Lauren M. Johnson

Lauren is a partner in the Vorys Columbus office and a member of the tax and probate group.  Her practice is focused on state and local taxes, with an emphasis on real property tax valuation disputes and appeals.  Lauren has represented clients across the country and in Ohio before numerous county boards of revision, the Ohio Board of Tax Appeals, Ohio Appellate Courts and the Ohio Supreme Court.  Lauren also assists clients in real estate transactions, including helping with preparing real estate tax provisions utilized in underwriting, drafting real estate tax provisions in sale and lease agreements and pursuing the resulting real property tax cases.

Lauren has implemented innovative service offerings, process improvements and ways to better incorporate data into real property valuation.  Lauren has worked to develop and improve Vorys’ proprietary software to track property assessments and manage active appeals across the country. 

Career highlights include:

• Representing large national apartment owners before the Ohio Board of Tax Appeals, Ohio Appellate Courts and the Ohio Supreme Court
• Obtaining significant property tax reductions for a national grocery store in Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky, Ohio and Michigan
• Managing the nationwide portfolio of a Fortune 500 company across the country and pursuing reductions across the country in real estate taxes in California, Kansas, North Carolina, Ohio and Texas
• Representing a large regional restaurant chain in a sale-lease back transaction and assisting in mitigating increases in real estate taxes across the portfolio

Lauren received her J.D. magna cum laude from Capital University Law School, where she was a member of the Order of the Curia.  She received her B.S. from Miami University.

Honors & Recognitions

The Best Lawyers in America: Ones to Watch, Tax Law, 2021-2025

Columbus CEO, Best Lawyers, Tax Law, 2024

Professional & Community Activities

Ohio State Bar Association, Taxation Law Committee, Property Tax Sub-Committee Co-Chair, 2012 to present

Commercial Real Estate Women (CREW) Columbus, Community Outreach Co-Chair, 2018-2019; Member, 2015 to present; President, 2021