Morgan Lyles

Morgan comes from a big family - her mom is one of eight and her grandmother was the oldest of fourteen. With so many aunts, uncles, and cousins, Morgan is all too familiar with the dynamics that can come with various family members of different generations. Her previous experience as legal counsel for the Ohio Department of Agriculture, combined with her current role as an attorney that focuses on estate planning, gives her broad experience to many of the challenges families face in planning for the future of their farms.

Credentials

I have a law degree and am admitted to the Ohio Bar. Additionally, I am the current Chair of Ohio State Bar Association's Agricultural Law Committee, a member of Ohio Farm Bureau, and a board member for the Fairfield County Foundation.

Experience

Morgan's experience in farm transition planning has ranged everywhere from traditional estate planning that includes wills, trusts, and powers of attorneys, to business formation and evolution - whether that be sales of interest in a business, sales of equipment, transfers of interest, or disputes among members, and finally to real estate considerations - complex deed work for lot splits, easements, leases, and sales.  Some representative examples include the purchase and transfer of interests in three separate LLCs from one generation of farmers to the next, negotiating exchange agreements to facilitate the division of land so that beneficiaries each own parcels individually, rather than collectively, and the preparation of farm leases to provide certainty and clarity for one generation farming land that is owed by another generation. Morgan has also negotiated a commercial lease for a farm grocery store, and helped clients to form a non-profits or incorporate charitable giving into their planning.