Legal-Ease: Married, with property

Married people may be surprised to find out that when selling property their spouses must sign the deeds, even if the spouse’s name was never on the property. This is required as part of “dower” law. Dower is a collection of rights possessed by a married person.

Dower’s purpose is sometimes explained through two sexist, historical situations. First, historically women couldn’t own property, so when a couple married, all property belonged to the husband. Second, in the past some men didn’t want their wives to inherit property from them. Today, dower applies to all married people in Ohio. 

Legal-Ease: Facing a medical crisis without prior legal preparation

Advance preparation doesn’t always happen as it should, and sometimes a medical crisis can leave you feeling helpless and underprepared. Fortunately, what you are likely to need from an attorney in a medical emergency is often pretty straightforward. 

First, be sure to execute two powers of attorney. This will allow someone to sign documents and make decisions for you. One power of attorney should address financial decisions while the other power of attorney should address healthcare decisions. You can also sign a living will if you’d like, but a good healthcare power of attorney should allow your agent to sign a DNR for you. 

Legal-Ease: What to consider when considering retirement

Retirement typically means that while you still may work, the “make a living” phase of your life has wound down. When Lee works with clients preparing for retirement, he typically focuses on four major considerations. 

First, Lee asks his clients preparing for retirement about taxes. Second, retirees will need to decide when to take Social Security or money from a retirement plan. Third, people planning for retirement need to consider their healthcare options. Fourth, retirement is a perfect time to get more serious about estate planning and asset protection. 

Legal-Ease: Knowing goals creates best estate plans

When it comes to estate planning, knowing goals is the first step to getting great legal advice from lawyers. Clients who go into estate planning knowing specific goals are more likely to efficiently land on the right estate planning tools to achieve what they want. Attorneys can help clients analyze their priorities, but it’s much more efficient (and affordable) if a client goes into estate planning knowing what they truly want. 

Legal-Ease: Who’s your daddy?

When asking clients about their children for estate planning purposes, men often joke that “these are the children…that I know of.” While that’s almost always intended to be funny, sometimes it is actually true. 

In the state of Ohio, a man’s biological children may have rights to inherit from the deceased man. But biological children are not always the same as a man’s legal heirs. In Ohio, if a man dies without a will but with children, biological offspring will only inherit through Ohio’s “no will inheritance structure” if the man had demonstrated awareness of the child’s or children’s existence before his death. 

Legal-Ease: Do I need a trust?

Trusts can be thought of as contracts. They allow people to impose rules on inheritances, minimizing or eliminating estate taxes, if necessary. The “trustee” of the trust can distribute the property owned.

Legal-Ease: Planning helps Christmas blessings come true

Many times our luck and fortune are directly related to preparation, and often that preparation includes legal preparation. Good planning rarely comes from a form found online, but rather through working directly with an attorney.

Attorneys can help accomplish goals, protect assets and minimize the devastation caused by long-term nursing home care. Good preparation can help protect assets for heirs as well as limit liability in business and avoid potential future disputes.