We limit our practice...
but never our commitment.

William R. Graf
William R. Graf

Graf & Stiebel

425 Walnut Street

Suite 2400

Cincinnati, OH 45202

Telephone: 513.618.7813

Fax: 513.618.7814

wgraf@grafstiebel.com


Bill represents privately-owned businesses, individuals, and fiduciaries in the areas of estate and trust administration, estate planning, business law, estate and gift tax controversies, and contested trust and estate proceedings. He believes it is important for lawyers to be both students and teachers, and he devotes significant time to both. Bill understands that exceptional results in any legal matter stem from knowledge of the finer points.

Education
  • Walnut Hills High School, Diploma, 1968
    Cincinnati, Ohio
  • Denison University, B.A., History, 1972
    Granville, Ohio
  • The Ohio State University College of Law, J.D.
    (cum laude), 1976, Columbus, Ohio
Bar Admissions
  • Ohio 1976
  • United States District Court - Southern District of Ohio 1976
  • United States Tax Court 1986
Professional Affiliations
  • Cincinnati, Ohio, and American Bar Associations
  • Member of OSBA Estate Planning, Trust, and Probate Law Section Council
  • Fellow, American College of Trust and Estate Counsel (Estate and Gift Tax Committee; Business Planning Committee)
  • Cincinnati Estate Planning Council (President, 2008-2009)
Recognitions
  • Best Lawyers, Lawyer of the Year, 2012, Litigation - Trusts & Estates, Cincinnati
  • U.S. News and World Report – Best Lawyers, Best Law Firms in Cincinnati, Tier 1 in Trusts and Estates Law
  • Highest rating (AV) from the attorney and law firm rating service, Martindale-Hubbell
  • OSBA Board Certified in Estate Planning, Trust, and Probate Law
  • Listed in The Best Lawyers in America in categories of “Trusts and Estates” and “Litigation – Trusts and Estates”
  • Recognized by Thomson Reuters as an Ohio Super Lawyer, as well as one of the top 50 Cincinnati Super Lawyers and one of the top 100 Ohio Super Lawyers
  • Recognized by Cincy Magazine as a Leading Lawyer in the field of Trust law
  • 2011 Trustees’ Award, Cincinnati Bar Association
Recent Professional Contributions
  • Presentation regarding Estate Planning in a Time of Legislative Dysfunction, sponsored by the Cincinnati Bar Association, 52nd Annual Southwestern Ohio Tax Institute, December, 2011
  • Presentation Regarding Federal Estate Tax: Recent Developments and Practical Implications, OSBA 2011 Annual Convention, May 6, 2011, Columbus, Ohio
  • Selected Income Tax Issues for Estates and Trusts (including Carryover Basis for 2010 Decedents), Probate Law Journal of Ohio, March/April 2011
  • Presentation regarding Selected Income Tax Issues for Estates and Trusts (including Carryover Basis for 2010 Decedents), sponsored by the Cincinnati Bar Association, 28th Annual Advanced Estate Planning Institute, February 11, 2011
  • Presentation regarding Federal Estate and Income Tax Update and Planning Strategies, sponsored by Cincinnati Children’s Hospital, November 18, 2010
  • Panel presentation regarding Audits & Appeals of Gift & Estate Tax Cases, ACTEC 2010 Ohio meeting, Cleveland, Ohio
  • Instructor with Mark Stiebel of an 18-week course on Estate Planning and Drafting, sponsored by the Cincinnati Bar Association, presented January through May, 2010
  • Presentation regarding Estate Tax Apportionment sponsored by the Ohio State Bar Association, Marvin R. Pliskin Advanced Probate and Estate Planning Seminar, September 11, 2009
  • Presentation regarding Interplay Among IRC Sections 2033, 2035, 2036, and 2043 In FLP/FLLC Estate Tax Inclusion, ACTEC 2009 Ohio Meeting, Columbus, Ohio
  • Estate Tax Apportionment - silence may be golden, Probate Law Journal of Ohio, May/June 2009
  • Presentation regarding Estate Tax Apportionment Clauses: Better To Say A Lot or Say A Little?, sponsored by the Cincinnati Bar Association, 26th Annual Advanced Estate Planning Institute, February 27, 2009.
  • Instructor with Mark Stiebel of an 18-week course on Estate Planning and Drafting, sponsored by the Cincinnati Bar Association, presented January through May, 2008
  • Presentation regarding Drafting and Discussion Points for Ohio Estate Tax, sponsored by the Cincinnati Bar Association, October, 2007
  • Transfer Tax Valuation – It Helps to Have a Good Imagination, Probate Law Journal of Ohio, September/October, 2007
  • Presentation regarding Hard To Value Assets:  Thinking Inside The Box, sponsored by the Ohio State Bar Association, Marvin R. Pliskin Advanced Probate and Estate Planning Seminar, September 14, 2007
  • Presentation regarding Foundational Principles in Federal Transfer Tax Valuation, sponsored by the University of Kentucky, 34th Annual Midwest/Midsouth Estate Planning Institute, July 21, 2007
Community Activities
  • Member of Board of Trustees (Chair, Planned Giving/Major Gifts Committee) Bethesda Foundation, Inc.
  • Member of Planned Giving Committee, Cincinnati Zoo and Botanical Garden.