Ohio Probate Lawyer Blog

Will a will prevent probate? A surprisingly common misconception is the idea that having a valid will in place prevents one's estate from going through the probate process. In fact, leaving property to your loved ones via a last will and testament guarantees that at least a part of your estate will have to go through probate. Probate is the process of authenticating a will (if one exists) and distributing assets according to its terms.

What having a will does prevent is an estate being distributed according to Ohio's intestacy laws. These laws are intended to distribute the property of a deceased when there is no will or other valid estate plan. Intestacy laws try to approximate what most people would do with their property had they had an estate plan. Typically, people would provide first for their spouse and children, and then for more distant relatives. Like other laws that are intended to cover a wide range of people, intes… Read More

You don't tell the neighbors your salary, or your coworkers your bank balance, or your friends how much your stock portfolio is worth. And they wouldn't think of asking, because financial matters are considered private.

If you surveyed 100 people, it's likely that none of them would want their personal and financial affairs to be available to anyone who chose to look them up. But few people consider, when making their will, that that's what happens when you open an Ohio probate case.

What Do You Mean, My Probate Case is Public?

Probate court in Ohio is public. Hearings are typically held in open court, which means anybody can be present for a hearing. As a general rule, most probate matters are not terribly exciting, and it's not likely that the general public is going to flock to (or even know about) a routine hearing. Still, you may find it unsettling to know that people you don't know may be able to hear about your family's personal matters.

This is especially true if you think there is even a remote possibility of a will contest or other probate litigation… Read More

We've written before in this space about choosing a probate and estate planning attorney.

Obviously it's important to choose someone who's experienced in estate planning and probate law and who is ethical. But beyond that, does it really make a difference whom you choose?

If one of the assets for which you're planning is a family farm, the answer to that question is an emphatic "yes!"

Unique Planning Issues for Family Farms

Family farms are not like other property, for many reasons. Leaving aside financial complexities, family farms, unlike many other assets, have a legacy, a family heritage attached to them.

While it's important to have an attorney who understands what your farm means to you, there is also much more to planning for a family farm than honoring sentimentality. Many economic factors affect the value of a farm from year to year, which could have an impact on estate tax. Like other family businesses,… Read More

Most people know that when an Ohio resident dies, if they have any property in their name that needs to be distributed, the estate must go through the Ohio probate process. But just who is allowed to open a probate case on behalf of a deceased person (decedent)?

Who Should Open an Ohio Probate Case if There is a Will?

If the decedent had a will, the will should name an executor (also known as a personal representative) for the estate. The named executor, whether he or she is a family member or heir, can open a probate case. The probate case should be filed in the Ohio county where the decedent lived. (If the decedent owned real estate in another state, a probate case might have to be filed there, too).

The named executor should present the will and an original death certificate to the probate court along with the petition. If the person named as executor is unable or unwilling to open the probate case or to administer the estate, any interested party may petition the court to have a probate case opened. The court will then appoint an administrator,… Read More

When people ask us about a spouse's inheritance rights in Ohio, they usually mean one of two things: either what will happen if their spouse dies without a will, or what will happen if their spouse tries to disinherit them. Let's discuss those separate issues one at a time.

What Happens if My Spouse Dies Without a Will in Ohio?

The legal term for dying without a valid will in place is "dying intestate." If your spouse dies intestate, Ohio law determines what share of their probate property you will inherit. Notice the phrase "probate property." Probate property is any property that would be distributed through the probate process, whether or not the deceased had a will. Some property, like that held in a trust, funds in a retirement account, proceeds of a life insurance policy, or assets held in joint tenancy or as "transfer on death" pass outside of probate to a designated beneficiary or survivor.

Ohio intestacy law attempts to distribute probate pr… Read More

Many foster parents love their foster children like their own biological children. Especially for foster children who remain in a home for years, the distinction may fade away in every practical sense. They are, for all intents and purposes, a member of the family.

The foster system can be complicated; its goal is to reunite biological families whenever possible, so the rights of biological parents to their children may not be terminated for years, if ever. In the meantime, foster parents who have grown attached to their foster children may harbor a hope and an intention to adopt them someday.

What are the inheritance rights of a foster child when their foster parent dies? Do those rights change if the foster parents intended to adopt the foster child but never did?

Inheritance Rights of Foster Children in Ohio

As a general rule, foster children in Ohio are not eligible to inherit from their foster parents under Ohio laws of intestate succession, which dictate how a deceased person's property will be distributed in the absence of a valid will. Children who have been legally adopted have th… Read More

Admittedly, whether you can inherit from someone you killed is not a question that estate planning attorneys are often asked (and they would probably be highly suspicious of the questioner if they were!). It's certainly not an issue that arises frequently. However, there are people out there who, for whatever reason, intentionally cause the death of a family member. If it seems unfair to you that they should then inherit some of the assets of the person they killed, the Ohio legislature agrees with you.

Ohio Revised Code section 2105.19 prohibits someone who has committed voluntary manslaughter, murder, or aggravated murder from benefiting from the death. This is true whether the person is convicted of the crime, pleads guilty, or is found not guilty by reason of insanity. It also applies to juveniles who would have been guilty of one of those crimes had they been able to be tried as an adult.

What Happens to the Forfeited Inheritance

Not only is a person who intentionally killed someone prevented from inheriting from them, they are also barred from receiving life insurance and other benefits… Read More

It goes without saying that being abandoned by a spouse is a devastating event. If your spouse abandoned you, your feelings toward him or her may be very complicated. You may have imagined confrontations with your spouse, but one thing you may not have considered is what would happen if you died before the spouse who abandoned you. If your spouse abandoned you, can they still inherit from your estate?

How Abandonment Affects the Right to Inherit

Ohio law is clear that a parent is barred from inheriting from a minor child they abandoned. Because a minor cannot legally execute a will, a minor who dies necessarily dies intestate (without a will). This statute makes it clear that a parent who abandoned a child, perhaps when the child was very young, cannot swoop back in years later and profit from the child's death.

The Ohio Revised Code does not have an analogous provision for spouses, however. This may be because, while a child cannot divorce a parent, an abandoned spouse has grounds for divorce in Ohio. One of these is willful… Read More