Attorney Profiles

EWJJ mourns the loss of our beloved friend and Partner, J. Richard “Dick” Emens. Dick passed away peacefully surrounded by family on June 28, 2023 after a lengthy battle with melanoma. He was 89 years old.

Mr. Emens major areas of practice are Oil/Gas, Real Estate, Solar, Mineral Law, and Corporate Law.  He has advised clients on utility, pipeline and other easements, real estate purchases and financing, oil, gas, solar, farm leases, mineral deeds, forced pooling, royalties, family business matters and represented many clients before state and federal regulatory agencies.  Mr. Emens has been included for forty years in the well-known reference book, “Best Lawyers in America”, listed in the categories of Oil and Gas Law, Natural Resources Law, and Corporate Law (the only Ohio lawyer listed in all three categories) and listed in Ohio and Columbus Super Lawyers.  He writes and is a frequent speaker about all the listed subjects; he has spoken to more than 11,000 Ohio landowners about oil, gas, solar and farm leases and pipeline and utility easements.

Bea Wolper is Chief Executive Officer of Emens Wolper Jacobs Jasin Law Firm, where her practice focuses on succession planning, wills, trusts, estate planning, oil and gas law, and the buying and selling of assets and businesses, with an emphasis on family-owned businesses.

Sean Jacobs is a Partner with Emens Wolper Jacobs & Jasin Law Firm, LPA. His practice focuses on Oil, Gas & Mineral Law, Oil & Gas Royalty Payments, Oil & Gas Lease and Easement Negotiations, Mineral Ownership Disputes, Wind & Solar, and Real Estate. Cody also assists landowners with various probate matters including transfers of oil and gas to other generations.

Kelly Jasin is the President of Emens Wolper Jacobs Jasin Law Firm Co., LPA. Her primary areas of practice include Wills/Trusts/Estate Planning, Family Business, including succession planning and family business disputes, Asset Protection issues, Mergers and Acquisitions, General Corporate law and Probate Administration. Kelly is recognized as a Super Lawyers Rising Stars in the category of Closely Held Businesses in Ohio and by “Best Lawyers in America” in the categories of Closely Held Companies and Family Business Law and Trusts and Estates. She frequently writes and lectures on the topics of estate planning, family-owned business issues and asset protection.

Cody Smith is an attorney with Emens Wolper Jacobs Jasin Law Firm whose primary area of practice is real estate law. Cody is part of EWJJ’s Landowners Group with experience in a wide array real estate matters including negotiations of solar leases, oil and gas leases, pipeline and utility easements, surface use agreements, water line agreements, and other agreements related to oil and gas. Cody also conducts royalty reviews for landowners and analyzes competing claims to ownership of oil and gas under the Ohio Dormant Mineral Act and the Ohio Marketable Title Act. Cody also assists landowners with various probate matters including transfers of oil and gas to other generations.

Heidi Kemp is an attorney with Emens Wolper Jacobs & Jasin Law Firm and works out of their St. Clairsville office. Her primary areas of practice include Wills, Trusts, Estate Planning, Family Business Succession Planning, Probate Administration, and Oil and Gas law for landowners. Prior to law school, Heidi served as a trust officer for over eight years where she gained valuable experience in trust administration, estate planning, and estate administration. Heidi is a CFP® professional and holds the Certified Trust and Financial Advisor (CTFA) designation from the American Bankers Association Institute of Certified Bankers.

Todd M. Kildow joined the Emens & Wolper St. Clairsville office in April 2018.  Todd focuses his practice on Real Estate Law, Estate & Elder Law Planning, Probate Law/Estate Administration, Oil & Gas/ODMA issues, Commercial Law, Small Business & Limited Liability Companies, Creditor Collections & Foreclosures, and General Civil litigation.  Todd currently serves as counsel to Belmont Savings Bank and Bayer Heritage Federal Credit Union.

Elle Gerwig is an attorney with Emens Wolper Jacobs Jasin Law Firm Co., LPA. Her primary areas of practice include Wills/Trusts/Estate Planning and Family Business. Before joining EWJJ, Elle worked at a law firm focusing on estate planning.

Stephanie Stinemetz is a certified paralegal with Emens Wolper Jacobs & Jasin Law Firm Co., LPA. She primarily works in conjunction with our attorneys on matters related to Wills/Trusts/Estate Planning, Family Business, Asset Protection, Mergers and Acquisitions, General Corporate law, and Probate Administration.