and trustees, handling estate settlements and court proceedings.
• Settlement Services For Attorneys Specialized services for personal injury attorneys including Medicare set-aside arrangements, special needs trusts, Medicaid payback trusts, lien resolution, and 468B Qualified Settlement Funds.

Named customers5 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles5 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Six partnerships are on record, tiered minor and core.

• Council GardensminorOthersEthan A. Welch serves as Treasurer and board member of Council Gardens, an affordable senior housing facility located in Cleveland Heights, Ohio. This represents the attorney's personal community involvement rather than a formal firm partnership.
• Welcome HouseminorOthersEthan A. Welch serves as a Board Member of Welcome House. This represents personal community involvement rather than a formal firm partnership.
• The Morgan ConservatoryminorOthersFranklin J. Hickman serves as a Board Member of The Morgan Conservatory. This represents personal community involvement rather than a formal firm partnership.
• Benjamin RoseminorOthersGeorge O. Aljoe serves on the Benjamin Rose Young Professional Council. This represents personal community involvement rather than a formal firm partnership.
• Community Fund Management FoundationcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCo-founded by Hickman Lowder attorney Janet L. Lowder, Community Fund Management Foundation provides the Master Trust and the Pooled Medicaid Payback Trust for individuals with disabilities. The foundation is a nonprofit organization that provides trust services complementary to the firm's special needs planning practice.
• Community Fund OhiocoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCommunity Fund Ohio was co-founded by Hickman Lowder attorney Janet L. Lowder and strives to enhance the lives of individuals with disabilities by protecting their eligibility for government benefits and funding their needs through pooled special needs trusts, grants, and community education. Amanda M. Buzo served as Executive Director.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Others

• Special Needs Alliance: National network of disability law attorneys of which Hickman Lowder is a member. Not a direct competitor but an ecosystem enabler; membership signals peer credentials and generates referral flow among member firms.

Regional players

• Reminger Co., LPA: Ohio-based regional law firm with offices across the state offering estate planning, elder law, and trust administration services that overlap with Hickman Lowder's core practice areas. Primarily competes in the same Ohio geography.

Direct peers

• Sammons Bollinger Law Firm: Special needs and disability law firm providing special needs trusts, Medicaid planning, and estate planning for individuals with disabilities and their families. Comparable in service scope and target clientele.
• Borson Law Group: California-based elder law and special needs planning firm offering special needs trusts, Medi-Cal planning, and estate planning. Comparable in practice mix and client segments despite different geography.
• Posternock Apffel PLLC: Texas-based law firm focused on special needs planning, disability law, and elder law. Closely comparable in service offering (special needs trusts, Medicaid planning, guardianship) and target client base of individuals with disabilities and their families.
• Morgan & Weisbrod, PLLC: Texas-based elder law and special needs planning firm offering special needs trusts, Medicaid planning, estate planning, and probate services. Strongly comparable in niche practice focus and client segments.
• The Protection Law Group LLP: Special needs planning and elder law firm with similar focus on special needs trusts, government benefit preservation, and family advocacy. Comparable in client demographics and practice specialization.
• Littman Krooks LLP: New York-based law firm specializing in special needs planning, elder law, and estate planning. Directly comparable in practice mix (special needs trusts, Medicaid planning, guardianships, estate administration) and client segments (families with special needs children, elders, individuals with disabilities).

Broad incumbents

• Thompson Hine LLP: Major Cleveland-headquartered law firm offering private clients practice including estate planning, trusts, and elder law. Overlaps with Hickman Lowder's estate planning and fiduciary work but as part of a much broader full-service practice.
• Vorys, Sater, Seymour and Pease LLP: Large Ohio-based full-service law firm with a trust and estate practice that overlaps Hickman Lowder's elder law and estate planning work. Broader portfolio but partial overlap in high-net-worth estate planning and fiduciary matters.

Market position

Strengths1 record

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xtwitter.com/hickmanlowder
• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UCNAb1HMWiQp9muHnNKji7zw
• Facebookfacebook.com/HickmanLowder
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/hickman-&-lowder-co.-l.p.a./about
• Instagraminstagram.com/hickmanlowderlidrbauchwelchco

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles8 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Hickman & Lowder Company