The Law Offices of Aric J. Stano, LLC

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The Law Offices of Aric J. Stano, LLC Local Wadsworth attorney focusing on estate planning and administration and small business matters. Evening and weekend hours available by appointment.

We are conveniently located in downtown Wadsworth and are handicap accessible.

Welcome to this month’s installment of “Scout’s bite-sized legal briefs”.As our office’s resident “pup”alegal and social...
10/21/2026

Welcome to this month’s installment of “Scout’s bite-sized legal briefs”.
As our office’s resident “pup”alegal and social media manager, each month I will be bringing you different small tidbits to chew over.

October’s bite: Does spooky season have your heart pounding and blood pressure rising? Before that black cat crosses your path, it might be a good time to make sure your health care power of attorney is in place.

A healthcare power of attorney allows you to nominate someone who can make medical decisions on your behalf when you are incapacitated. A healthcare POA does not give any financial power to your agent, but allows them to make medical decisions when you can’t make, understand, or express them for yourself. A health care POA can also instruct your agent o no your wishes, or be paired with a living will that contains them; if your wishes aren’t specifically included, your agent is required to make decisions in your best interest based on what they know or believe your wishes would have been.

If you don’t have a health care power of attorney in place and major medical decisions need to be made for you, it may require your loved ones to file for guardianship through the court instead.

That’s it for Scout’s bite this month. And as my owner makes me share, I cannot offer you legal advice (Ohio does not admit dogs to the bar), but you can call him to set up a consult!

Till next time!

Woof
❤️🦴Scout

Welcome to this month’s installment of “Scout’s bite-sized legal briefs”.As our office’s resident “pup”alegal and social...
09/17/2026

Welcome to this month’s installment of “Scout’s bite-sized legal briefs”.
As our office’s resident “pup”alegal and social media manager, each month I will be bringing you different small tidbits to chew over.

September’s bite: While we soak up the last rays of summer sun and prepare for fall, it’s a great time to make sure your final wishes shine through and don’t fall through the cracks.

For many, estate planning is something that seems like a chore that keeps getting ignored, but that is why hiring a legal professional is so important. We will walk you through the process and make it is as seamless and pain free as possible, like a cool dip in the pool. Weird family dynamics? Causes and charities close to your heart? Unique collections and bequests? We will help you work through your needs and wants to make sure you and your family are prepared.

That’s it for Scout’s bite this month. And as my owner makes me share, I cannot offer you legal advice (Ohio does not admit dogs to the bar), but you can call him to set up a consult!

Till next time!

Woof
❤️🦴Scout

Welcome to this month’s installment of “Scout’s bite-sized legal briefs”.As our office’s resident “pup”alegal and social...
08/21/2026

Welcome to this month’s installment of “Scout’s bite-sized legal briefs”.
As our office’s resident “pup”alegal and social media manager, each month I will be bringing you different small tidbits to chew over.

August’s bite: You’ve just lost a loved one - now what?

After the death of a loved one, you not only have to navigate grief, but also figuring out the next steps in handling their estate. For many, they are in uncharted territory and don’t know the first step to take.

First thing’s first: very rarely is the process of starting a probate administration very urgent. Attend to your family and final funeral arrangements. Meeting with the lawyer can generally wait until after (quick rule of thumb: many courts in this area require a death certificate to open a probate estate, so if you haven’t got those yet, you probably can’t proceed with probate anyways).

If your loved one had made funeral arrangements during their lifetime, you should be able to locate a copy of their policy and preneed arrangements. Alternatively, they may have left a “funeral directive” listing their wishes and who they wish to leave in charge of their arrangements. Funeral wishes should not generally be included in a well-drafted will, but you may need to look there as well. If the departed didn’t leave any of those, Ohio law specifies who is responsible for funeral arrangements.

Speaking of important documents, you will need to locate the will, if the decedent left one. If you are unsure where to look, we recommend checking for a small home firebox. (other popular locations include gun safes, filing cabinets, under the bed, or even the freezer!). Their estate planning documents will hopefully answer many of the outstanding questions you may have while dealing with a funeral and other next steps.

Another tip: get several copies of their policy death certificate. You will likely need one for probate, one for each life insurance policy, and one for each piece of real estate. The funeral home can likely help with getting you enough copies.

Once you have attended to those issues, received the death certificates, and found the will (if applicable), then it is probably time to call the lawyer.

Moments like this are much easier for our loved ones when we not only have a plan in place, but communicate with them in advance on what we want and where everything is located.

That’s it for Scout’s bite this month. And as my owner makes me share, I cannot offer you legal advice (Ohio does not admit dogs to the bar), but you can call him to set up a consult!

Till next time!

Woof
❤️🦴Scout

Welcome to this month’s installment of “Scout’s bite-sized legal briefs”.As our office’s resident “pup”alegal and social...
07/15/2026

Welcome to this month’s installment of “Scout’s bite-sized legal briefs”.
As our office’s resident “pup”alegal and social media manager, each month I will be bringing you different small tidbits to chew over.

July’s bite: Revocable versus irrevocable trusts - what is the difference and how do I know which one I need?

In simple language, “revocable” generally means that your trust can be changed or cancelled by you at anytime. Revocable trusts usually allow their creators to add, remove, and control property placed in trust during their lifetime. “Irrevocable” trusts cannot be revoked and usually limit the powers of the creators to add, remove, or control property placed in the trust - the specifics depend on the purpose of the trust.

Irrevocable trusts are usually used for certain specific purposes, like asset protection, benefits qualification, or certain tax purposes. Revocable trusts are usually used for simple probate avoidance and incapacity planning.

Not sure what tools are right for your plan? That’s when it’s probably time to have a meeting with your attorney and financial planner.

That’s it for Scout’s bite this month. And as my owner makes me share, I cannot offer you legal advice (Ohio does not admit dogs to the bar), but you can call him to set up a consult!

Till next time!

Woof
❤️🦴Scout

Happy Independence Day!
07/04/2026

Happy Independence Day!

Welcome to this month’s installment of “Scout’s bite-sized legal briefs”.As our office’s resident “pup”alegal and social...
06/27/2026

Welcome to this month’s installment of “Scout’s bite-sized legal briefs”.
As our office’s resident “pup”alegal and social media manager, each month I will be bringing you different small tidbits to chew over.

June’s bite: Graduation season is here which for many students means leaving home for school is right around the corner. For students going away to school, it may be a good idea to put powers of attorney in place to allow parents to act for them back home. Things like banking, insurance, or registering cars can all be handled - or assisted - by a POA. And in the event of a medical emergency, a health care power of attorney will authorize someone to make medical decisions.

That’s it for Scout’s bite this month. And as my owner makes me share, I cannot offer you legal advice (Ohio does not admit dogs to the bar), but you can call him to set up a consult!

Till next time!

Woof
❤️🦴Scout

Welcome to this month’s installment of “Scout’s bite-sized legal briefs”.As our office’s resident “pup”alegal and social...
06/02/2026

Welcome to this month’s installment of “Scout’s bite-sized legal briefs”.
As our office’s resident “pup”alegal and social media manager, each month I will be bringing you different small tidbits to chew over.

May’s (delayed) bite: It is easy in the craziness of life to put off things you don’t find urgent (like going to the dry cleaners or making the company social media post), but making your estate plan should not be one of those tasks! Life has a habit of speeding by and you don’t want it to be too late to have you affairs in order.

That’s it for Scout’s bite this month. And as my owner makes me share, I cannot offer you legal advice (Ohio does not admit dogs to the bar), but you can call him to set up a consult!

Till next time!

Woof
❤️🦴Scout

Welcome to this month’s installment of “Scout’s bite-sized legal briefs”.As our office’s resident “pup”alegal and social...
04/17/2026

Welcome to this month’s installment of “Scout’s bite-sized legal briefs”.
As our office’s resident “pup”alegal and social media manager, each month I will be bringing you different small tidbits to chew over.

April’s bite: under Ohio law, there is no mechanism to “get power of attorney over someone.” A power of attorney is a document executed by an individual with legal capacity (called the “principal”) to grant authority for the management of their financial affairs or health to a trusted assistant (called the “agent”). If you or your loved one are incapable or unwilling to execute a power of attorney, the alternative is to obtain a guardianship through the probate court. Proper POAs in place before the need arises can prevent this problem.

That’s it for Scout’s bite this month. And as my owner makes me share, I cannot offer you legal advice (Ohio does not admit dogs to the bar), but you can call him to set up a consult!

Till next time!

Woof
❤️🦴Scout

Address

147 College Street, Suite C
Wadsworth, OH
44281

Opening Hours

Monday 9am - 5pm
Tuesday 9am - 5pm
Wednesday 9am - 5pm
Thursday 9am - 5pm
Friday 9am - 5pm

Telephone

+13303885978

Website

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