Practice Areas

• Wills
  A written, executed, and witnessed document providing for how your personal assets will be distributed at your death. Wills also help to name an executor that will be responsible for administering your estate through the Probate Court after your death.
  
  In Ohio, if a person dies without a will, Ohio law governs who will receive that person's property and who will administer the estate through Probate Court. Having a will allows you to make those decisions as opposed to Ohio law.

• Trusts
  Trusts are another avenue to dispose of your property after your death. The most common type of trust is a revocable trust (also known as a living trust) which is freely revocable during your life. A revocable trust works much like a will in that it provides how all assets held in your trust will be distributed at your death. A revocable trust also will name a successor trustee, which is much like an executor under a will, who will administer your trust and make distributions. During your life, you act as trustee and have complete control over all property that is in the trust. Any property held in trust will avoid probate at your death which helps save in court costs and attorney fees.

• Power of Attorney
  A written and executed document by which one person (the principal) appoints another person (the attorney-in-fact) to act on his or her behalf to perform certain acts while that person is living. The document outlines the scope of the power given and gives notice to third parties of the attorney-in-fact's authority to act on behalf of the principal.

• Health Care Power of Attorney
  A written and executed document appointing a person to act on your behalf with regard to healthcare decisions should you not be able to make those decisions yourself or should you need assistance in accessing medical records, making medical decisions, etc.

• Living Will
  A written and executed document giving your direction to healthcare providers regarding the withdrawal of life prolonging support in the event you suffer from a terminal condition.

Probate is the court-supervised process of administering the estate of a deceased person. The process includes identifying and gathering the assets of the deceased person, paying all outstanding claims against the deceased person, and distributing the deceased's assets according to Ohio law or according to the decedent's will. The length of the process depends on the size of the estate, who the beneficiaries are, and what types of assets the deceased had. The type of probate estate that needs to be opened (Summary Release from Administration, Release from Administration, or Full Estate) depends on the assets in the estate and who those assets are being distributed to. Summary Release from Administration and Release from Administration probate estates are much less complex, shorter, and less expensive to complete. 

Guardianship is available for both adults and children. For adults, a person can apply with the Probate Court to become Guardian of the Person, of the Estate, or both the Person and the Estate over another individual if that person is deemed to be unable to handle his or her own affairs. Guardianship is also available for children if the court determines that the child needs a guardian and the person applying is deemed to be in a good position to act as the guardian for that child. 

There are many different types of business entities. Some examples include Corporations, S Corporations, Limited Liability Companies, General Partnerships, Limited Partnerships, Limited Liability Partnerships, and Sole Proprietorships. Our firm can help establish a business for you as well as help you with ongoing business matters having an impact on your small business. 

• Buying or Selling

Basic necessities in real estate transactions include offers, contracts, negotiation, title searches, deeds, and closing documents. Our firm can help prepare all of these items to make sure the real estate transaction goes as planned. Kacie Waugh can also attend closings, hold them at our office, or fully conduct the closing.

• Annexation

Filing for annexation in to the city from a township, for example, requires a petition to be filed and strict guidelines and timelines to be followed to notify all of the right parties and attend hearings. Waugh Law, LLC can help from the beginning stages of ordering a survey of your property all the way through the final city council meetings where the Council decides on the matter.

• Leases

Whether a residential or commercial lease, the terms of the agreement between the parties need to be put into a writing that is signed by the parties to be enforceable. Our firm can customize a lease to fit the particular needs of your agreement or come up with a standard lease that can be used for many different properties.

• Evictions

An eviction is a filing with the court to remove a tenant from your property, usually for non-payment of rent. Strict guidelines must be followed with the court to file a proper eviction. Our firm can handle all steps necessary to evict a tenant from the three day notice through the eviction hearing and set-out.

With most probate estates, as well as with trusts that have become irrevocable after death, federal tax returns must be filed. Waugh Law, LLC can prepare those tax returns. Our firm can also prepare yearly individual income tax returns and advise on tax consequences of certain transactions. Further, the firm can advise it's clients on 1031 exchanges. 

Our firm can help review various types of contracts. Whether it is for real estate, employment, or otherwise, we can review these documents and advise of the consequences of the written language.

 * Any information found on this website is for basic educational purposes only and should not be construed in any way to be legal advice from an attorney. Visitors to the website should not use the information provided on this website in place of advice from a licensed attorney based on that visitor's specific circumstances.