Estate Planning & Probate Lawyers in Portland
985 verified estate planning attorneys in Portland. An estate planning attorney prepares wills, trusts, powers of attorney, and healthcare directives to protect your family and pass on your assets. Compare estate planning experience, read verified client reviews, and book a free consultation with local Portland counsel — AttorneyQnA never charges clients to connect with an attorney.
Ms. Sharon A Williams is a lawyer practicing divorce and family law matters, real estate, estate planning.
Catherine Marie Eckert is a lawyer practicing real property, financial markets and services, estate planning and 8 other areas of law. Catherine recei...
Mr. Jimmy W Go is a lawyer practicing u.s. immigration law matters, business law, corporate law and 2 other areas of law.
Eric H Vetterlein is a lawyer practicing environmental and natural resources, trusts, estate planning and 4 other areas of law. Eric received a B.A. d...
Mr. Kevin Edward Lucey is a lawyer practicing criminal law, general practice, civil rights and 4 other areas of law.
Ms. Julia Maureen Hagan is a lawyer practicing alternate dispute, attorney for the child, child support and 14 other areas of law.
Ms. Theressa Hollis is a lawyer practicing probate, guardianship/conservatorship, estate planning and 2 other areas of law.
Eileen M. O'Reilly is a lawyer practicing arbitration, child custody, child support and 12 other areas of law.
My legal practice focuses on estate planning, tax and nonprofit work. What drives me as an attorney is being able to help my clients navigate successf...
Peter Douglas Hawkes is a lawyer practicing antitrust and trade regulation, securities fraud, white collar crime and 6 other areas of law. Peter recei...
Mr. Aaron S Ferreira is a lawyer practicing real estate, business, lawsuits & disputes and 20 other areas of law.
Mr. Michael R Sandoval is a lawyer practicing estate planning law, probate law, business law and 3 other areas of law.
Mr. Randal B Acker is a lawyer practicing business law, corporate law, civil litigation and 4 other areas of law.
Robert Alan Shlachter is a lawyer practicing complex business litigation, intellectual property, unfair competition and 17 other areas of law. Robert ...
Ms. Heather L Guthrie is a lawyer practicing guardianships, business, estate planning and 2 other areas of law.
Ms. Mary Ellen Page Farr is a lawyer practicing litigation, business litigation, wrongful termination and 5 other areas of law.
Mr. Michael W Shackelford is a lawyer practicing employment & labor, business, estate planning & probate and 3 other areas of law.
Vicki L. Smith is a lawyer practicing admiralty and maritime, health care, labor and employment and 6 other areas of law.
Mr. David P Roy is a lawyer practicing estate planning, business, corporate finance and 3 other areas of law.
Wynne Scott Furth is a lawyer practicing land use law, environmental law, public law and 4 other areas of law. Wynne received a B.A. degree from Stanf...
Mr. David Robert Simon is a lawyer practicing business law, consumer finance "creditor's side", real estate and 6 other areas of law.
Ms. Nikki C Hatton is a lawyer practicing tax, estate planning, trusts and 6 other areas of law.
Mr. Peter L Osborne is a lawyer practicing taxation, business transactions, trusts, estates & probate and 11 other areas of law.
Mr. Walter H Grebe is a lawyer practicing estate planning, corporate law, business & banking law and 9 other areas of law.
Mr. John H Rosenfeld is a lawyer practicing trusts, real estate, estate planning and 7 other areas of law.
Mr. George L Kirklin is a lawyer practicing insurance, business torts, securities law and 11 other areas of law.
Mr. Andrew Robert Gardner is a lawyer practicing energy & utilities, defective and dangerous products, business torts litigation and 4 other areas of ...
Mr. Darin D Honn is a lawyer practicing real estate law, business law, securities fraud and 7 other areas of law.
Mr. John A Hirschy is a lawyer practicing business, corporate finance, mergers and acquisitions and 3 other areas of law.
Mr. John M Keller is a lawyer practicing corporation law, real estate law, estate planning law.
Robert E. Kabacy practices at Kell, Alterman & Runstein, L.L.P.
Mr. Christopher James is a lawyer practicing business and corporate formation, corporate finance, corporate governance and 5 other areas of law.
Mr. Wesley D Fitzwater is a lawyer practicing elder law, guardianship and conservatorship, incapacity planning and 6 other areas of law.
Ms. Heidi Rebecca Mandler-Huff is a lawyer practicing estate planning, trusts, wills & living wills and 4 other areas of law.
Jay Richardson is a lawyer practicing business and real estate transactions, business law, business succession and 2 other areas of law. Jay received ...
Lauren practices law with integrity and compassion and believes that when dealing with families, the best outcomes are not measured by winners and los...
Hon. Patricia L McGuire is a lawyer practicing child custody, child support, divorce and 12 other areas of law.
Ms. Sarah L Baker is a lawyer practicing estate planning, elder law, real estate.
Ms. Anne Conole Steiner is a lawyer practicing estate planning, trusts, wills & living wills and 2 other areas of law.
Richard Baroway is a lawyer practicing nonprofit organizations law, tax exempt organizations, real estate and 8 other areas of law. Richard received a...
Mr. Jack B Schwartz is a lawyer practicing estate planning, business, mergers & acquisitions and 2 other areas of law.
Mr. William E. "Ned" Cannon III is a lawyer practicing business law, bank foreclosures, loan workouts and 102 other areas of law.
Mr. Bruce C Hamlin is a lawyer practicing aviation law, business & taxation, commercial litigation and 11 other areas of law.
Gilion Claire Dumas is a lawyer practicing civil practice, commercial litigation, real estate litigation and 3 other areas of law. Gilion received a B...
Ms. Shannon M Connelly is a lawyer practicing estate planning, business law.
Charles W Carnese is a lawyer practicing general civil and trial practice, business law, employment law and 4 other areas of law. Charles received a A...
Mr. Michael Ralph Seidl is a lawyer practicing general practice, commercial litigation, breach of contract and 34 other areas of law.
Kenneth John Fransen is a lawyer practicing estate planning, business and succession planning, business law and 5 other areas of law. Kenneth received...
Mr. Ronald A Shellan is a lawyer practicing estate planning, trusts & estates, tax appeals and 1 other area of law.
Jeffrey C. Thede is a lawyer practicing estate planning, public finance, estate and trust planning and administration and 2 other areas of law.
Mr. David M Munro is a lawyer practicing estate planning, tax, construction / development and 2 other areas of law.
Mr. Conrad L Moore is a lawyer practicing trusts, estate planning, estate and trust administration and 1 other area of law.
Ms. Melanie Elizabeth Marmion is a lawyer practicing taxation, tax planning, trusts and estates taxation and 1 other area of law.
Shea Cornelison Meehan is a lawyer practicing general civil legal issues, estate planning, real estate transactions and 5 other areas of law. Shea rec...
Mr. Richard W.
Mr. Ron D Bailey is a lawyer practicing business, estate planning, probate & trust administration and 1 other area of law.
Jonathan A. Levy is a lawyer practicing estate planning, trusts, wills and 5 other areas of law.
Rees C Johnson is a lawyer practicing estate planning, wills, taxation and 4 other areas of law. Rees received a B.A. degree from Yale College in 1963...
Stephen E Kantor is a lawyer practicing taxation, real estate, trust and estate administration and 2 other areas of law. Stephen received a B.S. degre...
Hon Anthony J Barker is a lawyer practicing general practice, corporate law, estate planning. Anthony received a A.B. degree from Colgate University i...
What is Estate Planning?
Estate Planning is the branch of law that governs the rights, obligations, and disputes that arise within its subject matter. In the United States, estate planning sits at the intersection of statutes enacted by Congress, the regulations issued by federal agencies, the laws passed by all fifty state legislatures, and the body of judge-made decisions known as the common law. Because every state writes its own version of the rules, the way estate planning works in one jurisdiction can look noticeably different from how it works in another, and that is one of the main reasons attorneys in this area focus their practice geographically — to stay fluent in the local statutes, court rules, and judicial preferences that shape outcomes.
At a practical level, Estate Planning attorneys spend their time on three categories of work. The first is advice and prevention: counselling clients on how to structure transactions, draft documents, and conduct business so that legal risk is minimised before a dispute ever begins. The second is transactional execution: producing the contracts, filings, notices, and registrations that the law actually requires to make a decision legally binding. The third is contested representation: defending or pursuing a client's interests when a dispute escalates to negotiation, regulatory enforcement, arbitration, or litigation in court.
The clients who hire Estate Planning lawyers range from individuals navigating a single life event to multinational corporations with complex regulatory exposure. What unifies them is the need for an experienced lawyer who knows the relevant code sections, has appeared in the relevant courts, and can translate the strategic options into language a client can act on. AttorneyQnA currently lists 985 verified estate planning attorneys across the United States, each with a public profile showing their bar admissions, years in practice, and the kinds of matters they have handled — with the deepest concentration of practitioners in California.
When do you need an Estate Planning attorney?
Most people contact an estate planning lawyer for one of two reasons: something is about to happen that they want done correctly the first time, or something has gone wrong and they need it fixed before it gets worse. The earlier you involve counsel, the more options you usually have, and the lower the cost of getting to a resolution tends to be. The scenarios below are the ones we see most often on AttorneyQnA from prospective clients searching for estate planning representation.
Once your signature is on a contract, settlement, lease, or release, your bargaining leverage drops sharply. A short pre-signature review by an estate planning lawyer is the cheapest insurance you can buy.
Cease-and-desist letters, regulatory notices, and demand letters all start clocks. Missing the response window can convert a manageable problem into a default judgment or formal enforcement action.
Statutes of limitations, filing windows, and appeal periods are jurisdictional — courts cannot extend them as a favour. If you can identify a date that matters, you need a lawyer before that date arrives.
The moment opposing counsel appears, the conversation moves out of normal English and into procedural language. Continuing unrepresented usually means losing ground you cannot recover later.
Forming an entity, choosing a venue, structuring a deal, or selecting a remedy each has long-term consequences. A consultation at the planning stage is far cheaper than redoing it after the fact.
Multi-state matters bring conflict-of-laws questions that change which statutes apply and which court has authority. An attorney licensed in the right jurisdiction is not optional.
If any of the situations above describes where you are right now, the next step is a focused consultation. Use the Ask a Lawyer tool for short written questions, or browse the 985 estate planning attorneys listed above to book a paid consultation directly.
How to choose an Estate Planning attorney
The single biggest factor in choosing an estate planning lawyer is fit with your specific matter. A lawyer with twenty years of estate planning experience but no exposure to your particular sub-issue can easily be a worse choice than a five-year associate who has handled the same problem repeatedly. We recommend running every prospective lawyer through the same five-step checklist before signing an engagement letter.
- Bar admission in the correct jurisdiction. Confirm the lawyer is admitted in the state — and where relevant, the federal district — where your matter sits. The lawyer's profile on AttorneyQnA shows every bar admission on file, and the underlying state bar's "lawyer lookup" tool will confirm active standing in under a minute.
- Direct experience with your fact pattern. Ask plainly: "How many matters like mine have you handled in the last three years, and how did they resolve?" An honest answer reveals more than years-in-practice alone.
- A written fee agreement. Whether hourly, flat fee, contingent, or hybrid, the engagement letter should specify what is included, what triggers additional charges, and how disputes are handled. Avoid lawyers who resist writing the terms down.
- Communication cadence. Decide upfront how often you expect updates, who your day-to-day contact will be, and what response time is reasonable. The number-one complaint filed with state bar grievance committees is not malpractice — it is non-communication.
- Conflict check + reputation pulse. Make sure the lawyer has run a formal conflict check, then spend ten minutes reading independent reviews and any public disciplinary history. The state bar's website is authoritative for the second; the lawyer's AttorneyQnA profile collects the first.
Once you have a shortlist, schedule consultations with two or three. Lawyers vary widely in temperament, and the right strategic match for your case is sometimes the second or third lawyer you meet — not the first.
How much does an Estate Planning lawyer cost?
Legal fees in the United States are not regulated by a uniform schedule, so what you pay an estate planning lawyer depends on the billing model the lawyer offers, the complexity of your matter, and the local market. There are four billing structures used in this practice area; most engagements use one, but hybrid arrangements are increasingly common.
1. Hourly billing
The default model for most non-contingent matters. Rates for estate planning attorneys in the U.S. typically range from $150–$250/hour in smaller markets to $400–$700/hour in major metropolitan areas, with senior partners at large firms commanding $900/hour and above. Hourly billing is fairest when the scope of work is genuinely unpredictable, but it creates an incentive structure that the client has to monitor.
2. Flat fee
Increasingly used for well-defined transactions — incorporations, will drafting, single-issue filings, uncontested matters. A flat fee tells you exactly what the deliverable will cost, and the lawyer absorbs the risk of unexpected complexity. Ask whether the flat fee includes filing fees, third-party costs, and any post-filing follow-up.
3. Contingency
Where it is permitted by the rules of professional conduct — most often in plaintiff-side estate planning work involving monetary recovery — the lawyer is paid a percentage of the proceeds, typically 33% before suit is filed and 40% after. The client pays nothing if there is no recovery. Contingency fees align the lawyer's economics with yours, but the percentage compounds across time, so very strong cases sometimes do better on hourly billing.
4. Retainer / subscription
A monthly fee that buys a defined block of access or hours. This is common for businesses with ongoing estate planning needs — contract review, employee questions, regulatory check-ins. A subscription smooths out spending and gives the lawyer a reason to know your operation in depth.
Whichever model you choose, ask for an itemised written estimate before the engagement begins, and ask explicitly what is not covered. Surprise expenses are the most common source of attorney-client friction.
Frequently asked questions about estate planning
How quickly can an estate planning lawyer review my matter?
Most lawyers can schedule an initial consultation within 1–3 business days. Urgent matters — pending deadlines, time-sensitive notices, court-ordered hearings — should be flagged in your first message; many lawyers reserve emergency consultation slots for that reason. If you need a written answer faster, the Ask a Lawyer tool typically returns answers in under 24 hours.
Do I need a estate planning lawyer in my exact city, or anywhere in my state?
Bar admission is the controlling rule: any attorney licensed in your state can represent you in that state's courts and agencies, regardless of which city they're based in. Practical proximity still matters for in-person meetings, local court familiarity, and access to the local bench and bar. For state-level filings and remote-friendly matters, an attorney elsewhere in the same state often works fine.
Will an initial consultation cost me anything?
Many estate planning attorneys offer a free 15- to 30-minute initial consultation; others charge a flat consultation fee that may be credited against the engagement if you hire them. The lawyer's profile lists the consultation policy. Free does not always mean better — a fee-based consultation is sometimes the sign of a lawyer who treats their time, and yours, seriously.
What documents should I bring to the first meeting?
Bring every contract, notice, letter, filing, or written communication connected to the matter; a written timeline of events with dates; the names and contact details of every other party involved; and any deadlines or hearing dates you are already aware of. Even an incomplete file is more useful than a verbal summary alone.
Can I change lawyers if I am not happy with mine?
Yes. Clients can discharge their lawyer at any time, for any reason, by written notice. Your case file belongs to you and must be transferred to your new counsel. Any unpaid fees through the date of discharge remain owed; any unearned advance must be refunded. If you are mid-litigation, the court typically must approve the substitution, but approval is routine.
How long does an typical estate planning matter take?
It depends almost entirely on whether the matter is transactional or contested. A transactional matter — a contract, a filing, a single-step transaction — can resolve in days to weeks. A contested matter — anything involving disputed facts, court intervention, or regulatory action — typically takes months at minimum, and complex cases can run multiple years. Your lawyer should give you a realistic outside estimate at intake.
Are estate planning lawyer fees tax-deductible?
It depends on the nature of the matter and current tax law. Fees connected to producing or collecting taxable income, managing investment property, or operating a business are often deductible; fees for personal matters generally are not. Because rules change, confirm deductibility with a tax professional for the year in which the fees are paid.
What is the difference between estate planning and the related practice areas?
Estate Planning overlaps with several adjacent areas — see the related-practice-area grid below for direct links. Choosing the right lawyer often means picking the one whose primary focus matches the heart of your problem, even if multiple labels could technically apply. When you are unsure, list your situation in your own words to two lawyers from neighbouring areas and ask which one of them is the better fit; honest lawyers will tell you.
Find estate planning attorneys by state
Each state link below opens the estate planning roster for that jurisdiction, with the local statute of limitations, court-system overview, and verified attorneys.
Estate Planning Law Firms
Main Law Firm
Winter Park
Walton Law Firm
San Marcos
Bruner Law Firm
Fort Walton Beach
J&Y Law Firm
Los Angeles
West Law Firm
Charleston
John T. Floyd Law Firm
Houston
Estate Planning by State
All states →Find estate planning attorneys in every US state. Each state link opens a hub with verified attorneys, the state filing deadline, and a free attorney match.