Culpepper Law

10/26/2026

Picture the carpool line at school pickup. Now picture a judge trying to figure out who's supposed to be in it, because both parents are gone and nothing on paper says who's next.

In Ohio, a will may name the person you want raising your kids if something happens to you. That's a nomination, and the probate court still has to agree the person is suitable before making it official. Skip that clause, and the court appoints a guardian without any nomination from you.

What I see again and again is a guardian clause written before the youngest kid existed, sitting in a drawer nobody's opened since the new baby came home.

Before a judge who's never met your family decides who raises your children, call us: 937-589-4144.

10/16/2026

He told his daughter the house was hers. Said it at Thanksgiving. Said it again at Christmas, more than once over the years. She believed him.

But saying it didn't make the house hers. In Ohio, a bare oral statement about who should get property generally doesn't operate as a valid will, and a handwritten note doesn't automatically count either. It still generally has to meet the same requirements as any will: written, signed at the end, and witnessed by two competent people who saw the signing or heard it acknowledged.

Skip those steps, and the conversations alone don't decide where the house goes. When property isn't otherwise disposed of by law, Ohio's intestacy rules determine how it is distributed, and those rules don't know what got said over turkey.

If you want a second set of eyes on a handwritten note, an old draft, or a promise that never made it onto paper, call us: 937-589-4144.

Dayton, Ohio Estate Planning, Probate, and Elder Law

10/01/2026

Time to collect brand new SOCKS for our favorite local charity! Socks may be dropped off at our office all month long! Kindly remember that we need brand new children's socks, not adult socks.
Learn more: https://shoes4theshoeless.org/get-involved/

09/21/2026

The true test of your plan does not arrive in your attorney’s office or while you are sitting at the kitchen table reviewing documents. It happens when life changes and the plan has to go into action.

As adults, we rarely face a multiple-choice exam or a pop quiz. The tests that come our way tend to be real-life ones: moments that reveal how prepared we actually are for the unexpected. That is how your estate plan is supposed to work. The true test of your plan does not arrive in your attorney’...

08/24/2026

When a parent’s health crisis hits, families often discover that what they thought they had figured out fails to hold up under pressure.

When a parent’s health crisis hits, families often discover that what they thought they had figured out fails to hold up under pressure. Grief, exhaustion, and dysfunctional family dynamics can distort verbal understandings, and good intentions do not translate into legal authority. Meanwhile, hos...

08/06/2026

With estate planning, less is not more. More is more.
Investing the time and effort to create a well-rounded estate plan is not about accumulating more “stuff”; it is about thoughtfully arranging your affairs to ensure a secure and well-defined future for you and the people you care about most.

Legal planning can be confusing and even overwhelming, but we take time to help you understand the issues involved. We will work with you to consider what level of estate planning you need or if any current documents you may have are out of date. We partner with you to protect your family’s future...

07/20/2026

Remarriage offers another chance at love and stability. It also introduces estate planning concerns that need to be addressed.

You may not be able to choose the family you are born into, but you can choose the family you build through marriage, partnership, and the life you create. The traditional nuclear family is no longer the default, and biological family ties are no longer always assumed.Marriage remains its own unique...

06/29/2026

Scammers often prey on emotions, making victims feel anxious or rushed. Remember that a legitimate estate planning attorney will calmly explain your options, allow time for questions, and customize a plan specific to your needs.

Creating an estate plan is an important step in protecting your loved ones and ensuring that your assets are distributed according to your wishes. Unfortunately, scammers know that people who want to safeguard their estates are often willing to act quickly.Even a carefully drafted estate plan can be...

06/15/2026

Is your planning falling into one of these traps?

Think back to how your life was seven years ago. Your family, your finances, your relationships, and even the accounts you use have probably changed in ways both obvious and subtle. Seven years does not feel like a long time until you start making the list.Your estate plan needs to keep up with you....

06/11/2026

There is an entire category of assets that become disconnected from their owners—bank accounts, insurance policies, even land—simply because no one claims them or knows they exist.

You’ve got to hand it to them: You nearly believed them when they said you were a partial owner of land that you inherited but never knew existed. They had names, dates, even a specific plot, supposedly with mineral rights, that you would never have been able to locate on your own. Good scam.After...