Estate Planning & Probate Lawyers in Utah
Browse 953 verified estate planning & probate attorneys licensed to practice in Utah. Compare experience, ratings, and verified reviews — every UT profile is independently sourced and refreshed.
- Steven M. Rogers Pleasant Grove
- Justin Wall Logan
- Benjamin E Connor St. George
- Laura M Gray Salt Lake City
- Barry E. Clarkson St. George
- Marc A Austin Provo
- Justin S Pratt Salt Lake City
- Alison Bond Layton
- Addison D Larreau Ogden
- Deacon G Haymond Salt Lake City
- Andrew L. Howell South Jordan
- Jeff B. Skoubye J.D. Salt Lake City
- Richard Tanner Tooele
- Stephen Edward Quesenberry Lehi
- Matthew D Hadfield Lehi
- John W Buckley Provo
- Randall J Holmgren South Jordan
- Mr Hugh Cawthorne Salt Lake City
- James Richard Kostoff Layton
- Keith F. Sullivan St. George
- Martin R. Slater St. George
- Gayle A Sorenson Ivins
- Gary L. Longmore Salt Lake City
- Thomas E. Greenwald Draper
- Kurt A Johnson St. George
- Richard G Allen Lehi
- James W. Jensen Cedar City
- Felshaw King Kaysville
- Robyn Rowe Walton Bountiful
- David J Peters Bountiful
- John Robert Fugal Orem
- Luke H Ong Bountiful
- Warren H Peterson Salt Lake City
- Gary N Anderson Logan
- Stanley Duane Neeleman Salt Lake City
- Miles P Jensen Logan
- Mark T Ethington South Jordan
- Richard H Johnson II Salt Lake City
- Thomas J. Bayles St. George
- Kenlon W Reeve Ogden
- R. Stephen Marshall Salt Lake City
- Mark F Robinson Provo
- Russell S Mitchell St. George
- Langdon T Owen, Jr Salt Lake City
- John Parsons Sandy
- Randy M Lish Provo
- Craig S Cummings Salt Lake City
- Richard W. Evans South Jordan
- Michael J Kelley Taylorsville
- Scott R Wangsgard Salt Lake City
- Cindy M Sadler Salt Lake City
- Robert M Taylor Cottonwood Heights
- David R Carver Salt Lake City
- Brent R Armstrong Salt Lake City
- Steven W Bennett Salt Lake City
- David W Steffensen Salt Lake City
- Hal N Swenson Kaysville
- Pattie S Christensen Sandy
- Kent H Collins Salt Lake City
- George D Melling, Jr Salt Lake City
- J. David Milliner Salt Lake City
- R Clark Arnold Salt Lake City
- Ronny L Cutshall Salt Lake City
- Thomas Christensen, Jr Salt Lake City
- Glen D Watkins Salt Lake City
- Jay Benson Bell Salt Lake City
- Leon W Crockett West Jordan
- Michael R Carlston Salt Lake City
- Donald J Winder Salt Lake City
- Keven M Rowe Salt Lake City
- Thomas M Zarr Salt Lake City
- Dale Traveller Hansen Salt Lake City
- Timothy B Smith Salt Lake City
- Edward R Munson Salt Lake City
- Richard C Cahoon Salt Lake City
- Steven J Dixon Salt Lake City
- Jerry R Kennedy Salt Lake City
- Arthur F Sandack Salt Lake City
- Fred D Essig Salt Lake City
- Harold C Verhaaren Salt Lake City
- Neil R Sabin Salt Lake City
- David L Rasmussen South Jordan
- Gerald Taylor Snow Salt Lake City
- Dennis M Astill Sandy
- Michael D Blackburn Salt Lake City
- William L. Prater Midvale
- David E Sloan Salt Lake City
- Stephen D Swindle Salt Lake City
- Phillip W Dyer Salt Lake City
- Carson M Pearson South Jordan
- Natalie Carrie Segall Park City
- Frank T Mohlman Tooele
- Denton M Hatch Spanish Fork
- Daryl P Sam Salt Lake City
- D. Miles Holman Sandy
- Steven R Lawrence, Jr Salt Lake City
- Jon M Jeppson Salt Lake City
- Gregg D Stephenson Salt Lake City
- W. Kent Corry Cedar City
- Jane A Marquardt Bountiful
- Gayle F. McKeachnie Vernal
- Gary A Sargent Salt Lake City
- J. Craig Carman Salt Lake City
- Thomas E Nelson Bountiful
- Mark J Kohler Cedar City
- Daniel R Cragun Ogden
- H. Reese Hansen Provo
- H. Dennis Piercey Salt Lake City
- Thomas R King Sandy
- Mckay Maughn Pearson Provo
- Clark R Nielsen Salt Lake City
- Richard J. Lawrence Salt Lake City
- Richard L Petersen Provo
- Trevin G. Workman Logan
- Brandon G Myers Salt Lake City
- Darin Ronald Anderson Park City
- W. Durrell Nielsen II Bountiful
- Curtis G Kimble Salt Lake City
- George R Sutton Salt Lake City
- David W Hunter St. George
- Jonathan Aaron Diaz Salt Lake City
- Kenneth A Prigmore Spanish Fork
- Jeremy R Mccullough St. George
- Anthony M Saunders West Jordan
- J. Simon Cantarero South Jordan
- Terrell Robert Lee Lehi
- Erik S Helgesen Layton
- Angilee Kym Dakic South Jordan
- Peter Lence Lattin Provo
- Ryan J. Stanger Ogden
- Casey W Jones Salt Lake City
- Thomas Michael Crofts St. George
- Clinton Justin Cutler Draper
- Derek Williams Mapleton
- Mark B Hancey Providence
- Arlan O Headman, Jr Sandy
- Stephen Marsh Sargent Salt Lake City
- Charles M Bennett Salt Lake City
- David M Bernstein Salt Lake City
- Jerald V Hale Salt Lake City
- C. Jeffrey Thompson Salt Lake City
- Matthew Allen Bell Cottonwood Heights
- Adam Forsyth Provo
- Matt Aaron Munson Cedar City
- Todd Nicholas Hallock Logan
- Daniel Wayne McKay Spanish Fork
- Scott N Rasmussen Salt Lake City
- Robert M Henriksen Salt Lake City
- Angela E Atkin Salt Lake City
- Wayne Z Bennett Salt Lake City
- Kelly J Applegate Salt Lake City
- Paul K Bachman Ogden
- Jeffery J Mckenna St. George
- Mr Kevin J Ontiveros Sandy
- D. Randall Trueblood Salt Lake City
- Cynthia J Crass Sandy
- John Joseph Diamond Midvale
- Heath H Snow St. George
- Kathryn Holt St. George
- Stephen R Sloan Salt Lake City
- Clinton J. Bullock Salt Lake City
- Jeffrey N. Walker Sandy
- Travis L Bowen Salt Lake City
- Scott W Hansen Salt Lake City
- Kent M. Brown Salt Lake City
- John Naya Zarian Murray
- Philip G Jones Orem
- Joyce Maughan Salt Lake City
- John L Valentine Salt Lake City
- Ray M Beck Salt Lake City
- Debra A Robb Logan
- L Bruce Larsen Salt Lake City
- Nathan C Croxford Farmington
- Rachel Peirce Salt Lake City
- Todd M Jacobsen Salt Lake City
- Douglas K Cummings Woods Cross
- Cathleen C Gilbert Bountiful
- James P Alder Bountiful
- Christopher N Nelson Salt Lake City
- Eric P Lee Park City
- Kelly B Miles Ogden
- Chad J Utley St. George
- Jack C Helgesen Layton
- Douglas K Fadel Bountiful
- Kenneth C Margetts Salt Lake City
- Chad C. Rasmussen Provo
- J. Scott Cottingham Salt Lake City
- Scott G Wilding Brigham City
- Matthew M Boley Salt Lake City
- Phillip G Gubler St. George
- Jeffery B. Adair Logan
- A. Craig Hale Salt Lake City
- Aaron D. Randall St. George
- Carey A. Seager Salt Lake City
- Chris B Turner Orem
- Justin Craig Rammell Sandy
- Matthew V Hess Salt Lake City
- Joshua F King Kaysville
- Amy Hayes Kennedy Salt Lake City
- Charles H. Livsey Salt Lake City
Estate Planning & Probate in Utah — a state-specific overview
In Utah, estate planning & probate sits within the broader U.S. legal framework but is shaped at every level by state-specific statutes and rules of court. The Utah legislature periodically amends the governing code provisions, and the Utah appellate courts produce binding interpretations that lower courts must follow. Even when the underlying federal law is the same as in neighbouring states, the Utah estate planning bar develops its own practical norms — particular forms, conventions around discovery, expectations about hearings — that an out-of-state attorney would have to learn from scratch.
Three structural facts are worth knowing before you hire an estate planning attorney in UT. First, every lawyer who appears in a Utah courtroom must hold an active license issued by the Utah State Bar; pro hac vice admission for out-of-state counsel is possible but requires a sponsoring local attorney and court approval. Second, civil and criminal procedure in Utah are governed by their own codes — discovery, motion practice, and trial scheduling differ from the Federal Rules of Civil Procedure in ways that matter strategically. Third, the Utah courts of general jurisdiction (trial level), intermediate appellate courts, and the state supreme court each have their own filing requirements, fee schedules, and electronic-filing systems.
AttorneyQnA tracks 953 verified estate planning & probate attorneys licensed in Utah, with the deepest concentration in Salt Lake City and the other cities listed in the sidebar. If your matter has the option of being filed in Utah or another jurisdiction, that venue choice is one of the first decisions worth discussing with counsel — sometimes the most consequential one.
When do you need an estate planning attorney in Utah?
The signals that suggest it's time to involve counsel are largely the same nationwide — but in Utah, several of them carry state-specific deadlines that you can't see coming without legal help. The scenarios below are the ones UT residents and businesses most commonly bring to AttorneyQnA.
Every cause of action in Utah has its own filing window. Once it expires, courts cannot extend it as a favour. If you can name a date the harm occurred, you have a deadline.
State-court summons, administrative-agency notices, and licensing actions in Utah all start procedural clocks measured in days, not weeks. Responding without an attorney can convert a manageable matter into a default judgment or finalized enforcement.
Whether it's a settlement, a contract, an NDA, or a release, the moment your signature is on the page, your bargaining leverage drops sharply. Utah-specific clauses (forum selection, choice-of-law, waiver, indemnity) deserve a pre-signature review.
The moment opposing counsel files an appearance, the conversation moves out of plain English. Continuing unrepresented in Utah state court is almost always a losing position from that point on.
If your situation touches Utah plus another jurisdiction, conflict-of-laws questions will determine which body of law actually applies — and that determines outcomes more than anything else. You need a lawyer licensed in the controlling jurisdiction.
Forming a Utah entity, drafting a Utah-governed estate document, structuring a real-estate or business deal — each carries long-term consequences that are far cheaper to get right the first time than to litigate later.
For a short written answer before booking a consultation, use the Ask a Lawyer tool — licensed Utah attorneys typically reply within 24 hours.
How to choose an estate planning attorney in Utah
The single biggest factor is fit between the lawyer and your specific matter. A estate planning generalist with twenty years of UT experience may be a worse choice than a five-year associate who handles your particular sub-issue repeatedly. Run every prospective attorney through this checklist.
- Active Utah bar admission. Confirm the lawyer is currently licensed and in good standing with the Utah State Bar. Federal-court matters additionally require admission to the relevant U.S. District Court covering Utah.
- Direct UT estate planning experience. Ask plainly: "How many estate planning matters have you handled in Utah in the last three years, and how did they resolve?" An honest answer reveals more than a generic résumé.
- Written engagement letter. Whether hourly, flat-fee, contingent, or hybrid, the terms should be in writing before any work begins. Avoid lawyers who resist putting fee terms on paper.
- Communication cadence. Settle upfront on update frequency, day-to-day point of contact, and realistic response time. Non-communication is the number-one complaint filed with the Utah bar's grievance committee.
- Conflict check + clean disciplinary record. The Utah bar publishes any public discipline. Ten minutes spent there will surface anything you need to know before signing.
Once two or three candidates pass the checklist, schedule consultations with each. Temperament and strategic fit vary widely; the right lawyer for your matter is sometimes the second or third one you meet — not the first.
How much does an estate planning attorney cost in Utah?
Legal fees in the United States are not regulated by a uniform schedule, and Utah is no exception. What you pay depends on the billing model, the complexity of your matter, and the local market. Four billing structures are in active use among UT estate planning attorneys.
Hourly billing
The default for non-contingent matters. Hourly rates among Utah estate planning attorneys typically range from $175–$275/hour at the lower end (solo and small-firm rates in mid-size UT markets), through $300–$500/hour at mid-market firms in Salt Lake City, up to $650/hour and above for senior partners at large firms.
Flat fee
Increasingly used for well-defined work — single-issue motions, drafting deliverables, uncontested filings. Utah attorneys offering flat-fee arrangements typically include filing fees in the quote; always confirm. Flat fees give you cost certainty and shift complexity risk to the lawyer.
Contingency
Where permitted by Utah rules of professional conduct — primarily plaintiff-side estate planning matters with a monetary recovery — the attorney is paid a percentage of any award, typically 33% before suit is filed and 40% after. The client owes no fee if there is no recovery. Utah court rules sometimes cap contingent percentages in specific case types; ask for the maximum allowed in your category.
Retainer / subscription
Monthly fees that buy a defined block of access or hours, used most often by businesses with ongoing estate planning needs. A subscription smooths spending and gives the lawyer a reason to know your operation in depth.
Whichever model fits, ask explicitly what is not included — surprise expenses are the most common source of attorney-client friction.
Top Utah cities for Estate Planning attorneys
The cards below show the Utah cities with the largest concentrations of verified estate planning & probate attorneys. Each link narrows the directory to that city while keeping the practice-area filter.
Utah's court system & estate planning
Choosing the right venue is one of the first strategic decisions in any estate planning matter, and in Utah it is structured across three court systems whose jurisdictions and procedures differ in ways that matter to outcomes.
State trial courts
Most estate planning matters that originate under Utah state law begin in the Utah trial courts of general jurisdiction. Filing fees, electronic-filing requirements, and standard scheduling orders vary by county; experienced UT counsel will know which courthouse is favoured for your matter type and why.
Federal district court
Matters involving federal statutes, diversity jurisdiction, or constitutional questions belong in the U.S. District Court whose territory covers your Utah location. Federal practice is governed by the Federal Rules of Civil Procedure, not the Utah code; the two diverge meaningfully in pleading standards, discovery, and motion practice.
State appellate courts
Trial-court decisions in Utah are reviewed first by the state's intermediate appellate court(s) and then, on discretionary review, by the Utah supreme court. Appellate practice is a distinct specialty; a brilliant trial lawyer is not automatically the right attorney to handle the appeal.
Frequently asked questions about estate planning in Utah
Should I form an LLC or an S-corp?
For most small US businesses, an LLC is the default choice: flexible governance, simpler tax filings, fewer ongoing formalities. An S-corp election (which can be made by either an LLC or a corporation) is worth considering once profits exceed roughly $50,000 to $75,000, because it can reduce self-employment tax on the owner's "reasonable salary plus distribution" structure. A C-corp is required for venture-capital funding or an IPO path.
Why do so many companies incorporate in Delaware?
Delaware's Court of Chancery has 200+ years of corporate case law, predictable judges who specialize in business disputes, and corporate statutes that are flexible and well-tested. For C-corps planning to raise venture capital, Delaware is essentially mandatory because investors expect it. For small LLCs operating in a single state, forming in your home state is usually cheaper and just as good.
Do I really need a written operating agreement / shareholder agreement?
Yes, even for single-member LLCs and family-run corporations. Internal governance documents control distributions, voting, what happens on a member's death or divorce, dispute resolution, and buy-sell rights. Without them, your state's default rules apply — and they're often unfavorable in disputes. The cost of drafting one is trivial compared to the cost of litigation when there isn't one.
Can I be personally liable for my company's debts?
Yes, in several scenarios: if you personally guarantee a loan or lease (very common for small business credit), if you sign contracts in your individual capacity rather than on behalf of the entity, if you fail to keep business and personal finances separate, if you commit fraud or breach a fiduciary duty, or if a court "pierces the corporate veil" because of inadequate capitalization or disregard of formalities.
What contracts should every business have in place?
At minimum: customer/client agreements (terms of service or master service agreement), employment offer letters and at-will agreements, independent contractor agreements with proper 1099 classification, non-disclosure agreements for vendors and partners, an internal operating agreement or bylaws, and a privacy policy + terms of use on any website. Industry-specific contracts (BAAs for healthcare, data processing agreements for SaaS) may also apply.
Estate Planning & Probate attorneys by state
National hub →Find estate planning & probate attorneys in every U.S. state. The current state (Utah) is highlighted; each other state opens that state's estate planning directory with its own filing-deadline and court-system overview.