Probate & Trust Administration
One path runs through the courthouse. The other doesn't.
When someone dies, their estate settles one of two ways: a court-supervised probate, or a private trust administration a judge never sees. Which one applies was usually decided years earlier.
The fork in the road after a death
When a loved one passes away, the legal process that follows can feel overwhelming, and we are here to guide a family through every step of it with clarity and compassion. Probate Administration is the court-supervised process: the will is validated, debts are settled, and the assets it names are distributed to the heirs. Trust Administration is what a well-funded trust is for. We assist trustees, beneficiaries and families through the entire trust administration process privately, and the assets transfer from the trust without going through court at all.
Who guides the file
Lori Palermo has worked in probate and estate planning at the firm since 2013, more than thirty years in the legal field altogether, and she is the person most families speak with as an estate moves through Summit County Probate Court or a trust moves through administration. Michael E. Ciccolini, an active member of the Akron Bar Association's Probate Committee, oversees the legal work on every file.
Ciccolini & Associates, Akron Bar Association | Ohio State Bar Association Call (330) 753-1051.
Two very different paths
Which one applies to your family?
Probate Administration
The court-supervised process of validating a will, settling debts and distributing assets to heirs. It applies whenever an estate has no trust that fully covers it, or no trust at all. Probate is a matter of public record.
Trust Administration
The private alternative. We assist trustees, beneficiaries and families through the entire process, and assets transfer from the trust to the people it names without a court proceeding at all.
What the process actually involves
The paperwork behind a probate or trust file.
- Initiating a probate estate
- Executor and executrix appointments
- Probate litigation
- Guardianship appointments
- Affidavits of surviving spouses
- Trust accounting
- Deed preparation and transfers
Lori joined Ciccolini & Associates in 2013 as a probate and estate planning paralegal, with more than thirty years of legal experience across probate administration, trust administration, guardianships and real estate.
Questions we hear most
Before an estate moves through probate or a trust
The information on this website is provided for general informational purposes only and is not legal advice. Viewing this site, contacting the firm, or sending a message through it does not create an attorney-client relationship. An attorney-client relationship is formed only by a signed written agreement. Do not send confidential information until such an agreement is in place. Prior results do not guarantee a similar outcome.