Estate Planning
Wills & Last Testaments in Columbus, Ohio
A legally valid Ohio will (governed by ORC § 2107) names your executor, designates guardians for minor children, and directs how your assets are distributed — ensuring your wishes, not state law, control your legacy.
A valid, professionally drafted will is the foundation of every estate plan. Without one, Ohio's intestacy laws decide who inherits your assets — which may not reflect your wishes at all. Your will can name guardians for minor children, designate an executor, and direct the distribution of everything you own.
What Your Ohio Will Can Do
- ✓ Name a trusted executor to manage your estate
- ✓ Designate guardians for minor or special needs children
- ✓ Distribute real estate, bank accounts, investments, and personal property
- ✓ Leave specific gifts to family, friends, or charities
- ✓ Minimize family disputes and potential contests
- ✓ Comply with Ohio's specific signing and witnessing requirements
Ohio Will Requirements
Ohio law (ORC § 2107) requires a will to be in writing, signed by the testator, and witnessed by two competent adult witnesses. Online or self-help wills frequently fail to meet these requirements and may be declared invalid by Franklin County Probate Court. Working with an experienced attorney like Lorelei ensures your will is legally airtight.
Why Choose Lorelei for Your Will
With 44+ years drafting Ohio wills, Lorelei provides one-on-one personal attention, transparent flat-fee pricing, and will even meet you at your home if needed. You'll work directly with her — never a paralegal.
Trust Planning
Revocable Living Trusts — Avoid Ohio Probate
A revocable living trust allows Columbus Ohio families to transfer assets to beneficiaries immediately after death — bypassing Ohio probate court entirely, maintaining complete privacy, and eliminating court fees typically ranging from 2–4% of estate value.
A revocable living trust is one of the most powerful estate planning tools available to Columbus Ohio families. Unlike a will, assets held in a trust pass immediately to your beneficiaries after death — without going through Ohio probate court. This means faster distribution, complete privacy, and no court costs.
Benefits of a Revocable Living Trust
- ✓ Avoids probate — assets transfer immediately to beneficiaries
- ✓ Complete privacy — no public court record of your assets
- ✓ Incapacity protection — a successor trustee manages assets if you become incapacitated
- ✓ Multi-state property — avoids ancillary probate in multiple states
- ✓ Fully revocable — you retain full control; amend or revoke anytime
- ✓ Minor/spendthrift protection — controls how and when children receive assets
Lorelei helps Columbus families — especially those in Upper Arlington, Dublin, Bexley, New Albany, and other areas with higher-value estates — determine whether a revocable trust is the right fit, and handles all trust funding and deed transfers.
Why Choose Lorelei for Your Trust
Lorelei handles the entire trust process — drafting, funding, deed transfers — so nothing falls through the cracks. Her 44 years of Ohio trust experience means your trust is properly structured from day one. Flat-fee pricing with no surprises.
Advanced Trust Planning
Irrevocable Trusts — Asset Protection & Medicaid Planning
An irrevocable trust permanently removes assets from your taxable estate, protecting them from creditors, lawsuits, and Ohio Medicaid spend-down requirements — but requires careful planning due to the 5-year Medicaid look-back period under Ohio law.
An irrevocable trust permanently transfers assets out of your taxable estate, offering significant benefits for asset protection, Medicaid planning, and estate tax reduction. Unlike a revocable trust, you give up control of the assets — but in return, those assets are protected from creditors, lawsuits, and Medicaid spend-down requirements.
Types of Irrevocable Trusts We Draft
- ✓ Medicaid Asset Protection Trusts (MAPT) — protect your home and savings from Ohio Medicaid spend-down
- ✓ Special Needs Trusts — protect disabled beneficiaries without disqualifying government benefits
- ✓ Charitable Trusts — maximize charitable giving while receiving tax benefits
- ✓ Spendthrift Trusts — protect inheritance from a beneficiary's creditors or poor financial decisions
- ✓ Generation-Skipping Trusts — transfer wealth to grandchildren while minimizing estate taxes
Families in New Albany, Powell, Dublin, and other affluent Columbus suburbs often benefit significantly from irrevocable trust planning. Lorelei will explain the trade-offs clearly and help you determine the right strategy.
Why Choose Lorelei for Irrevocable Trusts
Irrevocable trusts require precision. Lorelei clearly explains the trade-offs, tailors the strategy to your family's specific situation, and coordinates with your financial advisor to ensure your trust aligns with your overall plan. 44 years of Ohio trust law expertise.
Estate Administration
Probate & Estate Administration — Franklin County Ohio
Ohio probate typically takes 6 to 18 months in Franklin County Probate Court. The process involves filing the will, notifying creditors, inventorying assets, paying debts, and distributing to beneficiaries. Small estates under $35,000 may qualify for summary release from administration.
When a loved one passes away, the executor named in their will — or an administrator appointed by the court — must guide the estate through Ohio probate. It's a detailed legal process, and Franklin County Probate Court has specific requirements and deadlines. Lorelei Lanier guides executors, administrators, and beneficiaries through every step.
Ohio Probate Process Overview
- 1. File the will with Franklin County Probate Court
- 2. Notify heirs, beneficiaries, and creditors
- 3. Inventory and appraise estate assets
- 4. Pay valid debts, taxes, and estate expenses
- 5. File Ohio estate tax and income tax returns (if applicable)
- 6. Distribute remaining assets to beneficiaries per the will
Lorelei also handles summary release from administration for small estates, transfer on death designations, and trust administration for assets held in trust.
Why Choose Lorelei for Probate
Lorelei has guided countless executors through Franklin County Probate Court over 44 years. She handles every filing, deadline, and communication — so you can focus on your family. Compassionate, experienced, and accessible by phone.
Incapacity Planning
Durable Powers of Attorney — Ohio
A durable power of attorney (POA) in Ohio designates a trusted person to manage your financial and legal affairs if you become incapacitated. Without one, your family may need an expensive, time-consuming court guardianship proceeding.
A durable power of attorney (POA) designates someone you trust — your "agent" or "attorney-in-fact" — to manage your financial and legal affairs if you become unable to do so. In Ohio, a "durable" POA remains valid even if you become incapacitated, which is exactly when you need it most.
What Your Ohio POA Can Authorize
- ✓ Managing bank accounts, investments, and real estate
- ✓ Filing tax returns and managing financial obligations
- ✓ Making gifts and Medicaid planning transactions
- ✓ Operating a business on your behalf
- ✓ Managing government benefits (Social Security, Medicare)
Without a POA, a family member may have to seek a costly, time-consuming court guardianship to manage your affairs. A properly drafted Ohio POA avoids this entirely.
Why Choose Lorelei for Your POA
Lorelei drafts customized Ohio POA documents — not cookie-cutter forms — tailored to your specific needs and family dynamics. She ensures your agent has the right authority, no more and no less, and that the document meets all Ohio notarization requirements.
Healthcare Planning
Healthcare Directives & Living Wills — Ohio
Ohio healthcare directives — including a Healthcare Power of Attorney, Living Will, and HIPAA authorization — ensure your medical wishes are legally documented and that one trusted person has authority to make healthcare decisions if you cannot communicate.
A healthcare directive package ensures that if you are ever unable to communicate your medical wishes, your family and doctors have clear legal guidance — and that one trusted person has the authority to make decisions on your behalf.
Ohio Healthcare Documents We Prepare
- ✓ Healthcare Power of Attorney — names your healthcare agent to make medical decisions
- ✓ Living Will / Advance Directive — specifies your wishes for life-sustaining treatment
- ✓ HIPAA Authorization — allows family members to receive your medical information
- ✓ DNR / Do Not Resuscitate Order — if applicable to your wishes
Every adult in Columbus Ohio should have these documents — regardless of age or health status. A medical emergency can happen at any time, and these documents protect you and spare your family from impossible decisions.
Why Choose Lorelei for Healthcare Directives
Lorelei takes the time to understand your values and wishes, then drafts documents that give your family clear guidance. She'll walk you through every scenario with patience and sensitivity — a reflection of her 44 years of compassionate practice.
Elder Law
Elder Law & Medicaid Planning — Columbus Ohio
Ohio nursing home costs in the Columbus area range from $8,000 to $12,000 per month. Ohio Medicaid has a 5-year look-back period — meaning asset protection strategies must be implemented early. Medicaid Asset Protection Trusts (MAPTs) and other legal tools can protect your home and savings.
Long-term care in Ohio is extraordinarily expensive — nursing home costs in the Columbus area can exceed $8,000 to $12,000 per month. Without proper planning, a lifetime of savings can be exhausted quickly. Lorelei M. Lanier helps seniors and their families protect assets while planning for quality care.
Elder Law Services
- ✓ Ohio Medicaid planning — asset protection strategies within the 5-year look-back window
- ✓ Medicaid Asset Protection Trusts — protect your home and savings from spend-down
- ✓ Crisis Medicaid planning — help for families in immediate need of long-term care
- ✓ Guardianship & conservatorship — when a family member can no longer manage their own affairs
- ✓ Special Needs Trusts — for disabled beneficiaries who receive government benefits
- ✓ Spousal protection strategies — keep community spouse financially secure while one spouse receives Medicaid
The earlier you plan, the more options you have. Ohio's 5-year Medicaid look-back period means planning should start years before you anticipate needing care. Contact Lorelei today to discuss your situation.
Why Choose Lorelei for Elder Law
Lorelei brings decades of experience helping Columbus-area seniors navigate Ohio Medicaid's complex rules. She explains your options clearly, protects your assets strategically, and treats every client with the dignity and respect they deserve. Home visits available.
Business Planning
Business Succession Planning — Columbus Ohio
Without a business succession plan, Ohio law — not your wishes — controls what happens to your business when you retire, become incapacitated, or pass away. Proper planning includes buy-sell agreements, business trusts, and ownership transfer strategies that minimize taxes and prevent family disputes.
What happens to your Columbus-area business when you retire, become incapacitated, or pass away? Without a succession plan, your life's work may be lost to family disputes, forced liquidation, or unnecessary taxes. Lorelei helps business owners protect their legacy.
Business Succession Services
- ✓ Business ownership transfer planning
- ✓ Buy-sell agreements and business wills
- ✓ Family business transition strategies
- ✓ Business trusts and entity planning
- ✓ Minimizing estate and gift tax on business transfers
Why Choose Lorelei for Business Succession
Lorelei integrates your business succession plan with your personal estate plan — so your business and family are both protected. Her boutique approach means you get direct attention, not a junior associate. She also coordinates with your CPA and financial advisor.
Beneficiary Planning
Beneficiary Designation Review — Columbus Ohio
Beneficiary designations on life insurance, retirement accounts (401k, IRA), and Ohio transfer-on-death (TOD) deeds (ORC § 5817) override your will. Outdated designations are one of the most common and costly estate planning mistakes in Ohio.
Many Columbus families don't realize that the beneficiary designations on their financial accounts are legally separate from — and take priority over — their will or trust. If your beneficiaries are outdated (for example, still naming an ex-spouse), your assets will go to the wrong person regardless of what your will says.
What We Review
- ✓ Life insurance policy beneficiaries
- ✓ 401(k), IRA, and retirement account designations
- ✓ Ohio transfer-on-death (TOD) deed designations
- ✓ Payable-on-death (POD) bank accounts
- ✓ Coordination with your will, trust, and overall estate plan
Lorelei coordinates beneficiary reviews with your financial advisor to ensure everything is aligned. Lorelei's son, Joseph Lotozo, CFP®, is a CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER™ professional and Partner at Edward Jones at the Tremont Center in Upper Arlington. Joe frequently works with estate planning clients on the financial side. Disclosure: Joseph Lotozo is Lorelei Lanier's son. Their practices are independent.
Why Choose Lorelei for Beneficiary Review
Many attorneys draft estate plans without reviewing beneficiary designations — a critical oversight. Lorelei takes a holistic approach, ensuring every piece of your estate plan works together. She coordinates directly with your financial advisor to close gaps.
Plan Maintenance
Estate Plan Review & Updates — Keep Your Plan Current
Ohio estate plans should be reviewed every 3 to 5 years or after any major life event. An outdated estate plan — with old beneficiaries, deceased executors, or pre-2021 tax provisions — can be as harmful as having no plan at all.
Life changes, and your estate plan should change with it. Marriage, divorce, the birth of children or grandchildren, significant changes in assets, the death of a named executor or beneficiary, a move to or from Ohio, and changes in Ohio or federal tax law are all triggers for a review.
When to Update Your Ohio Estate Plan
- ✓ Marriage, remarriage, or divorce
- ✓ Birth or adoption of a child or grandchild
- ✓ Death of a beneficiary, executor, or trustee
- ✓ Significant change in assets, income, or property ownership
- ✓ Moving to or from Ohio
- ✓ Changes in Ohio probate law, trust law, or federal estate tax
- ✓ Every 3–5 years as a routine check-up
Lorelei can review estate plans drafted by other attorneys as well — and will give you an honest assessment of whether updates are needed or if your current plan is still sound.
Why Choose Lorelei for Estate Plan Reviews
Lorelei has reviewed and updated hundreds of estate plans over 44 years. She'll be honest about what needs changing and what doesn't — no upselling. Her flat-fee approach means you know the cost upfront, and her boutique practice means you get personal, unhurried attention.