Akron estate planning & probate attorney
I’m Max Thomas. I spent a dozen years as a litigator, seeing the disputes that careful planning could have prevented, and before that I taught at a university. Today I help Akron-area families plan ahead, settle a loved one’s estate or trust, and work through disagreements when they arise.
How I can help
Living trusts, wills, powers of attorney, and health care directives, tailored to your family, whatever it looks like. Includes planning for a loved one with a disability, guardianship, succession planning for business owners, and planning ahead for aging.
Learn moreNamed executor or appointed administrator? Serving as trustee? I’ll walk you through each step of settling the estate or trust and help you carry out your duties.
Learn moreWhether you’re a beneficiary with concerns or a trustee or executor whose decisions are being questioned, I can help you understand your rights and duties and work toward a resolution.
Learn morePlanning for a loved one with a disability
My daughter has Down syndrome, so I know the questions families carry: How do we leave her something without costing her SSI or Medicaid? Who can make decisions for her at 18? What happens when we’re gone? I help families answer them with special needs trusts, guardianship or less restrictive options, and a plan the rest of the family understands.
Planning for a loved one with a disabilityI’ve practiced law since 2003, and I built this practice around the work I care most about: helping families plan ahead and find their way through hard times.
More about me“We did our estate planning with Max. He and staff did a great job for us and we are thankful.”
“Max helped us set up both a revocable and irrevocable trust for our estate plan. He was knowledgeable, approachable, and answered all my (many!) questions. Very easy to work with, helped me clarify what we needed.”
“Max is not only an intelligent attorney, he is also a very kind man.”
Call or send a consultation request. We’ll talk through the broad outlines of your situation and what you hope to accomplish, and I’ll let you know what to bring to our first meeting, such as existing planning documents, information about your loved one’s assets and family, or papers related to a dispute.
Whether you’re planning ahead, settling an estate or trust, or facing a disagreement, I’ll explain your options clearly and recommend the approach that fits your goals.
You’ll know what each step means, what happens next, and that I’m a phone call away.
Common questions
A will takes effect at death and tells the probate court how to distribute your property. A trust can work during your lifetime as well as after, and property held in a trust can often pass to your family without probate. I’ll help you decide which fits your situation.
Most estate plans are prepared for a flat fee. I can often give you the fee on our first phone call. At our first meeting, we’ll confirm what your plan requires and set the fee, so you know the cost before any drafting begins. The fee covers your complete plan and the conversations that make it work: what your executor, trustee, and agents will be responsible for, and how to fund your trust, the step that makes a trust work. Some work, such as revising an existing trust, is billed hourly.
A short phone call to see whether I can help is free. Our first meeting is a working session where we go through your situation in detail. If you decide to work with me, there’s no separate charge for it. If you don’t, it’s billed at my hourly rate.
Yes. A plan isn’t only about money. It names who will make decisions for you if you can’t, who will care for minor children, and who receives the things that matter to you.
Yes, and I’m glad to. Planning is especially important for same-sex couples, unmarried partners, and families whose relationships Ohio’s default rules may not recognize. A clear plan makes sure the people you choose inherit, make decisions for you, and care for your children.
A standard inheritance can disqualify a person with a disability from benefits such as SSI and Medicaid. A special needs trust can provide for them while protecting that eligibility. If an adult with a disability receives money of their own, such as an inheritance or a settlement, a special needs trust can protect their benefits too. For a child turning 18, guardianship or a less restrictive alternative may also be needed.
Funding means retitling your assets, such as your home and your bank or investment accounts, into the trust’s name, and updating beneficiary designations where it makes sense. Assets left outside the trust may still have to go through probate. I’ll guide you through funding so your plan works the way it’s meant to.
An executor gathers and protects the estate’s assets, notifies heirs and creditors, pays valid debts, files required reports with the probate court, and distributes what’s left. I’ll guide you through each step.
Often, yes. Ohio law gives beneficiaries certain rights to information about how an estate or trust is being handled. What you can see depends on your situation, so it’s worth asking.
935 W Market St, Suite 200, Akron. Monday through Friday, 9 to 5, with weekend appointments available. If your circumstances make a home or hospital visit necessary, we can arrange one. Travel time is billed in addition to the flat fee.
Every situation is different. Call or request a consultation, and I’ll explain your options.