The legal process that usually involves filing a deceased person's will with the local probate court, taking inventory of the person's property, paying all legal debts, and eventually distributing the remaining assets and property. If the person died without a will (called dying "intestate"), the estate must still be probated and property will be distributed according to state law.
Probate court provides a variety of services for citizens including: adoptions, name changes, marriage licenses and marriage information, processing estates of deceased persons, resolving issues of contested wills, appointing and reviewing guardianship of minors and incompetent persons.
Click here to find a Probate fact sheet from the Ohio State Bar Association.