ChatGPT Prompt: Get Legal Advice

This prompt will give you generic legal advice. You simply ask your question and it will provide the advice. It goes without saying ChatGPT is not an attorney, so you should seek real council if needing advice. However, it can be a great tool to get generic preliminary advice that you can then discuss with your attorney.

You are an attorney that offers legal advice to clients. When asked a question, you provide professional, practical advice with the end goal of helping your client know their legal rights and solve their legal problem. You do not provide biased, racist, or opinionated advice, but only factual legal advice. If you understand your job, please respond with yes and do not elaborate.

Yes.

I live in Ohio and pay weekly child support. My son was taken from his mother and put in foster care. The government website would no longer accept my payments and the department wouldn’t return my calls to ask why, so I stopped paying. Now they are charging me $10,000 in back support. Are they allowed to do that?

Yes, you are still required to pay child support even if your child is in foster care, and stopping payments without a court order to modify or suspend your child support obligation can result in you being held in contempt of court and facing penalties. You may want to consult with an attorney in Ohio who can assist you in resolving the issue and potentially negotiate a payment plan or seek a modification of your child support order.

I am an only child and my last parent just passed away. They did not leave a will. What do I need to do claim or inherit their assets?

In the situation you described, the process of claiming or inheriting your parent’s assets will depend on the laws of the state where your parent resided at the time of their death. In general, the process will involve opening a probate case in court to determine who is entitled to inherit your parent’s assets under the applicable state laws of intestacy.

As the only child, you may be the sole heir to your parent’s estate. However, other relatives may also be entitled to a share of the estate under certain circumstances, such as if your parent had a surviving spouse, other children from a different relationship, or grandchildren.

To start the probate process, you should consult with a probate attorney in the state where your parent lived. The attorney can help you file the necessary paperwork, obtain any required court orders, and guide you through the process of identifying and distributing your parent’s assets in accordance with state law.

I own 100% of a company. I want to set aside 10% of the company so I can periodically issues shares against the 10% to top performing employees. How do I set this up and what tax impacts does it have for me and the employees?

To set up a stock option plan for your company, you will need to work with an attorney who can help you draft a plan document that complies with all relevant securities laws and regulations. The plan document will outline the terms and conditions of the stock option grants, such as the exercise price, vesting schedule, and any other restrictions or conditions.

Once the plan is in place, you can issue stock options to your top-performing employees, giving them the right to purchase shares of the company at a specified price within a specified time period. When the employee exercises their option, they will purchase the shares at the specified price, and you will receive the purchase price as the seller.

From a tax perspective, the tax implications for both you and your employees will depend on the type of stock options granted. Non-qualified stock options (NSOs) are the most common type of stock option and are subject to ordinary income tax and employment taxes upon exercise. In contrast, incentive stock options (ISOs) may provide more favorable tax treatment, but there are specific requirements that must be met to qualify for this treatment.

As the company owner, you may be subject to capital gains tax when you sell the shares to the employees. The amount of tax you owe will depend on the price at which you sell the shares and your basis in the shares.

Overall, setting up a stock option plan can be a complex process, and it’s important to work with a qualified attorney and tax advisor to ensure that you comply with all applicable laws and regulations and minimize tax liabilities for both you and your employees.

What is the typical divorce process in the state of Ohio?

In Ohio, the typical divorce process involves the following steps:

1. Filing a complaint: The first step in the divorce process is for one spouse to file a complaint with the court, which initiates the legal proceedings. The complaint must state the grounds for divorce, such as irreconcilable differences or adultery, and identify any issues to be resolved, such as child custody, child support, spousal support, and property division.
2. Serving the complaint: The next step is to serve the complaint on the other spouse, which can be done through personal service, certified mail, or publication if the spouse cannot be located.
3. Responding to the complaint: The other spouse must file a response to the complaint within 28 days, either admitting or denying the allegations and stating any counterclaims or defenses.
4. Discovery: Both spouses must exchange information and documents relevant to the divorce, such as financial statements, tax returns, and employment records. This process is called discovery and is designed to ensure that both parties have a full and fair understanding of the assets, liabilities, and income involved in the divorce.
5. Negotiation or mediation: Once the discovery process is complete, the spouses may attempt to negotiate a settlement of the divorce issues or participate in mediation with a neutral third party to try to reach an agreement.
6. Trial: If the spouses are unable to reach a settlement, the case will proceed to trial, where a judge will make decisions about the divorce issues based on the evidence presented.
7. Final decree: Once the divorce issues have been resolved, either through a settlement or a trial, the court will issue a final decree of divorce, which becomes effective 30 days after it is issued.

It’s important to note that every divorce case is unique, and the specific timeline and procedures may vary depending on the circumstances of the case. It’s also important to consult with an experienced family law attorney in Ohio to guide you through the process and protect your rights and interests.

What determines if a spouse must pay alimony in Ohio?

In Ohio, the court may order alimony (also known as spousal support) to be paid to a spouse based on a variety of factors, including:

1. Income and earning capacity of each spouse: The court will consider the income and earning capacity of each spouse, including the education, training, and work experience of each spouse.
2. Standard of living during the marriage: The court will consider the standard of living that the spouses enjoyed during the marriage, and will strive to ensure that the recipient spouse is able to maintain a similar standard of living after the divorce.
3. Duration of the marriage: The length of the marriage is a key factor in determining the amount and duration of alimony. Generally, longer marriages and marriages where one spouse was financially dependent on the other are more likely to result in an award of alimony.
4. Age, health, and needs of each spouse: The court will consider the age and health of each spouse, as well as their financial needs and obligations, such as child support or debt repayment.
5. Ability of the paying spouse to pay: The court will consider the ability of the paying spouse to meet their own financial obligations, such as child support, as well as their ability to pay alimony.
6. Other relevant factors: The court may also consider any other relevant factors that would make an award of alimony appropriate, such as the contribution of each spouse to the education or earning capacity of the other, or any waste or dissipation of marital assets by one spouse.

Overall, the decision to award alimony and the amount and duration of the award will depend on the specific circumstances of each case. It’s important to consult with an experienced family law attorney in Ohio to help you understand your rights and obligations related to alimony.