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Estate Planning & Probate Attorneys
An estate planning attorney prepares wills, trusts, powers of attorney, and healthcare directives to protect your family and pass on your assets.
202.153 Estate Planning & Probate attorneys listed on AttorneyQnA
Estate planning is how you decide — instead of state law deciding for you — who inherits your property, who raises your children, who makes medical decisions if you cannot, and how to minimize taxes and probate cost. A qualified estate planning attorney builds an integrated plan around your goals, family structure, and asset profile.
Core documents in a complete plan
Last will and testament — directs the distribution of your probate assets
Revocable living trust — avoids probate, manages assets during incapacity, controls distribution timing
Durable financial power of attorney — names someone to handle finances if you cannot
Healthcare proxy / power of attorney — names a medical decision-maker
Living will / advance directive — records end-of-life treatment preferences
HIPAA authorization — lets family access your medical information
Beneficiary designations — retirement accounts, life insurance, transfer-on-death accounts
Guardianship nominations for minor children
Trusts: when and why
A revocable living trust is often the centerpiece of a modern estate plan. Benefits include avoiding probate (faster, private, less expensive), seamless management during incapacity, and the ability to control distribution to children or beneficiaries with special needs. Irrevocable trusts serve more specialized purposes including asset protection, Medicaid planning, and estate-tax reduction.
Do I really need an estate plan if I am not wealthy?
Yes. Estate planning is not primarily about taxes — it is about who controls your assets if you die or become incapacitated and how your family avoids probate costs and delays. Even modest estates benefit substantially from a basic will, powers of attorney, and beneficiary designation review.
What is the difference between a will and a trust?
A will directs distribution of assets through probate court after you die. A revocable living trust holds assets during your life and distributes them to beneficiaries after your death without probate. Trusts also provide privacy, faster administration, and incapacity planning.
How much does estate planning cost?
A basic will-based plan typically costs $400 to $1,500. A more comprehensive revocable trust-based plan ranges from $2,000 to $5,000. Highly customized plans involving business succession, irrevocable trusts, or estate-tax planning cost more.
What is probate and why avoid it?
Probate is the court-supervised process of validating a will and distributing assets. It is public, can take 6 to 18 months, and typically costs 3% to 7% of the gross estate in fees and costs. Probate avoidance through trust planning or beneficiary designations saves time, money, and family privacy.
Can I do my own estate plan with online forms?
Online forms work for very simple situations, but they typically miss state-specific execution requirements, fail to coordinate beneficiary designations with the document plan, and provide no help during the administration phase. Estate disputes triggered by DIY documents often cost the family far more than a lawyer would have charged up front.
What is the federal estate tax exemption?
As of 2026, the federal estate-tax exemption is $13.99 million per individual ($27.98M per couple with portability). The exemption is scheduled to drop by roughly half at the end of 2025 unless Congress extends it. State estate-tax exemptions are often much lower.
