A will is an essential legal document in every estate plan. If you do not have a valid will, Ohio laws and courts decide who gets your property after you pass away and who settles your estate. The estate planning services at Jonathan C. Turner Law Office, LLC include helping clients put this critical document in place. As an attorney for wills, Jon Turner ensures that your will fully reflects your wishes and circumstances and that it is valid in Ohio.
Ohio will attorney Jon Turner provides individualized estate planning services based on the personal and financial circumstances of each client. He gets to know the client and understand their goals and concerns, as part of the process for drafting a will that is customized to their needs and wishes.
Jon is an attentive listener who always answers questions and addresses concerns. His personable approach and calming manner immediately make clients comfortable. He establishes a close working relationship with each client, which builds the client’s confidence. He communicates effectively and thoroughly, making certain that the client understands every part of their will and the other documents in their estate plan.
As a lawyer for wills, Jon carefully explains what a will accomplishes, how it works, and how it addresses the client’s goals. After reviewing the contents of the personalized will in detail with the client, he makes certain that it is executed in compliance with the requirements of Ohio laws and is valid in the state.
If an Ohio resident dies without a valid will (formally called a last will and testament), Ohio laws of intestate succession determine who receives the deceased person’s property and who settles the intestate estate. The court follows the laws in distributing the estate property, regardless of any evidence of the decedent’s wishes about who should receive their property and assets. In an intestate estate, the court also determines who receives letters of administration to settle the estate, according to provisions of state law.
When you make a valid will, you name the beneficiaries of your estate in the will. Those are the people who will receive your property after probate. How you distribute your estate is entirely your choice. You also designate an executor for your estate, who has priority in requesting letters testamentary from the court to administer the estate. Every person over the age of 18 should have an estate plan that includes a will. Without the legal protection of a written, properly executed will, Ohio law determines who inherits and settles an estate.
When a will distributes property to beneficiaries, the named individuals receive the property after the estate completes the probate process. Property distributed under a will may include real estate interests and personal property.
A will can identify specific items of personal property, such as jewelry or collectibles, or generally gift estate assets to beneficiaries. However, a will cannot control how real or personal property is used by a beneficiary. After completion of probate, beneficiaries receive full ownership and control of assets inherited under a will.
In some cases, controlling distribution or use of property may be an important estate planning goal, such as when the beneficiaries include minor children or a person who may not be financially responsible. In those types of situations and other circumstances, an individual may wish to consider adding a trust to their estate plan in order to control distribution to family members or others. Even if an estate plan includes a trust, a will is still an essential part of the estate plan.
For families with minor children, when you hire Jon Turner as the lawyer for your will, the process includes establishing legal protection for the care of minor children. Jon drafts a document separate from the will that nominates guardian(s) for any minor children. Using a guardianship document separate from your will avoids the need to update the entire will if circumstances change and you need to revise a guardian nomination, and streamlines the process of establishing the guardianship.
Although forms and online services may lead you to think that you can make a will without an attorney, using the do-it-yourself (DIY) approach is a really bad idea. There are many ways to make mistakes. You may end up with an invalid will, a document that conflicts with your other legal documents, or a document that does not accomplish what you think it does. Will attorney Jon Turner carefully takes you through the right process of putting a valid Ohio will in place, along with other essential estate planning documents.
It is never advisable to try to create your own will or another estate planning document. Invalid documents, incomplete documents, or documents that do not accomplish your goals can have serious repercussions for you and your loved ones. Using a lawyer for a will and other estate documents is the only way to make certain your will and estate plan achieve all your goals and are valid under Ohio law.
Jonathan C. Turner Law Office is conveniently located in Springboro, Ohio. Jon welcomes inquiries about wills and other estate planning services from residents in Springboro and neighboring communities in Warren, Butler, and Montgomery Counties, including Centerville, Dayton, Franklin, Kettering, Lebanon, and Miamisburg. To schedule a consultation, please call 937-790-WILL or 937-790-9455, or use the online scheduling form.
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