Plain Kentucky guidesfor the moments that change a family.
A loss. A new baby. A parent who is starting to need help. These are the moments when a few Kentucky documents quietly matter most — and when the law is hardest to think about clearly. Each guide below is written by D. Elton Johnson, a Kentucky-licensed attorney, for one person at a time. They are general orientation, not legal advice for your specific situation, and they are free to read.
The first thirty days after a parent dies.
Social Security to notify, death certificates to order, the will to find, and the big question of whether the estate needs Kentucky probate — in the order most families face them.
Read the 30-day checklistA new baby changes one legal thing most Kentucky parents miss.
Who would raise your child if you couldn’t? The few documents Kentucky parents typically record first — and why the guardian decision is the one not to put off.
Read the new-parent guideWhen a parent is starting to need help.
The documents that let you step in for an aging parent — pay their bills, talk to their doctors, honor their wishes — before a crisis forces the family into court.
Read the aging-parent guideWhat makes a Kentucky will valid.
The two-witness rule, who should never witness, the self-proving affidavit, and what a Kentucky will costs — the requirements in plain English.
Read the Kentucky will guideWhat happens if you die without a will in Kentucky.
Kentucky’s intestate rules decide who inherits. Since July 15, 2026, a surviving spouse comes first, though in a blended family the spouse’s share under KRS 391.010 may be one-half. How the default works, and how a will changes it.
Read the intestacy guideHow a Kentucky power of attorney works.
Durable vs. springing, how it’s signed and notarized, why it doesn’t cover medical decisions, and how to revoke it — a plain guide to the Kentucky statutory POA.
Read the power-of-attorney guideThese pages are general orientation, not legal advice for your specific situation. Bluegrass Cornerstone is a service of Johnson Legal PLLC, a Kentucky law firm. An attorney-client relationship with Johnson Legal PLLC is formed only by a signed engagement letter following a conflict check, not by visiting this site.