Probate & Trust Lawyers
5,776 verified probate & trust attorneys across the United States. Find experienced Probate & Trust counsel to evaluate your case, explain your options, and represent you through every stage of the legal process.
Tae Kelley Bronner is a lawyer practicing probate & trust, probate and trust litigation, real property and 3 other areas of law. Tae received a B.A. d...
Denise Lowry Hutson is a lawyer practicing probate & trust, commercial real estate, condominium law and 4 other areas of law. Denise received a B.S. d...
Mr. Robert William Futch is a lawyer practicing probate & trust, certified mediator, commercial law and 9 other areas of law.
Marla DeVicente Bohlander is a lawyer practicing probate & trust, wills and trusts, business transactions and 7 other areas of law. Marla received a B...
Mr. Alberto Emilio Acuna is a lawyer practicing probate & trust, advocacy, civil litigation and 11 other areas of law.
Mr. Philip Craig Rosen is a lawyer practicing probate & trust, ancillary probate, business law and 13 other areas of law.
Jerry D Tamayo is a lawyer practicing probate & trust, business transactions, commercial litigation and 3 other areas of law. Jerry received a B.A. de...
Ashley Calhoun Winship is a lawyer practicing probate & trust, business, real property and 7 other areas of law. Ashley received a B.A. degree from Fl...
Originally from a suburb of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, Dana Laganella Gerling practices in Estate Planning, Probate Elder Law, and Corporations. She ...
Mr. Matthew Brett Mayper is a lawyer practicing probate & trust, corporate law, elder law and 8 other areas of law.
Ms. Laura Jo O Thacker is a lawyer practicing city, county & local govt law, city, probate & trust and 7 other areas of law.
Mr. Shane Timothy Costello is a lawyer practicing probate & trust, commercial litigation, real property and 1 other area of law.
Ms. Erika Dine is a lawyer practicing probate & trust, advocacy, elder law and 10 other areas of law.
Jill G. Weiss is a lawyer practicing probate & trust, 216, 217 and 12 other areas of law.
Carlos Ramon Arias is a lawyer practicing probate & trust, arbitration, bankruptcy and 12 other areas of law. Carlos received a B.A. degree from Unive...
Mr. Joaquin Eugene Martinez is a lawyer practicing probate & trust, commercial leasing, commercial lending and 5 other areas of law.
Jerry P. Saresky is a lawyer practicing probate & trust, real property, trusts and estates and 3 other areas of law.
Leticia Hernandez is a lawyer practicing probate & trust, corporate, estate planning and 6 other areas of law. Leticia received a B.B.A. degree from F...
Robert J Kulas is a lawyer practicing probate & trust, elder law, estate planning and 7 other areas of law. Robert received a B.A. degree from Univers...
Kenneth Raymond Uncapher is a lawyer practicing probate & trust, business law, community and 11 other areas of law. Kenneth received a B.S. degree fro...
Robert C Sorgini is a lawyer practicing probate & trust, probate and trust litigation, real estate and 5 other areas of law. Robert has been licensed ...
Mr. Raul Perez Ballaga is a lawyer practicing probate & trust, banking, business and 8 other areas of law.
Abby L. Steinberg is a lawyer practicing probate & trust, elder law, real estate law and 3 other areas of law.
Nancy Adair Cleaveland is a lawyer practicing family law, probate & trust, divorce & separation and 5 other areas of law. Nancy has been licensed for ...
Mr. Jed Lyle Frankel is a lawyer practicing probate & trust, appellate work, business law and 14 other areas of law.
Kevin Andrew Kane is a lawyer practicing probate & trust, business acquisitions, business divestitures and 16 other areas of law. Kevin received a B.A...
Jonathan Samuel Feldman is a lawyer practicing probate & trust, asset protection, bankruptcy and 3 other areas of law. Jonathan received a B.S. degree...
Mr. Spencer Neal Cummings is a lawyer practicing probate & trust, real property law.
Mr. Randy Richard Dow is a lawyer practicing probate & trust, commercial litigation, construction and 6 other areas of law.
Heidi Jo Bassett is a lawyer practicing probate & trust, appeals, appellate practice and 9 other areas of law. Heidi received a B.A. degree from Unive...
Nicole Mariani Noel is a lawyer practicing probate & trust, bankruptcy, business law and 2 other areas of law. Nicole received a B.S. degree from Flor...
Mr. Chad Justin Tamaroff is a lawyer practicing probate & trust, animal law, banking & finance litigation and 6 other areas of law.
Johanna Pauline Wood is a lawyer practicing probate & trust, banking & finance, business law and 4 other areas of law. Johanna received a B.S. degree ...
Christopher Staller is a lawyer practicing probate & trust, real estate, real estate litigation and 3 other areas of law. Christopher received a B.S. ...
Arthur Massey Fowler III is a lawyer practicing litigation - general civil practice, general practice, immigration law and 7 other areas of law. Arthu...
Ms. Gisela M.
Mr. Tommy Dale Permenter, Jr. is a lawyer practicing probate & trust, asset protection, corporate and 7 other areas of law.
Stephen Paul Heuston is a lawyer practicing probate & trust, trusts and estates, estate planning and 6 other areas of law. Stephen Paul received a B.A...
Ms. Deborah S.
Recent Developments Editor, Law Forum, 1986-1987.
Jacqueline Fae Howe is a lawyer practicing probate & trust, business law, competition agreement litigation and 11 other areas of law. Jacqueline recei...
Ms. Mercedes Maria Sellek is a lawyer practicing probate & trust, commercial and residential, leasing and 8 other areas of law.
David Franklin Wright is a lawyer practicing probate & trust, construction law, construction litigation and 2 other areas of law. David received a B.A...
Mr. Jacob Joseph Givner is a lawyer practicing probate & trust, appellate practice, business law and 12 other areas of law.
Jorja Monique Williams is a lawyer practicing probate & trust, elder law, real property and 1 other area of law. Jorja has been licensed for 18 years.
Megan Schmidt Cook is a lawyer practicing probate & trust, real property, criminal defense and 2 other areas of law. Megan received a degree from Loui...
Luis Flores is a lawyer practicing probate & trust, banks and banking, business law and 4 other areas of law. Luis received a B.A. degree from Univers...
Ms. Jayne Regester Barkdull is a lawyer practicing probate & trust, business law, real property and 3 other areas of law.
Ms. Juli Simas James is a lawyer practicing probate & trust, city, county & local govt law and 4 other areas of law.
Ms. Martha Rabbitt is a lawyer practicing probate & trust, admiralty, real estate and 1 other area of law.
Jason R. Moyer is a lawyer practicing probate & trust, civil litigation, commercial litigation and 4 other areas of law.
Adam Gillespie Adams III is a lawyer practicing probate & trust, business litigation & dispute resolution, construction law and 5 other areas of law. ...
Thomas Clifford Shaw is a lawyer practicing probate & trust, trusts and estates, business law and 4 other areas of law. Thomas received a B.A. degree ...
Mr. Gregory M.
Lawrence J. Cofar is a lawyer practicing probate & trust, condominium law, mortgages and 6 other areas of law.
Ana M. Veliz, the sole shareholder of Ana M.
John Anthony VanNess is a lawyer practicing probate & trust, accidents, animal attacks and 29 other areas of law. John received a B.A. degree from Sta...
Natalie P Thomas is a lawyer practicing probate & trust, 216, committees: and 11 other areas of law. Natalie received a B.A. degree from University of...
Mr. Jean-Charles Dibbs is a lawyer practicing probate & trust, corporate and international, real estate and 1 other area of law.
Mr. Pablo Silvio Quesada is a lawyer practicing probate & trust, business and taxation, contracts & commercial transactions and 22 other areas of law.
What is Probate & Trust?
Probate & Trust is the branch of law that governs the rights, obligations, and disputes that arise within its subject matter. In the United States, probate & trust 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 probate & trust 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, Probate & Trust 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 Probate & Trust 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 5,776 verified probate & trust 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 Alabama.
When do you need a Probate & Trust attorney?
Most people contact a probate & trust 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 probate & trust representation.
Once your signature is on a contract, settlement, lease, or release, your bargaining leverage drops sharply. A short pre-signature review by a probate & trust 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 5,776 probate & trust attorneys listed above to book a paid consultation directly.
How to choose a Probate & Trust attorney
The single biggest factor in choosing a probate & trust lawyer is fit with your specific matter. A lawyer with twenty years of probate & trust 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 a Probate & Trust lawyer cost?
Legal fees in the United States are not regulated by a uniform schedule, so what you pay a probate & trust 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 probate & trust 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 probate & trust 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 probate & trust 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 probate & trust
How quickly can a probate & trust 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 probate & trust 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 probate & trust 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 a typical probate & trust 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 probate & trust 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 probate & trust and the related practice areas?
Probate & Trust 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 probate & trust attorneys by state
Each state link below opens the probate & trust roster for that jurisdiction, with the local statute of limitations, court-system overview, and verified attorneys.
Probate & Trust 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
Probate & Trust by State
All states →Find probate & trust attorneys in every US state. Each state link opens a hub with verified attorneys, the state filing deadline, and a free attorney match.