Estate planning attorneys in Ohio average $314Clio Compare Lawyer Rates, Ohio: Wills and Estates rate (2025 data)Verified Oct 15, 2026View source an hour for wills and estates work. A flat-fee package runs $942Estimate: 3 hours at $314, Clio's Ohio Wills and Estates rate; Compare Lawyer Rates, 2025 dataVerified Oct 15, 2026View source to $1,884Estimate: 6 hours at $314, Clio's Ohio Wills and Estates rate; Compare Lawyer Rates, 2025 dataVerified Oct 15, 2026View source for a simple individual will and $2,940Estimate: 10 hours at $294, Clio's Ohio Trusts rate; Compare Lawyer Rates, 2025 dataVerified Oct 15, 2026View source to $4,410Estimate: 15 hours at $294, Clio's Ohio Trusts rate; Compare Lawyer Rates, 2025 dataVerified Oct 15, 2026View source for a basic revocable trust. An online service prices the same documents in the tens to low hundreds of dollars; the Ohio will cost calculator sets the two side by side.
In Ohio, estates valued at $35,000codes.ohio.gov: ORC § 2113.03Verified Sep 8, 2026View source or less qualify for the Release from Administrationcodes.ohio.gov: ORC § 2113.03Verified Sep 8, 2026View source, a court procedure short of full probate. That route is a form rather than a court case, and most families handle it without an attorney. Above the line, formal probate generally benefits from counsel for the procedural work, even when nothing is contested. The Ohio probate calculator estimates the cost by estate value.
In Ohio, the situations where counsel is typically worth the cost are: a blended family with children from a prior relationship; a business, rental property or significant investment assets; a dependent with special needs, who needs a special-needs trust to keep benefits; substantial property in more than one state. Where none of these apply, an online or self-help document is often enough.
Ohio splits the two: probate attorney fees of typically 1.8%ORC § 2113.36 (reasonable compensation; no statutory percentage)Verified Sep 8, 2026View source to 2.8%ORC § 2113.36 (reasonable compensation; no statutory percentage)Verified Sep 8, 2026View source of the estate, but the executor's compensation follows a statutory scheduleORC § 2113.35Verified Sep 8, 2026View source, about $15,000ORC § 2113.35Verified Sep 8, 2026View source on a $500,000 estate. That makes the executor's share predictable, which helps when a family member serves and is unsure what to charge.
Filter the directory by county and by the practice area you need, and look for experience with your situation; a board certification in estate planning, trust or probate law is a strong signal. Most Ohio estate planning attorneys offer an initial consultation, some free and some for a flat fee. Ask up front whether the firm bills by the hour or by package, and what your situation is expected to cost.
Free forms for planning your estate in Ohio: a will, living trust, pour-over will, both powers of attorney, living will, and TOD deed.
Create a revocable living trust to avoid probate, protect privacy, and control asset distribution.
Ohio treats a power of attorney as durable by defaultORC §§ 1337.21–1337.64Verified Sep 18, 2026View source, and it is signed with no witness or notary requirementORC §§ 1337.21–1337.64Verified Sep 18, 2026View source.
In Ohio, a will is signed before 2ORC § 2107.03Verified Oct 19, 2026View source witnesses, and no self-proving affidavit is availableORC § 2107.03Verified Oct 19, 2026View source.
Free tools for planning your estate in Ohio: what a will or trust costs, whether you need a trust or TOD deed, and how documents are signed.
An attorney-prepared revocable living trust in Ohio runs $2,940Estimate: 10 hours at $294, Clio's Ohio Trusts rate; Compare Lawyer Rates, 2025 dataVerified Oct 15, 2026View source to $4,410Estimate: 15 hours at $294, Clio's Ohio Trusts rate; 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.
In Ohio, four years at a public university cost about $97,692NCES Digest of Education Statistics 2023, Table 330.20, public 4-year in-state tuition, fees, room and board, academic year 2022-23Verified Oct 17, 2026View source and the cost of living is 7% below the U.S. averageBEA Regional Price Parities, all items, by state, 2024Verified Oct 17, 2026View source; no state estate or inheritance tax appliesNo state estate or inheritance tax; estate tax repealed for deaths on/after Jan 1, 2013 (Ohio Rev. Code § 5731.02 levies only on persons "dying on or after July 1, 1968, and before January 1, 2013")Verified Sep 15, 2026View source.
An attorney-prepared revocable trust in Ohio runs $2,940Estimate: 10 hours at $294, Clio's Ohio Trusts rate; Compare Lawyer Rates, 2025 dataVerified Oct 15, 2026View source to $4,410Estimate: 15 hours at $294, Clio's Ohio Trusts rate; Compare Lawyer Rates, 2025 dataVerified Oct 15, 2026View source and a simple will $942Estimate: 3 hours at $314, Clio's Ohio Wills and Estates rate; Compare Lawyer Rates, 2025 dataVerified Oct 15, 2026View source to $1,884Estimate: 6 hours at $314, Clio's Ohio Wills and Estates rate; Compare Lawyer Rates, 2025 dataVerified Oct 15, 2026View source, against $0 to $549 up front plus a subscription with an online service.
Ohio automatically revokes an ex-spouse as beneficiary at divorceORC § 5815.33; ORC § 5302.23(B)(12)Verified Sep 15, 2026View source; employer plans under ERISA follow federal rules either way, so a 401(k) beneficiary changes only by a new designation.
13 special needs planning firms in Ohio, by county and firm type.
Firm listings are for informational purposes only. SimplyTrust does not endorse or recommend any specific firm or attorney. Contact firms directly to discuss your situation and verify their current practice areas and availability.
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13 firms
FirmCoshocton, OH
Bratton Law LLC is a Coshocton County firm focused on estate planning and estate administration, with complementary services in elder law and special needs planning. Attorney Kelly Bratton brings prior experience as a probate paralegal and deputy clerk at the Coshocton County Juvenile/Probate Court.
PracticesEstate PlanningProbateElder LawGuardianshipSpecial Needs Planning
FirmSandusky, OH
Brumbaugh Law Firm focuses exclusively on estate planning and elder care, guiding families in Sandusky, Erie County, and surrounding northern Ohio communities through probate, Medicaid planning, long-term care planning, and asset protection.
PracticesEstate PlanningProbateElder LawSpecial Needs Planningand 2 more
FirmCanton, OH
Bixler Moore focuses exclusively on estate planning, elder law, and closely related practice areas in Stark County. Edgar M. Moore is one of approximately 160 OSBA Certified Specialists in Estate Planning, Probate and Trust Administration. The firm serves Stark, Summit, Carroll, and Tuscarawas counties from offices in Canton and Louisville.
PracticesEstate PlanningTrust AdministrationProbateElder Lawand 2 more
FirmTiffin, OH
Dell Burtis Law traces its roots to the law practice of Patrick Dell, established in 1952 in Tiffin. The firm helps clients plan estates, protect assets, transfer farms and businesses across generations, and navigate elder law matters throughout Seneca County and surrounding areas.
PracticesEstate PlanningProbateElder LawSpecial Needs PlanningBusiness Succession
FirmBoardman, OH
DiLoreto Law serves individuals and families throughout Mahoning, Columbiana, and Trumbull counties with estate planning, elder law, Medicaid planning, long-term care, asset protection, wills, trusts, special needs planning, powers of attorney, and probate administration.
PracticesEstate PlanningTrust AdministrationProbateElder Lawand 2 more
FirmCuyahoga Falls, OH
A Summit County firm with offices in Cuyahoga Falls, Fairlawn, and Green, working the Summit County Probate Court and surrounding counties. Administers estates and trusts, contests wills, and petitions for guardianships when an adult can no longer manage their own affairs. The estate practice is led by OSBA-certified specialist Corinne Hoover.
PracticesEstate PlanningTrust AdministrationProbateProbate Litigationand 3 more
Solo PracticeCortland, OH
A Cortland practice in northern Trumbull County handling probate and estate administration through the Trumbull County Probate Court and neighboring counties. Manages estate settlement including court appearances, asset transfers, and estate tax returns, plus trustee and guardian representation. Also drafts special-needs trusts for families with a disabled beneficiary.
PracticesEstate PlanningTrust AdministrationProbateElder Lawand 2 more
FirmWashington Township, OH
Washington Township firm just south of Dayton, appearing in the Montgomery and Greene county probate courts. Guides families through estate administration after a death, along with guardianships, adoptions, and trust administration, and handles long-term-care and Medicaid asset-protection work for aging clients. Special needs planning rounds out the settlement-side practice.
PracticesEstate PlanningTrust AdministrationProbateElder Lawand 3 more
Solo PracticeMiller City, OH
The Law Office of Amber L. Niese serves northwest Ohio from offices in Miller City (Putnam County) and Napoleon (Henry County). The firm handles estate planning, estate and trust administration, elder law, special needs planning, and probate matters. Attorney Niese is an accredited attorney with the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs and a member of NAELA.
PracticesEstate PlanningTrust AdministrationProbateElder LawSpecial Needs Planning
FirmNewark, OH
The largest firm in Licking County, serving Newark and central and southeastern Ohio. It handles wills, trusts, powers of attorney, special needs trusts, and business succession, along with probate and trust administration. Over 150 combined years of experience.
PracticesEstate PlanningTrust AdministrationProbateElder Lawand 3 more
FirmWorthington, OH
Serves Franklin, Delaware, and surrounding central Ohio counties from Worthington, filing in the Franklin County Probate Court. Handles probate and estate administration for executors and administrators alongside guardianship, Medicaid planning, and special needs trusts. Richard F. Meyer is an OSBA certified specialist in Estate Planning, Trust and Probate Law. Free 15-minute phone consultation.
PracticesEstate PlanningTrust AdministrationProbateElder Lawand 4 more
Solo PracticeLancaster, OH
Sitterley Law provides estate planning and elder law services from the historic Mithoff Building in downtown Lancaster. Jennifer Sitterley is one of approximately 38 Certified Elder Law Attorneys in Ohio (CELA) and the only one in Fairfield County. Also OSBA Certified Specialist in Elder Law.
PracticesEstate PlanningTrust AdministrationProbateElder Lawand 4 more
FirmCincinnati, OH
Kenwood-based practice serving the Hamilton County Probate Court and the surrounding Butler, Warren, and Clermont county courts. Handles trust settlement and estate administration for surviving spouses and adult-child executors, including Medicaid asset recovery and special needs beneficiary situations. Free consultation.
PracticesEstate PlanningTrust AdministrationProbateElder Lawand 2 more