Best Estate Planning & Probate Attorneys in the U.S.

Estate planning lawyers are worth calling before a health scare, a new baby, or a business sale forces the question. They draft wills, living trusts, and powers of attorney so someone you trust can act for you. Many also step in after a death and guide executors through probate court. Others focus on long-term care costs or family fights over an inheritance. Before a first meeting, list your accounts, real estate, and current beneficiaries.

Listed Estate Planning Attorneys are ranked by one score, applied the same way to every firm. It draws on public signals, including:

  • Client satisfaction and overall online reputation
  • The volume and consistency of client feedback
  • How established the firm is
  • Peer recognition within the legal community and across the web

Ranked listings are ordered by our independent score. Featured listings are paid placements shown separately. See how we rank law firms.

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    Top-Rated Trust and Estate Lawyers for Wills, Probate & Elder Law

    Screenshot of the Mishiyeva Law PLLC Website

    Estates with foreign heirs are routine work for Mishiyeva Law in Lower Manhattan. In New York, a foreign citizen often cannot serve as an estate administrator. The firm helps these families open and settle estates anyway.

    Founder Kamilla Mishiyeva is a NYC probate attorney who also handles will contests and fiduciary disputes. She represents executors, administrators, beneficiaries, and trustees. Her office also prepares federal and New York estate tax returns for domestic and foreign estates.

    A second office serves Brooklyn neighborhoods such as Park Slope, Bay Ridge, and Williamsburg.

    Screenshot of the Your Legacy Legal Care - Houston Estate Planning Attorneys Website

    Your Legacy Legal Care is a Houston elder law firm with five offices around the metro. Founding attorney Kim Hegwood is a member of the National Academy of Elder Law Attorneys. The firm has served Texas families for more than two decades.

    Clients usually come in at one of three points:

    • Planning ahead with wills, trusts, and Medicaid planning
    • Facing a crisis, such as a nursing home admission
    • Settling an estate through probate after a death

    A Care Plan membership keeps each plan current when Texas law changes. The team also works with geriatric care specialists. Work is billed on flat fees. Other offices sit in the Galleria, Katy, Sugar Land, and Bay City.

    Screenshot of the Atlas Law, PLC Website

    Clients in Plymouth, Novi, Canton, and Livonia hire Atlas Law for wills, trusts, and probate. The Michigan practice also drafts Lady Bird deeds, special needs trusts, and charitable trusts.

    Its senior planning work includes Veterans Aid and Attendance benefits. When someone challenges a will or trust, the firm takes on the contest.

    Meetings fit around busy schedules. Atlas Law offers after-hours, Saturday, home, and virtual appointments.

    Screenshot of the The Singh Law Firm Website
    43301 Mission Blvd, Fremont, CA 94539, USA

    The Singh Law Firm is a California estate planning practice with six offices statewide. It takes no litigation, only planning work. The team has saved clients more than $3 billion in estate taxes.

    Kern and Sharmila Singh co-founded the firm in Fremont. Other offices serve Folsom, Beverly Hills, Oxnard, Newport Beach, and La Jolla. Clients range from simple estates to high-net-worth families. Advanced options include dynasty trusts, GRATs, and QSBS tax planning.

    Most first consultations are free. The firm also accepts several legal insurance plans.

    Screenshot of the Paton Law Firm LLC Website
    33-11 Broadway Suite 2, Fair Lawn, NJ 07410

    Kimberly A. Paton is a Fair Lawn estate planning attorney who founded her firm in 1987. She serves clients across Bergen and Passaic counties.

    Her practice mixes estate and business law. She drafts wills and living trusts and handles probate. She also forms businesses, reviews contracts, and closes real estate deals. Older clients get help with long-term care costs and spousal lifetime access trusts (SLATs).

    Attorney Paton will meet clients at their home or office when needed.

    Screenshot of the Shutt Law Firm PLLC Website
    522 Bishop Ave, Richardson, TX 75081, USA

    Shutt Law Firm has drafted thousands of Texas wills from its Richardson office. Its flat-rate Wills PLUS package adds powers of attorney, a living will, and a HIPAA release.

    Isaac Shutt leads a team of probate lawyers serving the Dallas area. They take cases in Dallas, Collin, Denton, Tarrant, and Rockwall counties. The firm also forms LLCs and reviews property contracts.

    Screenshot of the Law Office of Gregory T Pearce Website

    Gregory T. Pearce is a Cambridge estate lawyer who runs a solo practice. He has helped hundreds of Massachusetts families plan for death and incapacity.

    Attorney Pearce also handles probate, estate administration, and elder law. His office was named among the Best of Cambridge in 2026.

    Screenshot of the Regina Kiperman, Esq., RK Law PC Website

    Regina Kiperman leads RK Law PC, a boutique trusts and estates firm on Wall Street. As a NYC guardianship attorney, she handles cases under Article 81 and Article 17-A.

    Her team also removes unfit fiduciaries and fights contested accountings in Surrogate's Court. Clients come from all five boroughs, Long Island, and Westchester.

    Screenshot of the Berk Law Group, PC Website
    14220 N Northsight Blvd #135, Scottsdale, AZ 85260, USA

    Berk Law Group is a Scottsdale litigation firm built around probate, trust, and fiduciary disputes. Since 1996, it has represented both sides. That means beneficiaries and heirs, as well as trustees and personal representatives.

    Founder Kent Berk holds an AV Preeminent rating from Martindale-Hubbell. The firm also brings financial exploitation claims for vulnerable adults under Arizona law. Its website offers free tools, including an Arizona intestacy calculator.

    Screenshot of the Pederson Law Offices Website
    920 Hampshire Rd a1, Westlake Village, CA 91361

    For more than four decades, Pederson Law Offices has served Conejo Valley families from Westlake Village. Clients come from Thousand Oaks, Agoura Hills, Oak Park, and Simi Valley.

    The practice drafts revocable living trusts, irrevocable trusts, and healthcare directives. It also guides trustees through trust administration after a death. Free webinars cover topics such as trust funding.

    Screenshot of the Ross Law Firm Ltd. Website
    1622 W Colonial Pkwy #201, Inverness, IL 60067, USA

    Ross Law Firm is a family-run estate planning office in Inverness, in the Chicago suburbs. Attorneys Robert, Patrick, and Daniel Ross share over 70 years of combined experience.

    They also help executors and trustees settle estates faster in probate court. They also handle premarital agreements.

    Screenshot of the Daniel T. Fleischer - Plantation, Boca Raton and Aventura Estate Planning and Probate Lawyer Website

    Daniel T. Fleischer pairs his law license with a Certified Financial Planner credential. He has practiced Florida estate law since 2001. His background includes work as an estate tax officer for corporate fiduciaries.

    Offices in Plantation, Boca Raton, and Aventura serve Broward, Palm Beach, and Miami-Dade. He also handles ancillary probate for out-of-state owners of Florida property.

    Screenshot of the Kitroser Lewis and Mighdoll Website

    Kitroser Lewis and Mighdoll is a North Palm Beach estate litigation firm. Its attorneys have practiced together for more than 100 years. Managing partner Mitchell Kitroser takes on will challenges, guardianship disputes, and elder financial exploitation.

    Its planning work includes pet trusts and plans for unmarried and same-sex couples.

    Screenshot of the Dana Law Group Website
    7254 E Southern Ave #121, Mesa, AZ 85209, USA

    Second-generation estate lawyer Zach Dana leads Dana Law Group, which has seven offices across Arizona. The firm drafts revocable trusts, wills, and powers of attorney. It also handles trust administration for families in the Phoenix area and beyond.

    Screenshot of the Fisher and Wilsey, P.A. Website

    Fisher and Wilsey is a family-run St. Petersburg law firm that has served Tampa Bay since 1962. It handles estate planning and probate, along with real estate, business law, and civil litigation.

    Screenshot of the Barnett & Leuty, PC Website
    11824 Jollyville Rd STE 500, Austin, TX 78759, USA

    Partners Jeff Barnett and Keith Leuty lead Barnett and Leuty, PC in North Austin. The firm handles wills, trusts, and probate, plus business and family matters.

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    Screenshot of the Valero Law Website

    Valero Law is a Davie probate litigation firm serving Broward and Miami-Dade counties. Callers reach attorney David Valero directly about will contests, trust disputes, and property cases.

    Screenshot of the Moses Estate Planning, PLLC Website
    401 Wilshire Blvd 12th Fl, Santa Monica, CA 90401, USA

    Moses Estate Planning splits its practice between Santa Monica and Coeur d'Alene, Idaho. Attorney Travor Moses holds an LL.M. in estate planning from the University of Miami.

    Screenshot of the Barr & Douds Attorneys Website

    Barr and Douds is a Danville trusts and estates practice. Since 2007, it has prepared more than 400 estate plans and represented over 400 litigation clients. Loren Barr is a State Bar-certified specialist in estate planning, trust, and probate law.

    Screenshot of the Miaoulis Law - Palm Harbor Estate Planning and Probate Lawyers Website

    Before private practice, Maria Miaoulis prosecuted elder abuse cases for the Pinellas County State Attorney's Office. Her Palm Harbor firm handles estate planning, probate, and elder law across Pinellas and Pasco.

    Screenshot of the Drude Tomori Law, PA Website

    Rachel Drude-Tomori is a St. Petersburg trust attorney who serves as trustee for Deferred Sales Trusts. Super Lawyers has named her among Florida's top 5% of lawyers.

    Frequently Asked Questions

    How much does an estate planning lawyer charge?

    Flat fees are common for documents. A basic will package usually costs far less than a trust-based plan. Probate and estate disputes are more often billed hourly. Ask whether later changes are included or billed separately.

    Does a living trust avoid probate?

    Only if it is funded. Your home, bank accounts, and brokerage accounts must be retitled into the trust while you are alive. Anything left outside may still go through probate, often through a pour-over will. Retirement accounts and life insurance pass by beneficiary designation instead.

    Will my estate owe federal estate tax?

    Very few estates do. For 2026, the federal exemption is $15 million per person, with a 40% rate above it. A surviving spouse can also claim the unused share through portability. After 2026, the exemption is indexed for inflation.

    Which states have their own estate or inheritance tax?

    Sixteen states plus D.C. Twelve states and D.C. charge their own estate tax. They are Connecticut, Hawaii, Illinois, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Minnesota, New York, Oregon, Rhode Island, Vermont, and Washington. Kentucky, Nebraska, New Jersey, and Pennsylvania charge an inheritance tax, and Maryland charges both.

    How long does probate take?

    Usually many months. An uncontested estate often closes within about a year. Will contests, creditor claims, or real estate in another state can add significant time. Many states offer a shorter process or an affidavit for small estates.

    What happens if someone dies without a will?

    State intestacy law decides. Assets pass to relatives in an order set by statute, usually starting with a spouse and children. A court appoints an administrator and may choose a guardian for minor children. Unmarried partners and close friends often receive nothing.

    Can a will be challenged after death?

    Yes, on limited grounds. Common claims include lack of testamentary capacity, undue influence, fraud, and improper signing. Filing deadlines are short and vary by state. A lawyer can tell you whether a no-contest clause puts your inheritance at risk.

    Types of Estate Planning and Probate Services

    Wills. A will names who inherits, who serves as executor, and who raises minor children. It takes effect only after death and usually goes through probate. A pour-over will catches assets left out of a trust.

    Revocable Living Trusts. A living trust holds assets during your life and passes them outside court. You can change or cancel it at any time. It also keeps your estate details out of public court records.

    Irrevocable and Tax Planning Trusts. These move assets out of your taxable estate for good. Wealthier families use dynasty trusts, generation-skipping trusts, and life insurance trusts. In 2026, you can also give up to $19,000 per person each year without touching your lifetime exemption.

    Powers of Attorney and Health Care Directives. A durable power of attorney covers money and property if you become incapacitated. A health care proxy and living will cover medical decisions. Without them, relatives may need a court-supervised guardianship or conservatorship.

    Probate and Trust Administration. The personal representative or trustee collects assets, pays debts, files final tax returns, and distributes what is left. A lawyer handles court filings and notices to heirs and creditors. Property in another state may need a separate ancillary probate case.

    Estate and Trust Litigation. Beneficiaries sue when a trustee hides records, self-deals, or refuses to distribute. Executors and trustees also hire counsel to defend their decisions. Many of these cases settle through mediation before trial.

    Elder Law and Long-Term Care Planning. Nursing home care can quickly deplete savings. Elder law attorneys plan for Medicaid eligibility, which reviews past gifts during a look-back period. Veterans benefits planning often fits here too.

    Special Needs Planning. A supplemental needs trust can support a disabled child or relative. If drafted correctly, it doesn't count against SSI or Medicaid limits. A direct inheritance can cut off those benefits.

    How to Choose an Estate Planning Attorney

    Hire someone licensed where you live. Probate procedure, signing rules, and homestead protections are all state law. Nine states use community property rules: Arizona, California, Idaho, Louisiana, Nevada, New Mexico, Texas, Washington, and Wisconsin.

    Look for board certification. California, Florida, and Texas certify lawyers in estate planning and probate. The National Elder Law Foundation grants the Certified Elder Law Attorney (CELA) title. An LL.M. in taxation or estate planning also signals depth.

    Decide if you need a drafter or a litigator. Some trust and estate lawyers only write plans. Others handle only probate court disputes. If a family fight is likely, ask about courtroom experience.

    Ask how trust funding works. Some firms retitle assets for you. Others hand you instructions and a checklist. An unfunded trust can still leave your family in probate.

    Get the fee terms in writing. Confirm what a flat fee covers and what costs extra. For probate work, ask about hourly rates, court costs, and filing fees.