The Probate Court
The court system in Ohio is made up of a number of individual
courts. These include such courts as municipal courts that
handle low-level charges and smaller civil claims. The common
pleas courts handle felony and civil cases. Domestic relations
deal with marital problem. The probate court deals with:
- What happens to your property after you die
- Your will, or the lack of a will, and what happens when
people disagree about what a will says
- What happens to a person who needs someone to care for him
or her (guardianship)
- What happens when a person must be forced into care
(commitments)
- They work with tax agencies to insure taxes are paid
- Probate court handles name changes
If you take the time to plan your estate, many probate court
issues can be minimized or even eliminated. That's the purpose
of estate planning.
For more information, please click on the probate link above.
Estate Planning
Estate planning has many goals. Among them are:
- To allow you to live out the remainder of your time
- To provide for the care and support of your minor children
- To insure your property passes to your heirs exactly as you
intend
- To minimize the chance of a will contest (a suit over what
you intended)
- To minimize the work those you leave behind have to do in
order to close your estate (by avoiding or minimizing the time
they have to spend in probate court)
- To minimize or eliminate your tax liability
For more information, please click on the Estate Planning link
above.
