Legal-Ease: Two principles in business succession and estate planning

Business succession and estate planning are often difficult challenges as each situation is so unique to each family and business. To help clients, Lee has created two primary principles he’d like them to consider while they undertake business and estate planning.

First, Lee believes that mom and dad are always right. Second, he believes that family businesses can remain viable for generations while still treating non-business family members fairly.

Legal-Ease: Business divorce

Lee R. Schroeder is an Ohio licensed attorney with Schroeder Law LLC in Ottawa. He limits his practice to business, real estate, estate planning and agriculture issues in northwest Ohio. He can be reached at lee@leeschroeder.com or at (419) 523-5523. This article is not intended to serve as legal advice, and specific advice should be […]

Legal-Ease: Snow and work

Lee R. Schroeder is an Ohio licensed attorney with Schroeder Law LLC in Ottawa. He limits his practice to business, real estate, estate planning and agriculture issues in northwest Ohio. He can be reached at lee@leeschroeder.com or at (419) 523-5523. This article is not intended to serve as legal advice, and specific advice should be […]

Legal-Ease: Power of attorney explained

For some, power of attorney can be confusing. The people normally named in powers of attorney are often not even lawyers. In powers of attorneys, there is a principal who grants to someone else the ability to act on his or her behalf. There is also an agent in each power of attorney, and the agent is the “attorney in fact” who acts on behalf of the principal.

Legal-Ease: Real estate taxes and breaks

Whether or not you use or make money on real estate, you pay taxes on that real estate every year. Ohio has been taxing real estate based upon the value of the real estate since the year 1825. Government entities, churches and charities often do not have to pay real estate taxes. There are four main ways that businesses and people can get a bit of relief from real estate taxes.

Legal-Ease: Include three documents among New Year resolutions

Regardless of marital status, whether kids are in the picture, health and age, certain key documents are a key part of every adult’s moral responsibility to their family and friends. Many people think they’re too healthy or too young to worry about a will or power of attorney. However, in Lee’s opinion, every adult should have three legal document in place: general power of attorney, healthcare power of attorney and a will.

Legal-Ease: Keeping up with the Jones’ estate planning

Our neighbors can inspire and motivate us to consider investments, vacations and other improvements for our lives. In addition to discussing potential improvements and purchases, it’s great when neighbors discuss their estate planning experiences to encourage each other to properly identify their wishes for their surviving family and friends. But it’s important to keep in mind that while your neighbor may have what sounds like a great plan in place, your life may be different enough that another model would be a better choice for your estate plan. It’s important to discuss your estate planning with an attorney who can help you make sure you’ve made the right choices.

Legal-Ease: Facilitating purchases and sales

Buying and selling happens constantly in our society. Normally the purchaser gets some sort of documentation from the seller to prove that the purchaser acquired the item properly. A receipt evidences proper ownership for quite a bit of personal property. But for some items, such as items purchased at an auction or from farm implement dealers, the evidence of ownership is called a “bill of sale.” In real estate, the proof of ownership is called a “deed.”

Legal-Ease: Two types of mechanics’ liens

While there are two types of mechanics’ liens in Ohio, they’re not related to each other in any way. Traditional mechanics’ liens happen when a mechanic who works on motor vehicles repairs a vehicle, and the vehicle owner doesn’t pay for the repairs. The mechanic can then keep possession of the vehicle, and this is called a traditional mechanics’ lien. The other type of mechanics’ lien in the state of Ohio is a lien for labor or materials that were provided to an improvement project on real estate or a building. This is sometimes referred to as a real estate mechanics’ lien.

Legal-Ease: Is there a certain attorney that I must use?

Attorneys can normally be fired or hired for any reason at any time in client relationships. Clients can even terminate the attorney’s work in the middle of projects. But attorneys are entitled to be paid for the services they provided, even if the client terminated the relationships in the middle of a project.