Serves Weirton and the surrounding tri-state area from Pennsylvania Avenue, practicing in West Virginia, Ohio and Pennsylvania. Pam Zagula prepares Medicaid applications and nursing-home asset protection plans alongside wills and revocable living trusts, and visits clients in nursing homes and at home. Practicing law since 1994 and a member of the National Academy of Elder Law Attorneys.
Probate in Ohio County
Probate Court Record
Ohio County Circuit Court
Ohio County · First Judicial Circuit
Phone
Hours
Monday-Friday 8:30 AM-5:00 PM
Office
Ohio County City/County Building, 1500 Chapline Street, 4th Floor, Wheeling, WV 26003
Website
Filing in person
Appointment required
Self-represented filing
Allowed
Self-help forms
How to file probate in Ohio County →
Verified October 15, 2026 · Source
Do I need a lawyer for probate in Ohio County? →Settling an estate in Ohio County →
Asset Protection Firms Serving Ohio County
All 5 West Virginia asset protection firms serving Ohio County →
Forms for Planning Your Estate in West Virginia
Free forms for planning your estate in West Virginia: will, living trust, pour-over will, powers of attorney and TOD deed. Prepare each form for West Virginia.
$12/month
Revocable Living Trust
Create a revocable living trust to avoid probate, protect privacy, and control asset distribution.
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Free
Pour-Over Will
In West Virginia, a pour-over will is signed before 2W.Va. Code § 41-1-3Verified Oct 19, 2026View source witnesses and moves anything left outside the trust into it through probate.
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Free
Transfer on Death Deed
In West Virginia, a transfer on death deed is signed before a notaryW. Va. Code 36-12-1 to 36-12-17Verified Oct 19, 2026View source, then recorded with the county before the owner's deathW. Va. Code 36-12-1 to 36-12-17Verified Oct 19, 2026View source. West Virginia does not recognize a Lady Bird deed.
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Free
Last Will and Testament
In West Virginia, a will is signed before 2W.Va. Code § 41-1-3Verified Oct 19, 2026View source witnesses, and the witnesses sign an affidavit at probate instead of a self-proving affidavitW.Va. Code § 41-1-3Verified Oct 19, 2026View source.
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Tools for Planning Your Estate in West Virginia
Free tools for planning your estate in West Virginia: will and trust costs, trust or TOD deed, and the signing rules. Run each tool for West Virginia.
Trust or Will: Which Costs Less?
In West Virginia, a will-based plan pays probate attorney fees of typically 1.6%Modeled estimate under W.Va. Code § 44-4-12 (attorney fees as reasonable expenses of the fiduciary, allowed by the fiduciary commissioner; no statutory schedule); § 44-3A-42(c) (fee vouchers); § 44-2-1(a) ($300 ceiling): the hours the statutory fee schedules imply, at the state's surveyed hourly rateVerified Sep 9, 2026View source to 2.6%Modeled estimate under W.Va. Code § 44-4-12 (attorney fees as reasonable expenses of the fiduciary, allowed by the fiduciary commissioner; no statutory schedule); § 44-3A-42(c) (fee vouchers); § 44-2-1(a) ($300 ceiling): the hours the statutory fee schedules imply, at the state's surveyed hourly rateVerified Sep 9, 2026View source of the estate; a funded revocable trust keeps those assets out of probate and off that fee.
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How Much Does a Revocable Living Trust Cost?
An attorney-prepared revocable living trust in West Virginia runs $2,870Estimate: 10 hours at $287, Clio's West Virginia Wills and Estates rate (no Trusts rate published); Compare Lawyer Rates, 2025 dataVerified Oct 15, 2026View source to $4,305Estimate: 15 hours at $287, Clio's West Virginia Wills and Estates rate (no Trusts rate published); Compare Lawyer Rates, 2025 dataVerified Oct 15, 2026View source for an individual, against $0 to $549 up front plus a subscription with an online service.
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Do I Need a TOD Deed?
West Virginia authorizes transfer on death deedsW. Va. Code 36-12-1 to 36-12-17Verified Oct 17, 2026View source: a recorded, revocable deed that passes real property at death outside probate.
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Are My Beneficiary Designations Protected?
West Virginia does not revoke an ex-spouse as beneficiary at divorceW. Va. Code § 41-1-6Verified Sep 15, 2026View source; employer plans under ERISA follow federal rules either way, so a 401(k) beneficiary changes only by a new designation.
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