James R. Bright

Biography

Jim Bright has practiced law since 1976. His practice is focused on probate and trust administration; estate planning for individuals and family groups; estate, gift and generation-skipping transfer tax planning; charitable gift planning; income tax planning; and providing counsel to trustees of private foundations on administration, initial formation and tax qualification. Jim served as President of Spieth, Bell, McCurdy & Newell Co., L.P.A. after 2009.

Jim is a Fellow of the American College of Trust and Estate Counsel and is listed in Best Lawyers in America. He has served on the Board of Directors/Trustees of many charitable institutions in Cleveland, including The Cleveland Museum of Natural History and the Cleveland Play House. He has also been a member of the Princeton University Planned Giving Advisory Committee since 2002. Jim has also served as Honorary Consul for the Duchy of Luxembourg since 1995, and has been a partner in Cleveland Social Venture Partners since 2004. Jim was also President of the Cleveland Racquet Club in 1982.

Education

• Georgetown University Law Center, 1976, J.D.
• Princeton University, 1971, A.B.

Admissions & Associations

• State of Ohio
• American Bar Association
  
  • Member, Real Property, Probate and Trust Law Section
  • Member, General Practice Section
  • Member, Taxation Section
• Ohio State Bar Association
  
  • Member, Estate Planning, Probate and Trust Law Section
• Cleveland Metropolitan Bar Association
  
  • Member, Estate Planning, Probate and Trust Law Section
• Member, Estate Planning Council of Cleveland

Professional Involvement

• Fellow, The American College of Trust and Estate Counsel (ACTEC)

Awards & Honors

• Martindale-Hubbell^® AV Preeminent^®

Recognized in The Best Lawyers in America® since 2006 for Practice Areas:

• • Trusts and Estates

• Ohio Super Lawyers® 2006-present

• Cleveland’s Top Rated Lawyers

Community Activities

• Investment Committee, Chair, Cleveland Museum of Natural History (2010–present)
• Board of Trustees, Cleveland Museum of Natural History (2004–present)
• Cleveland Social Venture Partners (2004–present)
• Planned Giving Advisory Committee, Princeton University (2002–present)
• Foundation Committee, Plymouth Church of Shaker Heights
• Honorary Consul, Duchy of Luxembourg (1995–present)

Articles & Presentations

• Considerations for Individual Professional Trustees, The Estate Planning Council of Cleveland, January 2020

• Social Security, The CMBA’s Estate Planning, Probate & Trust Law Section’s 44th Annual Estate Planning Institute, 2017

• Social Security, Ohio ACTEC Meeting, 2017