Charles M. Elsea

  • Partner
Elsea, Charles M.
  • Partner

Phone:

Fax:

740-654-2521

Charles graduated from Concordia University Chicago in 2006, magna cum laude, with a double major in history and political science. In 2009, he earned his juris doctorate from the Moritz College of Law at The Ohio State University, and he was admitted to practice law in Ohio the same year. While at Ohio State, Charles served as a managing editor of the Ohio State Law Journal. 

Charles focuses his practice on litigating disputes involving probate and trust matters, fiduciary issues, and contentious estates, in addition to general civil litigation matters. He also advises clients handling noncontentious probate and trust administration. Having briefed and argued appeals ranging from administrative appeals at governmental agencies to the Ohio Supreme Court, Charles is also a skilled appellate advocate for his clients.

Charles is a member of the Fairfield County Port Authority and the Board of Park Commissioners for the City of Lancaster. He is a past-president of Big Brothers Big Sisters of Fairfield County and previously served as a member of the Lancaster City Schools Board of Education Policy Committee. For five years, Charles served as the legal advisor to the Lancaster High School Mock Trial Team. Charles resides in Lancaster with his wife, Rachel, and their children.

Areas Of Practice

  • Trust, Estate, and Probate Litigation
  • Estate and Probate Administration
  • Trusts
  • Institutional and Professional Fiduciaries
  • Closely-held Business Litigation
  • Real Property Litigation
  • Appellate Practice
  • Agriculture
  • Mediation

Bar Admissions

  • Ohio, 2009
  • U.S. District Court Southern District of Ohio, 2010
  • U.S. District Court Northern District of Ohio, 2015
  • U.S. Court of Appeals 6th Circuit, 2016
  • United States Supreme Court, 2020

Education

  • The Ohio State University, Michael E. Moritz College of Law, Columbus, Ohio
    • J.D. - 2009
  • Concordia University Chicago
    • B.A. - 2006
    • Major: Political Science & History

Classes/Seminars

  • Should Attorneys “Like” #SocialMedia? Issues in Professionalism and Ethics in the Social Media Age, 2014, Fairfield County Bar Association, 2014
  • Basics of Labor Law, Fairfield County Bar Association, 2010
  • 2018 Ethics and Professionalism Review, Fairfield County Bar Association, 2018
  • Trust, Estate, and Probate Litigation, Central Ohio Estate Planning Council, 2019

Professional Associations and Memberships

  • Fairfield County Bar Association
  • Ohio State Bar Association
  • Columbus Bar Association