Every fiduciary, before entering upon the execution of a trust, shall receive letters of appointment from a probate court having jurisdiction of the subject matter of the trust.

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Terms Used In Ohio Code 2109.02

  • Executor: A male person named in a will to carry out the decedent
  • Fiduciary: A trustee, executor, or administrator.
  • Jurisdiction: (1) The legal authority of a court to hear and decide a case. Concurrent jurisdiction exists when two courts have simultaneous responsibility for the same case. (2) The geographic area over which the court has authority to decide cases.
  • Person: includes an individual, corporation, business trust, estate, trust, partnership, and association. See Ohio Code 1.59
  • Probate: Proving a will
  • Property: means real and personal property. See Ohio Code 1.59

The duties of a fiduciary shall be those required by law, and such additional duties as the court orders. Letters of appointment shall not issue until a fiduciary has executed a written acceptance of the fiduciary’s duties, acknowledging that the fiduciary is subject to removal for failure to perform the fiduciary’s duties, and that the fiduciary is subject to possible penalties for conversion of property the fiduciary held as a fiduciary. The written acceptance may be filed with the application for appointment.

No act or transaction by a fiduciary is valid prior to the issuance of letters of appointment to the fiduciary. This section does not prevent an executor named in a will, an executor nominated pursuant to a power as described in section 2107.65 of the Revised Code, or a person with the right of disposition under section 2108.70 or 2108.81 of the Revised Code from paying funeral expenses, or prevent necessary acts for the preservation of the trust estate prior to the issuance of those letters.