Last Will Attorneys in Lebanon Protect Your Heirs

Serving your final wishes in West Chester, Mason and Lebanon

Any person in Ohio who holds real or personal property or who has minor children needs a last will and testament. This is true regardless of the size of your estate or the age of your minor children. Should you pass away intestate — without providing a last will — the state of Ohio distributes your property and arranges guardianship in a way that might violate your undeclared wishes. At Ernst & Associates, our competent and caring last will lawyers in Lebanon, Ohio can draft a will that determines what happens to your assets, who is your executor and who is appointed guardian of your minor children.

Tailoring a valid last will and testament

A will is a legal document that determines how your assets are to be distributed after your death. Ernst & Associates’ diligent and careful probate attorneys have more than 25 years of experience in drafting last wills. Our last will attorneys ensure that your will stands up in court by making sure that when it is drafted:

• Your will is in writing (which means it can be typed or handwritten)
• You are over 18 and of sound mind at the time of making the will
• You were not coerced or influenced by another into writing this will
• You signed your will in the presence of witnesses
• The will is signed by two (preferably disinterested) witnesses to your signing of your will, who also witnessed each other signing the will

Our Mason, OH last will attorneys can craft a last will that meets all of Ohio’s legal requirements and ensures that your last wishes will be fulfilled.

Changing the last will and testament

Circumstances in people’s lives change, and your will can be amended to reflect those changes of circumstance. Divorce, remarriage, additional children from a second marriage or widowhood are all factors that might make the will you drew up in your youth no longer reflective of your final wishes decades later.

There are basically two ways to change a will. One way is to make an amendment — called a codicil — to the will. A codicil is appropriate for a single change to a will when the remainder of the original will remains in effect. If you wish to make major changes in the terms of your will, it might be more appropriate to simply draft a new will. By operation of law, the new will then replaces the original will as the statement of your final wishes. Ernst & Associates’ estate administration attorneys have extensive experience in this practice area throughout the southern Ohio region — including, Mason, West Chester and Lebanon — and can review the changes you wish to make and advise you which methods for modifying your will are best for you.

Rely on competent, diligent legal counsel for your peace of mind

Let Ernst & Associates give you the peace of mind that comes from knowing that, regardless of what your future holds, you have taken the necessary steps to protect your loved ones in the event of your death. Contact us online or by telephone at 513-970-6200 for a free initial consultation with dedicated advocates who care about your needs.