For "ordinary" services, a lawyer can collect: 4% of the first 100,000 of the gross value of the probate estate 3% of the next $100,000 2% of the next $800,000 1% of the next $9 million ½% of the next 15 million "a reasonable amount" of anything over $25 million
Kinds of Fee Arrangements
Why You Can Trust Us
How a Probate Lawyer Can Help You
You’ll want to consider things like:
I tend to charge one of two ways: Hourly or on a fixed fee basis. I give the client an estimate of the fixed fee based on the size of the estate and my hourly rate and I let them decide.
When a person takes on the executor role, it can be daunting. The work to be done can be overwhelming (executor.org can help – sign up for an account for a step-by-step guide through the process).But more than the work, the expenses can seem enormous.
Lots of assets, including real estate and retirement accounts, may not need to go through probate. Learn what property will need to go through probate and find strategies for avoiding it.
If you need more help deciding if you should accept compensation for serving as executor, read this guide.. If you’d like a bit more (free) help understanding the estate settlement process, you can answer a few simple questions and get a free custom executor plan here on Executor.org.. And, here are the executor fees by state, so you know how much compensation is reasonable.
Probate can take anywhere from a few months to several years to fully complete. For most estates of average size, the process will range from six months to two years. If an estate is especially large, if any heirs contest anything, or if beneficiaries cannot be found, things will take longer.
Perhaps one of the biggest drawbacks to probate is the cost . And the more it costs, the less inheritance your beneficiaries will receive. Total cost can widely vary, depending on a number of factors including: But there are some things you can count on being fairly consistent in the probate process.
Why would you want to avoid or simplify the probate process? In short, because probate can be an utter nightmare for your loved ones. It’s often time-consuming, expensive and very stressful for those left to navigate it.
Executors can charge a fee to be reimbursed for most expenses they incur. This can include the cost for any travel needed, to pay for tax prep, to buy any supplies, or for anything else required to settle an estate. Executors can also be reimbursed a fair fee for the job they do as a representative of an estate.
These official certificates have the court’s seal and authorize an Administrator or Executor to act on the deceased estate owner’s behalf. You’ll need this for several institutions like the DMV, banks, insurance companies, etc. * Certificates can range anywhere from $5 - $20 per certified copy; you may need originals for certain institutions, while others might accept a photocopy; you can order extra certified copies from the court if you need more than they give you.
Probate is time consuming, costly and often very stressful for those left to deal with it. Properly and strategically setting up your Estate Plan can protect your loved ones and simplify the process. This means they can move towards closure more quickly after your loss, and that may just be one of the best gifts you could ever leave your friends and family.
A probate lawyer's fees (and most other costs of probate) are paid out of the estate, so your family will not need to worry about who pays probate fees, and they won’t have to cough up any money out of pocket. But again, accounting and probate attorney fees will ultimately reduce the overall value of your estate.
In some states, probate fees are set by statute—often as a percentage of the value of the estate. For example, an attorney can collect 4% (aka $4000) from estates valued up to 100k; they will receive 3% ($3000) if it is between 101K and 1M dollars; 2%, which comes out to be $2000 on estates with values over that amount but under 1 million dollars. The percentages decrease even more depending on what your assets total at this point!
The cost of probate will depend on the total value and complexity of your estate, but you should plan for it is at least 3% – 7%. In some cases, this fee may be waived if there are no assets or heirs requiring distribution from the deceased’s estate.
Regardless of the method, an attorney uses to charge clients, their fees will increase if there are complications with probate . Some examples of issues that may result in increased costs include:
They can offer a flat fee for probates, but you may be able to negotiate this down too and have them serve primarily as an advisor on the case instead of handling all aspects from start to finish themselves. You fill out everything in regards to what is happening after the death has been reported, including providing notice of passing; they will review any paperwork submitted before it goes through court proceedings so that there are no mistakes made along the way.
First, probate lawyers are typically hired to assist in the administration of an estate following a person’s death. The average cost of probate lawyer services can vary depending on how complicated the case is, as well as other factors such as location and experience level. In this article, we will explore a few common scenarios for individuals looking for information about what their probate lawyer might charge them.
Lawyers are used to time being money. That’s why they charge by the hour for their services and all those minutes add up quickly. If you want your attorney to actually be able to do work, limit how often you contact them or send quick emails/make phone calls because it will save both of your times in the long run!
One notable exception is in states where attorneys are compensated based on statutory rates set by state courts; specifically, when an attorney does “extraordinary” work such as helping with the sale of their client’s business—in which case they may request additional fees from their clients without going through legal channels but must still prove this special service was necessary beforehand to establish its reasonableness before any judge presiding over said proceedings.
Small town rates may be as low as $150/hour; in a city, a rate of less than $200/hour would be unusual. Big firms generally charge higher rates than sole practitioners or small firms, unless a small firm is made up solely of hot-shot specialists.
Using this system, probating a typical California estate with a gross value of $500,000 would cost $13,000 in legal fees—a very large amount given the amount of legal work involved. The estate would do much better if it paid the lawyer by the hour.
These fees are often high under the circumstances because they are calculated based on the gross value of the probate assets, not the net value. For example, if you're handling an estate that includes a house worth $300,000, with $175,000 left on the mortgage, the lawyer's fee would be based on $300,000—not the $125,000 of equity the estate actually owns. And the probate paperwork for a transferring a $1 million house is basically the same as it is for transferring a $150,000 house—so why should the fee be so different?
Many lawyers bill in minimum increments of six minutes (one-tenth of an hour). So, if your lawyer (or a legal assistant) spends two minutes on a phone call on behalf of the estate, you'll be billed for six minutes.
expenses you pay separately, such as court fees, postage, and publication of legal notices. how the lawyer's work will be described on the bills (the work done in each increment of time should be described, so you don't just get a bill for "legal services," "research" or "trial preparation")
A lawyer who does nothing but estate planning and probate will likely charge a higher hourly rate than a general practitioner. The advantage to you is that a specialist should be more efficient. Someone who has steered many probates through the local court has probably learned all the local rules and how to prepare and file documents the way the court likes them.
If your attorney employs less experienced lawyers (associates) and legal assistants (paralegals), their time should be billed at a lower hourly rate. This is very common in firms that do probate work; legal assistants often draw up the routine paperwork.
A probate lawyer’s fee has to do with where the case gets filed. Attorneys can charge a $250/hour fee in smaller towns or a $5,000 flat fee in a city. In certain states, attorneys can charge a percentage of the estate’s value.
How do probate attorneys get paid? Generally, payments for legal counsel can come out of the estate’s value. Before dispersing the assets, courts will expect you to pay your court and legal fees and your taxes and debts.
Flat Fee. Flat fees are another common way probate lawyers opt to receive their payments. Sometimes, lawyers will give you the option between paying them a flat fee or an hourly wage. Flat fees remove the headache of keeping up with billable hours.
Probate lawyers work to untangle the hard-to-decipher portions of a deceased individual’s will. They usually handle the legalities of changing possession of assets and settling outstanding debts.
Small Estates. Small estates include any of those that are worth a hundred thousand dollars or less. Most small estates will require probate lawyers to be paid a flat fee or an hourly wage. However, just because an estate is small doesn’t mean it will be simple to probate.
Letters of administration from the court will get used to change over ownership, and the court will expect proof of every debt payment and asset redistribution.
This payment option is only available in seven states: Arkansas, Florida, Iowa, California, Missouri, Wyoming, and Montana. Paying a percentage of the estate’s value is often extremely costly. The percentage comes from the gross amount of the estate, so even a small percentage can easily be thousands of dollars.
Probate lawyer fees, also called estate lawyer fees, are monies paid directly to the attorney for legal services; these are not the same as “probate costs” in general, which can also include the following: Personal representative fees. Court fees. Publication of notice fees. Accounting fees.
Probate costs vary greatly from one location to another, but they commonly tally up to be somewhere in the range of 3% to 7% of the estate’s value. They can go much higher, though, and tend to do so as the value of an estate rises. Indeed, the higher the value of the estate, the higher the probate costs are likely to be.
Probate is the court-supervised process of administering the estate of a deceased person, which includes paying off debts and distribu ting property to heirs . The estate is handled by either an executor named in the deceased person’s will or, if there was no will, by an administrator appointed by the probate court. This person is often simply called a “personal representative.”
The value of the estate is another factor that can influence how long the probate process takes. Logistically, the more assets and/or debts an estate has, the longer the probate process is likely to be. Moreover, if an estate has a high enough value to be subject to tax, that can also prolong the process as then the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) also becomes involved.
Probating a will can take anywhere from a few months to more than a year , although most estates are closed within a year. How long the process takes can be influenced by many variables including whether the will was straightforward and unchallenged and also by how well organized the decedent was, i.e., whether the estate was “in order” with a will and other important legal documents such as deeds and titles at the time of his or her death.
A probate lawyer’s fees are paid for by the estate , not by the executor or administrator.
While not every estate needs a probate lawyer, having an experienced attorney as an ally can be a big help to an executor or administrator – but how much will it cost and who is paying?
Or, if the estate is not complicated in any way, e.g. all of the assets are known and have been left to a spouse or evenly divided among surviving children, the attorney may charge a flat fee for probate. A flat fee is a single, lump sum of money. A flat fee for probate might be around $3500.
The main factors that affect the fees charged by a probate attorney are the role the attorney is hired to play and the size of the estate.
An attorney can perform any of the services involved in probating an estate. These duties can include the following:
The advantage of hiring an experienced probate lawyer to handle the probate of an estate is that the lawyer knows how to proceed and can probably probate an estate most efficiently.
These duties can include the following: Opening the estate in probate court; Creating an inventory of all of the assets of the deceased person, which can include a search for unknown assets, e.g. contacting banks within a certain area of where the deceased person lived to look for forgotten accounts;
If you have been named as an executor or personal representative for an estate and do not know where to begin, you may want to hire a probate attorney. An experienced probate attorney is familiar with probate procedures and should know exactly what to do.
Probate is the court procedure in which a deceased person’s last will and testament is proven and given effect. This entails first verifying that the will is legal and then ensuring that the deceased person’s intentions are carried out. If the deceased person did not leave a will, the court must decide how to distribute the assets ...
CA probate fees are set by California probate code § 10810, which caps the maximum fees that attorneys and executors can charge for a probate. There are filing fees and a fee percentage (4%,3%,2%,1%,.5% based on the gross value of the probate estate); and can have other extraordinary fees like appraisals.
All probate fees are predetermined by the State of California.
Should you have any questions, Hess-Verdon & Associates are here to assist you in your probate matter just call our office at 949-706-7300. If you are in need of a probate litigation attorney, we are here to help.
How long does it take to probate in California. Normally in the state of California, it can take between 12 months to 2+ years depending on the circumstance. Of course, all costs are not derived from your own account, but from the proceeds of the deceased.
First, if you are the spouse of the deceased, you can save by becoming the trustee and can elect to forgo the compensation. This way you can save on the taxable income and receive the entire inheritance tax-free.
Normally in the state of California, it can take between 12 months to 2+ years depending on the circumstance. Of course, all costs are not derived from your own account, but from the proceeds of the deceased. Here at Hess-Verdon & Associates, our legal staff will guide you through topics like “letters testamentary” and “court orders” to gain access to the deceased account.
Normally in the state of California, it can take between 12 months to 2+ years depending on the circumstance. Of course, all costs are not derived from your own account, but from the proceeds of the deceased.
Any probate lawyer you work with should have at least several years of experience. If your case is complicated, you should also make sure they have worked in similar circumstances. This way you know they can handle any problems that come up along the way.
When a person passes away, they leave behind a number of assets, such as their personal belongings, a home, money, etc. Most people appoint an executor of will to be in charge of disbursing these assets to any other beneficiaries.
If someone dies without a will, all their assets must be dispersed according to intestacy laws. In other words, the state will distribute the assets—regardless of what the person may have wanted. For cases like these, you can hire a probate lawyer to help the administrator of the estate (which is kind of like the executor of will) ...
Handling the proceeds from life insurance. Filling out any necessary documents. If the person who passed away had any debt or bills they failed to pay, a probate lawyer will also advise the executor of will on the best way to handle these issues.
The true answer depends on what you need help with and where the lawyer would be able to assist you. These types of lawyers are specialized to be able to perform a number of tasks involved with the probate process on your behalf.
However, in most cases, it's better to hire a probate lawyer. Since they know the probate laws inside and out, a lawyer will be able to guide you through the steps quickly and efficiently. They'll also be able to take care of troublesome paperwork and ensure you don't make any mistakes that can turn into bigger problems later.
Some states provide specific rules for fees. They're typically calculated by multiplying the gross value of the probate estate by a specific percent. As the gross value increases the percent decreases. 3  For example, the fee might be equal to 4 percent of the first $100,000 then decrease incrementally until it's just 1 percent of values over $9 million. 4 
The executor is entitled to be reimbursed for any estate administrative expenses she might pay out of her own pocket. These might include expenses that had to be paid before the estate could be opened for probate, such as doctor and funeral bills.
The decedent's last will and testament should be carefully reviewed for guidance as to how much the personal representative should be paid. Some people choose to limit the fees to a specific dollar amount when they write their wills. Others opt for allowing the payment of reasonable fees based upon state law. 1
Even in states where the personal representative's fee is set by state law, he might be entitled to receive an additional fee for "extraordinary" services that are rendered above and beyond the call of duty. 4 
The executor is entitled to be reimbursed for any estate administrative expenses she might pay out of her own pocket. These might include expenses that had to be paid before the estate could be opened for probate, such as doctor and funeral bills. Travel expenses and mileage incurred while administering the estate as well as office supplies and postage should also be reimbursed. 15 
This can occur early on in the probate process or toward the end when the estate is getting ready to close.
If there is more than one personal representative and the will is silent as to how each is to be paid—it doesn't include any provisions for this—state law will dictate the fees paid to each of them. In some states, the law requires that multiple executors must divide the fee equally. In others, each executor can collect the full fee that one personal representative would be entitled to receive. 9 
Nationally, the average minimum hourly rate attorneys reported was $250, while the average maximum was $310. Individual lawyers often charge different rates, depending on the client and the type of service they’re providing. Also, rates vary among attorneys depending on several factors, including:
The most common rate (reported by 35% of readers) was between $300 and $400, although half of readers paid less than that. Only 15% paid $400 or more per hour.
More than half (58%) of the probate attorneys in our national study reported that they offered free consultations. The typical time for these initial meetings was 30 minutes, though the overall average was higher (38 minutes). So when you’re looking to find a good probate lawyer, ask the potential attorneys whether they offer a free initial consultation. Even if they charge for their time , it can be worth your while to meet with more than one lawyer—and to go to the meetings prepared with a list of questions—in order to find the right attorney for your needs.
It shouldn’t be a surprise to learn that large estates tended to pay more for legal services. Big estates are more likely to have complex issues— including taxes and business assets —that require more of an attorney’s time and expertise. Also, some states limit fees according to the size of the estate, allowing attorneys to charge more for larger estates. More than a third (36%) of readers who were settling estates worth $1 million or more said that the estate paid $10,000 or more in legal fees, compared to 18% of those who were handling estates worth less than that.
The attorney’s experience. Not surprisingly, our study showed that hourly rates climbed as probate lawyers had more years in practice. But it’s worth keeping in mind that in this respect, at least, a higher hourly rate doesn’t necessarily translate into a higher total bill. Often, specialists with significant experience in estate administration may be able to answer your questions or handle difficult estate matters more quickly than less-seasoned lawyers.
If you’re serving as an executor, personal representative, trustee, or administrator of an estate, you might need a lawyer’s help with some part of the process. The good news is that estate funds will almost always pay for that help. Still, you don’t want to squander the estate’s money—and you probably want to know what to expect in the way of attorney’s fees. We surveyed readers around the United States who recently acted as executors, personal representatives, trustees, and/or administrators to ask about their fee arrangements with attorneys and their total bills. We then compared the survey results with data on fees reported by probate attorneys across the country. Here’s some of what we found out.
In a few states (such as California and Florida), attorneys are allowed to charge a percentage of the estate’s value as the fee for handling probate. In our survey, only 8% of readers who paid a lawyer for help said the estate they were handling paid a percentage-based attorney’s fee.