White, Vincent

Attorney Janet L. Lowder has devoted her career to defining, promoting, and protecting the legal rights of the elderly, and of persons with mental and physical disabilities. Janet's activities have encompassed individual representation, litigation on a local and state-wide scale, representation of agencies and county programs serving people with disabilities and the elderly, legislation, and publication in professional journals. She received her law degree, summa cum laude, from Cleveland Marshall College of Law. Janet is a recognized authority on Medicaid issues and estate planning for families with special needs. She is a member of the National Academy of Elder Law Attorneys and is a Certified Elder Law Attorney (CELA) by the National Elder Law Foundation.

Janet is one of the founders of, and counsel to, Community Fund Management Foundation, a non-profit organization that provides the Master Trust and the Pooled Medicaid Payback Trust for individuals with disabilities. She was the recipient of the Foundation's 1999 Amicus Award, as well as the Cuyahoga County Board of DD's 2000 Top Hat Award. Janet also serves on the Bioethics Committee of the Hattie Larlham Foundation and is Co-Vice Chair of the Long-Term Care, Medicaid and Special Needs Trust Committee of the Real Property, Trust and Estate Law Section of the American Bar Association. Currently, she is the President of the Special Needs Alliance, a national network of lawyers dedicated to disability and public benefits law. Janet has been named one of Ohio's Super Lawyers since 2003 and Best Lawyers in America®** since 2005, and was named Best Lawyers' 2013 Cleveland Trusts and Estates "Lawyer of the Year." She has also been listed among Cleveland's Top Rated Lawyers by LexisNexis® and Martindale-Hubbell® and named one of the Top 50 Women Lawyers in Ohio in 2005 and 2006.

Janet often speaks on topics related to Disability and Elder Law. See our Events Calendar for upcoming events.