David S. Banas

David S. Banas is a Principal and the head of McCarthy Lebit's Elder & Special Needs Law practice, and a member of the firm's Trusts & Estates practice. With more than a decade of experience focused exclusively on the practice of elder law and special needs law, David serves elderly clients and the parents or guardians of people with special needs by assisting them with planning for emergent and/or long-term healthcare issues and helping them establish the proper legal arrangements to ensure financial stability into the future.

David assists clients entering long-term care or assisted living communities by guiding them through the Medicaid process, protecting the home and retirement assets, and ensuring that spouses that remain in the community have the assets they need to live a dignified life. For his special needs clients, David helps families establish special needs plans so that they can care for their loved ones through guardianships, special needs trusts, Medicaid and Social Security, or other legal instruments for long-term planning.

David has been listed for several years in Super Lawyers and Best Lawyers in America for his high caliber work in Elder Law, Trusts, and Estates, and was named Best Lawyers ® Cleveland Lawyer of the Year for Elder Law in 2023. A member of the Ohio State Bar Association and the National Academy of Elder Law Attorneys (NAELA), David is an in-demand public speaker on all issues related to Elder Law and Special Needs Law. He serves as a leader in the community, currently as advisory member of Solon Community Living, and as a past board member and President of the National Alliance of Mental Illness (NAMI) Geauga Chapter and past board member of United Cerebral Palsy of Greater Cleveland.