Practice Areas

• Wills
  A written, executed, and witnessed document providing for how your personal assets will be distributed at your death. Wills also help to name an executor that will be responsible for administering your estate through the Probate Court after your death.
  
  In Ohio, if a person dies without a will, Ohio law governs who will receive that person's property and who will administer the estate through Probate Court. Having a will allows you to make those decisions as opposed to Ohio law.

• Trusts
  Trusts are another avenue to dispose of your property after your death. The most common type of trust is a revocable trust (also known as a living trust) which is freely revocable during your life. A revocable trust works much like a will in that it provides how all assets held in your trust will be distributed at your death. A revocable trust also will name a successor trustee, which is much like an executor under a will, who will administer your trust and make distributions. During your life, you act as trustee and have complete control over all property that is in the trust. Any property held in trust will avoid probate at your death which helps save in court costs and attorney fees.

• Power of Attorney
  A written and executed document by which one person (the principal) appoints another person (the attorney-in-fact) to act on his or her behalf to perform certain acts while that person is living. The document outlines the scope of the power given and gives notice to third parties of the attorney-in-fact's authority to act on behalf of the principal.

• Health Care Power of Attorney
  A written and executed document appointing a person to act on your behalf with regard to healthcare decisions should you not be able to make those decisions yourself or should you need assistance in accessing medical records, making medical decisions, etc.

• Living Will
  A written and executed document giving your direction to healthcare providers regarding the withdrawal of life prolonging support in the event you suffer from a terminal condition.

Probate is the court-supervised process of administering the estate of a deceased person. The process includes identifying and gathering the assets of the deceased person, paying all outstanding claims against the deceased person, and distributing the deceased's assets according to Ohio law or according to the decedent's will. The length of the process depends on the size of the estate, who the beneficiaries are, and what types of assets the deceased had. The type of probate estate that needs to be opened (Summary Release from Administration, Release from Administration, or Full Estate) depends on the assets in the estate and who those assets are being distributed to. Summary Release from Administration and Release from Administration probate estates are much less complex, shorter, and less expensive to complete. 

Guardianship is available for both adults and children. For adults, a person can apply with the Probate Court to become Guardian of the Person, of the Estate, or both the Person and the Estate over another individual if that person is deemed to be unable to handle his or her own affairs. Guardianship is also available for children if the court determines that the child needs a guardian and the person applying is deemed to be in a good position to act as the guardian for that child.