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Published: 15 February 2021

The Best Time to Get Your Estate Plan in Order is Now

If you own real property, have children, or are in a committed relationship, then you should have an estate plan in place.  An estate plan is a relatively simple way to make life easier on your loved ones after you pass away.  An estate plan typically consists of a Last Will and Testament, Power of Attorney, Health Care Power of Attorney, and Living Will.  For certain situations or for certain assets you may also have a Trust as part of your estate plan.  You can read more about what these other estate planning documents are and what you need them for here.  

Almost Everyone Should Have a Will

If you're over age 18 and you own a car then you should have a Will.  People think you need to be rich to have a Will, but truly a Will is useful for everyone, not just the extraordinarily wealthy.  If you die with a car in your name then your loved ones will need to open up an estate in your local probate court in order to transfer title of your car.  It is relatively difficult, time consuming, and more expensive to open an estate for someone without a Will.  This is because first you will have to get someone to be the court appointed administrator of the estate.  The administrator may have to post a bond in the amount of twice the value of whatever assets are in the estate just to be able to transfer the assets to the next of kin.  This makes it time consuming to get appointed by the court as the administrator and it makes it expensive to potentially have to post a bond.  Those burdens can be eliminated simply by having a Will.

A Will is not simply a tool for the wealthy to pass on their assets and death, it is an act of love that someone does to make life easier on their loved ones after their death.  Your loved ones will already be dealing with the grief of your loss after your death, one thing you can do to make things easier on them is to have an estate plan in place to streamline and simplify the process.

If you'd like to talk to an attorney about getting a Will or other estate planning documents in order then feel free to call an attorney at Harris & Engler today.

Central Ohio Estate Planning Attorneys

The estate planning attorneys at Harris & Engler serve the Columbus, Delaware, and greater Central Ohio area with all of their estate planning and administration needs.  You can reach a local estate planning attorney today by calling (614) 610-9988 or emailing This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..

 

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Published: 30 November 2020

COVID-19 Update on Civil Litigation In The Columbus, Ohio Area

With the COVID-19 numbers far surpassing what they once were during the March through June court shutdowns, you may be wondering what the courts in Columbus and greater Central Ohio are doing now.  The good news is that by now all the courts across Central Ohio have developed COVID-19 protections and protocols.  In Columbus, Ohio, the Franklin County courts are operating relatively smoothly but with social distancing measures in place.  The Franklin County Municipal Court has some different rules in place than the Franklin County Court of Common Pleas and generally every single court in Central Ohio has unique rules specifically tailored to that Court's needs.  What does all of this mean?  The law hasn't stopped and the courts haven't stopped, but they are operating much differently now than before COVID-19.

It is more important and more helpful now than ever before to have an experienced civil litigator handle the prosecution or defense of your civil case.  The Franklin County Court of Common Pleas has been e-filing for years, but now e-filing may be the only option for the near term while COVID-19 is still a pandemic.  This is no big deal for local civil attorneys, but it makes it very difficult for people trying to do things without a lawyer.  In the Franklin County Municipal Court, no in-person court filings are allowed for the time being.  Again, this is a non-issue for an experienced local attorney, but a game changer for the do-it-yourselfer.

Lawsuits Are Still Being Filed and Still Have To Be Defended

The COVID-19 pandemic initially saw a brief pause in new lawsuits being filed in Columbus from around March through May.  After that, things picked up, or even intensified compared to prior years.  Legal problems did not just go away with the COVID-19 pandemic, but the pandemic has certainly changed how those claims are being litigated.  

In many cases, the economic fallout from COVID-19 caused many people to seek money damages on claims that they may have otherwise sat on for a while.  This means that there are a lot of lawsuits to defend against and a lot of lawsuit where the stakes are high in getting a money judgment against wrongdoers and tortfeasors.  The social distancing philosophy of fighting COVID-19 does not work well in fighting legal claims.  You need a good lawyer to fight your legal battles for you.  The law firm of Harris & Engler has experienced, battle hardened, civil litigation attorneys ready to help you win your case.  If you believe the time has come to get a lawyer, then it is time to get the right lawyer.  You can call an attorney at Harris & Engler by calling (614) 610-9988.  Leave a message with a description of your legal issue and an attorney will call you back as soon as they are available.

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Published: 30 March 2020

Harris & Engler Resumes Business As Usual During COVID-19 Pandemic with Social Distancing Measures In Place

The COVID-19 pandemic has affected us all here in Central Ohio.  Our thoughts are with those who have lost their jobs or are unable to work and to those directly affected by this terrible virus.

Fortunately, the attorneys at Harris & Engler are set up to work at home or in the office.  While there remains a "stay at home" order from Gov. DeWine, the law firm of Harris & Engler is postponing in person meetings and consultations.  Currently the stay at home order is set to expire at midnight on Monday April 6.  In the meantime, the attorneys at Harris & Engler are happy to consult with you over the phone and can carry on all business and legal activities electronically.

How Will the Court Shutdowns Affect My Case?

Currently across Ohio each county and each court within that county have their own individual safety measures in place due to COVID-19.  In general all the courts have for the most part continued all civil, all domestic relations hearings, and all non-essential criminal hearings for a couple months.  Specifically, the courts in central Ohio, as of the date of this article, have ordered as follows:

Franklin County Municipal Court -

• All criminal, traffic, eviction, and small claims cases are continued until at least May 11, 2020. 
• Cases involving prisoners, objections to garnishment, and BMV hearings are still going to be heard as scheduled.

Franklin County Court of Common Pleas - 

• Domestic Relations cases continued until at least April 13
• Probate Court - filings are to be done via physical dropbox or electronically 
• General Division - cases are mostly continued through April 10, 2020.

Delaware County Municipal Court - 

• Jury Trials are suspended until after April 20
• All cases are continued until past April 20 for the most part unless the case involves an incarcerated individual or protection order

Delaware County Court of Common Pleas

• The Courthouse has limited public access, but case schedules are assessed and continued on a case-by-case basis.

Things are changing rapidly and court staff and judges are doing the best they can to protect the public and manage their large dockets.  So far in Ohio all the courts are still accepting court filings.  What this all means is that there will be some delays with having an actual hearing in your case.  However, 90% of a lawsuit is done through filings and the filings and ruling on those filings are going to be largely unaffected by the hearing continuances.  It is possible that written motions may even get ruled on quicker than usual because the court staff will not have as many in person hearings.  It is also anticipated that once the courts re-open then there will likely be a backlog of cases that may cause some delays.  If you have a question then please feel free to just call an attorney at Harris & Engler at (614) 610-9988.

Legal Questions for Central Ohio Attorneys

If you have a legal question, a question about how COVID-19 has affected the court system of your case, then please feel free to give an attorney at Harris & Engler a call.  The offices of Harris & Engler are located in Columbus, Ohio, and its attorneys help clients with cases across Central Ohio.  

 

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Published: 18 August 2019

Harris & Engler is a Columbus Based Law Firm Serving the Central Ohio Community

If you need an attorney in the Columbus or greater Central Ohio area then you should give the attorneys at the Columbus, Ohio based law firm of Harris & Engler a call.  The attorneys at Harris & Engler help individuals and businesses in Columbus with a wide range of legal services, such as civil lawsuit representation, business and corporate formation and governance needs, estate planning, commercial real estate transactions, divorce and family law issues.

Many individuals in Columbus and greater Central Ohio hope that they never need an attorney, but when they do, they don't know who to call.  The attorneys at Harris & Engler are dedicated to serving the many needs of the individuals and businesses in the Columbus Ohio community.  For the attorneys at Harris & Engler that means that they want to be the attorney you have stored in your phone that you can just call whenever you have a legal question.  Life sometimes throws you curveballs.  With a trusted lawyer in your corner ready to give you straightforward legal advice, you will have more and better tools in your arsenal to deal with and plan ahead for life's legal hurdles.

It's not always bad news when you need an attorney.  The attorneys at Harris & Engler are always happy to help individuals in the Columbus area start their businesses and help their businesses grow.  The estate planning attorneys at Harris & Engler help individuals plan for taking care of their family and loved ones on into the future by creating estate planning documents.  The lawyers at Harris & Engler also help individuals and businesses with their investment properties and commercial real estate transactions.

Columbus Ohio Attorneys

If you need an attorney in the Columbus Ohio area, then give the law firm of Harris & Engler a call at (614) 610-9988.