Whether you want to come up with a comprehensive estate plan or you have to administer an estate through probate, you want a plan that works for your family and the people you love. At our offices of Turner, May and Shepherd, we help families throughout the Mahoning Valley with their estate planning and probate concerns.
We employ a number of tools when creating your estate plan. Trusts can provide benefits to you throughout your life and also determine the distribution of your estate. You have a variety of trust options, including special needs trusts, which provide for disabled or special needs clients without spending down assets or making them ineligible for Medicaid benefits.
Wills are also used to determine how your assets will be divided at your death. In addition, powers of attorney help prevent family confusion or conflict over who should make decisions for you if you become incapacitated.
From simple wills to complicated trusts, we will help you consider all your estate planning options to figure out a plan tailored to the needs of your family:
- Wills: Basic wills and pourover wills, living wills
- Trusts: Testamentary trusts and inter vivos trusts, charitable remainder trusts
- Transfer on death (TOD) deed: Survivorship deeds
- Healthcare powers of attorney
- General durable powers of attorney
- Springing powers of attorney
Many people come to our offices to discuss their options with one of our estate planning lawyers and we will help you understand your options. Once you have had a sufficient chance to consider your options, we will schedule a follow-up meeting and help you make a final decision. We also travel to meet clients for on-site will and trust execution.
Probate and Litigation
Our estate planning experience benefits our clients. We understand how wills, trusts and estate plans should work, and we can guide you and your family through the entire probate process, from the appointment of the executor through to distribution.
We help some clients pursue relief from administration, which is a shot form of probate. This allows us to expedite the probate process, so that the court approval is not required for every individual move of the executor.
In some cases, probate can become a complicated process, and if a dispute arises the probate of your loved one’s estate, we will be ready to pursue probate litigation and protect your rights in court. We offer skilled representation in any of the following matters:
- Will contests: Arising from claims of fraud, undue influence and misrepresentation
- Disputes over administration: loved ones may feel the executor is not administering the estate properly
- Guardianship litigation: Either the ward or the guardian can bring suit or over the mishandling of the estate or distribution of assets from guardianship
- Trust litigation: Disputes over the distribution of assets from trusts and construction of trusts
We also handle the following matters in Ohio probate court:
- Guardianship: Appointment of a guardian to manage estate and financial affairs of the ward
- Adoption: Parent, stepparent and third-party adoption
- VA veterans guardianships
Contact Us
We can help you prepare for the future of your family with estate planning and probate counsel. Located one block from the Trumbull County Courthouse, our offices are open from 8:45 a.m. to 5:15 p.m. We also offer evening and weekend hours by appointment. Contact us today for an initial consultation.