Jonas Urba is licensed to practice law in three states (Florida, Colorado, and Massachusetts).  He has represented the gay lesbian lgbt community for most of the past 20 years.

The majority of Jonas' practice involves drafting legal documents to protect his clients.  Those include partnership agreements, last wills, living wills, durable power of attorney documents, designation of health care surrogates also known as health care proxies or health care power of attorney documents, coparenting agreements, life estate deeds, revocable living trusts, homestead protection planning, permanency planning, equitable property distribution, issues surrounding gay marriage and gay divorce, and formal and informal probate administration.  He litigates and mediates cases within the circuit courts of Florida and probates formal and information administration of estates.

Jonas cautions couples that gay marriage for residents of states outside of the licensing jurisdiction should be accompanied by written agreements or contracts.  Otherwise, there may be no other remedy to determine who will establish residence in the state where the marriage was consummated in the event that there is a breakdown or divorce.  Without any written agreement, both spouses may be unable to ever marry again in any other jurisdiction until at least one spouse establishes residence in the marrying state and petitions for and obtains a divorce decree in that state.  The government will not step in and draft contracts or agreements for adults who could have done so themselves.    

In addition to counseling couples regarding gay marriage, gay divorce, and gay adoption issues, Jonas Urba probates cases in ALL Florida counties.  Regardless of where you live, you don't have to travel to Florida to probate your loved one's estate.  Each day Jonas finds that more of his practice is conducted with electronic correspondence which often include electronic documents as attachments.  Jonas often prepares drafts and e-mails them to his clients for review and sometimes for original execution in other states.

If your gay lesbian lgbt or glbt partner was not biologically related to you then Jonas will ask you to provide him with either the original Last Will and Testament or a true and correct copy of the original.  Florida will require authentication of copies of Last Wills when the original is not self-proving or when the original can not be found.  There are specific procedures for doing so.

If your loved one died owning Florida real estate and you were not a joint owner with full rights of survivorship but believe that you are entitled to inherit such real estate then you will need to produce either the original or a true copy of the deceased's Last Will and Testament.  Remember that the Last Will could have been executed anywhere but the State of Florida will require authentication.

When either the original Last Will and Testament or a true copy can not be found, the only people who can inherit property under Florida's Laws must be biologically related to the deceased.  "Full rights of survivorship" written on a deed or title of ownership means that such property automatically vests with the survivor at death.  This means that your gay lesbian lgbt glbt partner should inherit the property.  However, there are exceptions with caveats! 

Probate is very procedural by nature.  It has to be because the deceased is no longer alive to express their wishes.  If the deceased did not incorporate their wishes into a validly executed Last Will and Testament then those wishes died with them.  At that point, the State of Florida's legislature decided by making laws regarding who inherits the deceased's property.  Florida's intestate laws do NOT benefit non-biologcial relatives, non-spouses, and divorced spouses with automatic rights of inheritance, unless a validly executed Last Will properly devised such property.  

If you choose to e-mail Jonas Urba at JonasUrba@aol.com or Jonas@GayProbate.com please follow up with a telephone call to (813) 390-7787 if you do not receive a response within 24 hours.  Jonas receives considerable e-mail correspondence, inclusive of "junk mail" and can not guarantee that unrecognized addresses will not be deleted.

Jonas also works with gay adoption and recognizes that children have rights and should be heard regardless of who their biological parent or parents are.

Jonas Urba thanks you for considering his services at this very difficult time and assures you that he will do whatever is legally permissible to help carry out your loved one's wishes after you enter a written agreement for his services.  Florida's Rules of Ethics mandate written attorney client representation agreements before the undertaking of any legal representation and until such an agreement is signed by you and Jonas there is no lawyer-client relationship.  Jonas keeps ALL communication strictly confidential unless you authorize otherwise.