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Many people in Ohio have a will prepared but have not taken the additional steps of establishing an estate plan. A simple will may be inadequate to cover all of the issues that may arise in the future.

The personal representative of the decedent's estate in Ohio is responsible for managing and administering the assets of the estate. This includes the real estate owned by the decedent at his or her death. In some cases, other persons will be residing in the decedent's residence or in other real estate owned by the decedent.

Experiencing the death of a family member is a traumatic and stressful event, which can often be made much worse when other family members are in conflict over matters such as the will or inheritance of the deceased. It can be incredibly difficult to have to deal with family infighting in the midst of your mourning and grief.

Estate disputes in Ohio and elsewhere can be complicated and involve a web of issues that may take some painstaking analyses by the courts to unravel and resolve. This is true of the probate litigation that has emanated from the estate of football star Aaron Hernandez, who died by suicide in prison last year.

Many Americans in Ohio and throughout the country believe that they don't have enough assets to necessitate estate planning. However, where an individual or married couple have a home, particularly one with a low or paid-off mortgage balance, potential complications make it important enough to go over with an estate planning attorney to assure that there will be no problems in the future.

Estate planning in Ohio involves the process of preparing a strategy, and the legal framework to support it, for the management and disposal of a person's assets both during life and after death. In that process, planning attempts to maximize the value of the assets and minimize the impact of applicable taxes and fees.

Surveys consistently show that a majority of Americans, including in Ohio, do not have in place sufficient legal measures to take care of all eventualities in the case of incapacitation or death. Elderly persons over 65 are also vulnerable to elder law fraud and abuse at the hands of unscrupulous third parties.

Estate disputes in Ohio and other states can involve the ongoing responsibilities of an estate's executor to the decedent's family. The most famous estate dispute involving an entertainer in recent years has been the dispute that arose over Prince's death without a will, leaving even the identity of all his heirs in doubt.

Ohio and other states have over 50 percent of their adult residents without wills or living trusts. When a person dies intestate, i.e., without a will, it can be a major mistake and a serious burden on the deceased person's heirs.

Making an estate plan that covers one's pets in Ohio is best accomplished through the guidance of an experienced estate planning attorney. The special circumstances of a pet bequest make it not allowed for inclusion in a will in some states.