Richard Kolb

Richard Kolb’s Legal Background

As an experienced probate litigation attorney with over 35 years of litigating estate and trust matters for clients throughout Ohio, I consider myself to be a pioneer in this legal area. When I began in 1984, there were only a few other attorneys in the entire state who focused on probate litigation. Now, 100% of my practice is devoted to probate litigation. I have worked on hundreds of probate litigation cases of which dozens have gone to trial, mostly before juries. One of only a few Ohio attorneys who have actually tried a number of these cases, there is no substitute for actual trial experience. Not long ago in an 11-month period, I tried 3 separate cases to a jury. In my practice I represent both plaintiffs and defendants, so I have seen both sides. Learn more about my experience by reviewing my sample cases. Experience counts; I am regularly contacted by attorneys seeking advice on probate disputes. Few other Ohio attorneys handle probate disputes on a contingency fee basis. I am AV Preeminent Peer Review Rated by Martindale-Hubbell, the highest rating possible, for ethical standards and legal abilities and have never had a grievance or malpractice claim filed against me.

Firm History

The law firm was founded by my father, Attorney Matt Kolb. After I had worked in a trust department of a bank, I moved into private practice with my father and brother (Kolb, Kolb, and Kolb) where I concentrated on estate administration and estate planning. I began handling probate litigation cases in 1984 and by the early 1990s, most of my cases involved probate litigation. My practice has been exclusively probate disputes since 2004.

Practice Areas

As an attorney, my probate litigation practice primarily focuses on:

Education

I received my undergraduate degree from DePauw University in Greencastle, Indiana and my law degree from the Ohio State University Law School.

Legislation Work

I have been involved in a number of legislative changes and have authored legislation to waive the attorney/client and doctor/patient privileges in probate litigation, participated in legislation setting the statute of limitations for will and trusts contests and contributed to the Ohio Trust Code. I was involved with trustee disclosure requirements and chaired a committee to expand and clarify probate court jurisdiction over lifetime transfers.

Governor Taft signs legislation prepared by me.

Speeches and Articles

I have presented lectures for the Ohio State Bar Association CLE Institute and spoken at the Pliskin Advanced Probate Seminar, the largest Probate seminar in Ohio. I have lectured at seminars before the Toledo, Columbus and other bar associations and at the Ohio State Bar Convention. All lectures involved Probate Litigation.

I have published articles on probate litigation in the Probate Law Journal of Ohio, including articles on the waiver of attorney/client and doctor/patient privilege; an article on the case of Lucitte vs. Lucitte which I won in a jury trial and on appeal; an article on the clarification and expansion of probate court jurisdiction over life time transfers (e.g. joint and survivorship assets);an article of the case of Gehrke vs. Senkiw, and an article titled: “How to Identify and Prove Undue Influence.”

Professional Associations and Memberships

I belong to the Ohio State Bar Association, Toledo Bar Association and the Lucas County Bar Association. I am a former President of the Lucas County Ohio Bar Association. I have been a member of the Toledo Bar Association’s Probate Committee since 1981. I am a member of the Ohio State Bar Association’s Estate Planning, Trust & Probate Law Council (the OSBA committee that writes legislation for the estate planning area).

Of Counsel Arrangement

I have an “Of Counsel” relationship with Dupont and Blumenstiel, LLC of Columbus, Ohio. Attorney Braden Blumenstiel has worked with me in preparing, trying, and settling probate litigation cases. We won the two will contests that we tried to a jury.. This unique relationship gives me experienced back up during the critical phases of a case such as mediation or trial.

Contact attorney Richard Kolb, probate litigation lawyer

If you would like to discuss ways I can help you, please contact my Toledo probate litigation law firm online or at 419-244-3006 . I keep flexible hours and can speak to you in the evening or even on weekends, if necessary.