Mark Decker

Emeritus / Former Principal

614-744-4101

Mark’s friendship, leadership, mentorship, and legal knowledge have been appreciated more than words can say and he will be missed more than he knows. Enjoy your retirement, old friend. You certainly deserve it.

A founder of the Firm, Mark retired at the end of 2021 after almost 50 years of practice. He had a significant construction and mechanics’ lien practice, but also had a thriving general practice. He is experienced in business formation and acquisition, general corporate, and dispute work and all phases of real estate, estate planning, and probate law. Mark is also experienced in most areas of construction, corporate and civil litigation, and dispute resolution.

Mark was born and raised in the Columbus Area. He attended what is now Ohio Dominican University, where he majored in political science and graduated cum laude in 1970. Mark received his law degree in 1973 from The Ohio State University Moritz College of Law, where he again graduated cum laude. While attending the College of Law, Mark received The Order of the Coif.

As one of the primary drafters of Ohio’s current mechanics’ lien statutes, Mark lectured frequently on mechanics’ lien issues, and construction-related topics for bar associations, and numerous construction associations. He served as the chairman of both the Construction Law Committee of the Columbus Bar Association and the Law Group of the Builders Exchange of Central Ohio.

Mark was an active member in numerous construction-related organizations and associations. He belonged to the Builder’s Exchange of Central Ohio, the Building Industry Association of Central Ohio, the Home Builders Association of Ohio, and the American Subcontractors Association of Central Ohio, to name a few. He is also a past construction panel member of the American Arbitration Association.

Mark is an experienced arbitrator and mediator, especially in construction related matters including commercial construction, public projects, and residential/consumer disputes.

Areas of Practice

Construction:

Contract Drafting, Editing and Review; Construction Project Dispute Resolution; Consumer Sales Practices Act and Home Solicitation Sales Act Claims; Mechanics’ Liens Issues; Arbitration/Arbitrator; Mediation/Mediator; Construction Litigation; Construction Collection

Corporate and General Business Formation, Planning and Representation:

Entity Formation – Corporations/LLCs/Partnerships; Shareholder/Owner management agreements; Succession planning; Transactional representation; Sales, purchases and mergers; Succession planning

Estate Planning, Trusts and Probate:

Wills; Estates; Guardianships and Conservatorship; Adoptions; Name changes; Probate litigation; Minors’ and Wrongful Death Settlements; Estate tax avoidance planning; Planning to avoid Probate; Financial Powers of Attorney; Health Care Directives/Living wills and Health Care Powers of Attorney; Planning for Disabled Family Member; Elder Care Planning; Medicaid Planning

Real Estate; Landlord/Tenant:

Lease Drafting, Editing and Review; Evictions; Acquisition and Sales; Commercial and residential leases; Zoning; Real estate tax appeals