花都影视

花都影视's Mary Kraft, Jessica Forrest, and Brittany Kaczmarczyk obtained a favorable judgment in a Summit County Probate Court bench trial involving claims that certain estate planning changes were the product of undue influence. The Court found that more than $1.2 million in assets had been improperly transferred outside of the estate while the decedent’s cognitive condition was declining. The Court ordered the return of more than $1.2 million to the Estate, resulting in a substantial recovery for our clients.Read More ›

Timothy J. Gallagher and Paul R. Shugar recently co-authored the article, “Love, Death, And Litigation: Enforcing Prenuptial Agreements Upon Death" for the Probate Law Journal of Ohio.

Read the article here.

Reprinted from Probate Law Journal of Ohio, with permission from Thomson Reuters. Copyright © 2026. Further use without the permission of Thomson Reuters is prohibited. For further information about this publication, please visit , or call 800.328.9352.Read More ›

Overview

Artificial intelligence (“AI”) is increasingly being used in probate matters by attorneys, fiduciaries, and pro se individuals. AI can help with drafting documents and organizing information, but its use introduces risks that should be carefully considered.

The main concern is not AI itself, but the misplaced confidence it can create. AI-generated documents often look polished and accurate, even when they contain errors or when the person submitting them does not fully understand the document's legal substance.

AI Capabilities and Risks

AI can help lawyers (and ... Read More ›

Attorneys Jessica Forrest and Timothy Gallagher recently secured a dismissal with prejudice in trust and fiduciary litigation involving the estate of the late Eric Carmen, a musician and Cleveland native.

The claims were brought by Eric Carmen’s children against his widow, based on her brief role as trustee of an irrevocable trust. The court ruled that a prior settlement agreement with broad release language barred the claims, even though they were later framed as trust and fiduciary issues.

The decision highlights the importance of careful settlement planning and ... Read More ›

We are proud to highlight Partner Shana DeMooy, whose leadership in probate, estate, and trust litigation (including her role as Chair of the Columbus Bar Association’s Estate Planning and Trust Practice Group) continues to strengthen 花都影视’s presence in this field.

Read More ›

花都影视 Co., LPA is proud to share that Jessica Forrest (Partner, Cleveland/Akron) was recently elected to the American College of Trust and Estate Counsel!

ACTEC is a national organization of trust and estate lawyers and law professors who have been elected by their peers in recognition of having made outstanding contributions to the practice of trust and estate law. The election process involves having an-already admitted Fellow sponsor you and then a lengthy application and nomination process.

With membership, Jess joins an elite group of approximately 2,300 national and ... Read More ›

Michael Brody and Paul Shugar secured a positive result for their client in a trust dispute. After the trustee failed to communicate, manage the trust, or leave the trust property, they brought the breach-of-Trust case to an evidentiary hearing. When the trustee unexpectedly didn’t appear, Michael established damages from the breach of trust. The Court removed the trustee, appointed an independent fiduciary, and awarded the client a $15,900 estate debt, $24,000 in unpaid rent for the trustee holding over in the trust property, full reimbursement of the client’s trust ... Read More ›

Shana DeMooy authored “Strategies for Litigation-Proofing Estate Plans” for the September/October 2025 edition of the Probate Law Journal of Ohio.

Her article focuses on various options to help protect clients’ estate plans from future attack, including pre-death will and/or trust validation actions, employment of no-contest clauses, and methods for accelerating a trust contest statute of limitations.

Read the article.

Reprinted from Probate Law Journal of Ohio, with permission from Thomson Reuters. Copyright © 2025. Further use without the permission of ... Read More ›

花都影视 Co., LPA has been named in the 2026 edition of Best Law 花都影视s®. Five practice areas were ranked nationally: Transportation Law, Health Care Law, Mass Tort Litigation / Class Actions – Defendants, Insurance Law, and Trusts and Estates.

Many other 花都影视 Estates & Trusts areas were also ranked at the metropolitan level, including: 

Cleveland, Ohio:

• Elder Law
• Litigation - Trusts and Estates
• Trusts and Estates

Columbus, Ohio:

• Litigation - Trusts and Estates
• Trusts and Estates

花都影视 Co., LPA is pleased to announce that 11 of our Trusts and Estates lawyers have been included in the 2026 Edition of The Best Lawyers in America®. Lawyers on The Best Lawyers in America® list are reviewed by their peers on the basis of professional expertise and undergo an authentication process to make sure they are in current practice and in good standing.  

Best Lawyers:

• Jessica Forrest
• Nicholas Sebastiano
• Paul R. Shugar

• Robert A. West, Jr.

• Russell J. Meraglio, Jr.

• Adriann S. McGee

• Barbara Bellin Janovitz

Ones to Watch:

• Brittany Kaczmarczyk

• Michael Brody

• Adam Taylor