Meet Thomas Sauter of The Sauter Law Firm

Today we’d like to introduce you to Thomas Sauter

Hi Thomas , please kick things off for us with an introduction to yourself and your story.
I graduated from Northern Kentucky University, Chase College of Law in 2013 and passed the bar that same year. After a couple different entry-level positions, I signed on in 2016 with the Garretson Resolution Group (GRG), a legal services firm that was starting a new class-action settlement division. The work was a wild ride with big names in political communications and law getting involved. I gained a lot of confidence and learned not to fear novel or seemingly complicated legal issues.

In January of 2019, shortly after GRG was acquired by a much larger legal services outfit, I was laid off on my birthday. The new organization was going through the usual effort of streamlining following a big merger–a lot of young associates were affected.

I took my involuntary departure as a sign that I needed to be in control of my own professional destiny. I started volunteering with ProSeniors, a legal nonprofit that serves the legal needs of people over the age of sixty. During my thousands of phone calls I answered on ProSenior’s legal hotline, I noticed there was a real lack of attorneys in private practice available to help people in this age group. Lots of attorneys dabble in estate planning or handle estate administration as a part of a larger practice. However, almost no one at that time was focused on the more complicated stuff handled in Probate Court, especially guardianships.

As a result of my experiences at ProSeniors, I returned to Westwood with a plan. I would open a specialty probate practice in March of 2019 focused on serving my friends and neighbors in Cincinnati. Westwood and the west side of Cincinnati have a large population of long-term residents over the age of 50, people who have lived here with their families for decades or even their whole lives. News articles have talked about the “silver tsunami” of Baby Boomers entering their retirement years. This demographic swell would need lawyers to address their legal needs, often nebulously referred to as “elder law.”

Five years later, my practice is growing fast. I have an incredible staff of two administrators, an associate, and a paralegal exclusively focused on probate and elder law work. Our hundreds of clients trust us to handle everything from a simple will, to complicated trusts, to contested guardianships and breach of trust litigations. My firm has developed a reputation for taking on probate matters other attorneys deemed too complicated or contentious to unravel . We are fearless and thrive on the challenges our clients bring to us. I am proud of the work I and my team are doing and look forward to the next 10 years of practice in this rapidly changing area of the law.

In addition to the work, opening my office in Westwood has allowed me to work within walking distance of my family’s home, schools, and the school library where my partner works at. My office in the heart of Westwood has also provided front-row seats to the revitalization of the community. I’ve watched more and more businesses move into the neighborhood and met new families arriving to live here. One of my favorite parts of my practice is the flexibility I have to accept other matters outside my usual focus. I notarize land records for local businesses or respond to the odd anxious call about a notice or subpoena someone received and doesn’t understand. I’ve advised Westwood non-profits and answered questions from neighbors on contracts. My friends appreciate having someone nearby they can trust to answer their questions, or at least point them in the right direction if I can’t help.

Every day brings something new and I can’t wait to see what happens next.

I’m sure it wasn’t obstacle-free, but would you say the journey has been fairly smooth so far?
One of the big challenges of opening a new business is that first adjective, “new.” I constantly have to do something for the first time or find someone to help me with it. When you start a new job at an established company, you don’t have to hire a payroll company to pay you, lease office space to work in, subscribe to software to track cases, buy books to do research, or acquire printers to print documents. It is a constant state of trial an error, of balancing the practice of law against the practical needs of running the business.

Fortunately, I had great help join me over the years and the many hands do lighten load. But it takes a long time to find the right people and the right tools to run the business.

We’ve been impressed with The Sauter Law Firm, but for folks who might not be as familiar, what can you share with them about what you do and what sets you apart from others?
We are a west side law firm focused almost exclusively on probate and elder law issues. Our work can be divided into three big categories:

1.) Estate Planning, including wills, trusts, transfer on death designations, and deeds.

2.) Estate Admnistration – Helping clients transfer assets, settle debts, and other issues after a loved one dies both in and out of court. We also have a growing practice

3.) Probate Litigation – When people misbehave or are accused of doing something unlawful that touches one of my areas of focus, I get involved. My firm has handled contested trusts, will contests, opposed guardianships, sued for undue influence, and a host of other niche probate issues filed in legal handbooks under “this never happens but here’s how it works.”

I am definitely most proud of our work on complicated cases that other attorneys won’t touch. I have a reputation among my peers to be fearless in approaching probate matters.

What sets us apart is definitely our approach to the law. There are no dim offices filled with leather-bound books. I don’t dourly wear a suit to the office each day. My clients often point out, thankfully, that I don’t “act” or “talk” like a lawyer. I encourage people that have been afraid of or anxious about contacting a lawyer to call or meet with us. I think they will be presently surprised how easy we are to work with.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://queencityadvocacy.com/