I take all matters based on my case load and whether the case resonates with me. A meeting alone does not establish an attorney-client relationship. That relationship begins only after I have accepted the case and we have both signed a written retainer agreement.
What probate is
The Surrogate, the letters, and the estate.
In New Jersey, probate usually starts at the Surrogate’s office in the county where the person lived. If there is a will, the named executor asks the Surrogate to admit the will and issue letters testamentary. If there is no will, a family member may ask to be appointed administrator. The letters are what let you act for the estate with banks and others.
After that comes the administration: gathering what the person owned, paying valid debts and expenses, giving required notices, dealing with any inheritance-tax paperwork, keeping records, and distributing what is left to the right people.
How I can help
Defined pieces of an uncontested estate.
- Walking you through the Surrogate’s process before your appointment
- Explaining what an executor or administrator has to do, and in what order
- Reviewing a will and telling you what it says about who gets what
- Help with notices to beneficiaries and a plan for paying bills
- Guidance on inheritance-tax waivers and releasing accounts
- Releases and refunding bonds when the estate is ready to distribute
- Telling you early if the estate needs more than I can offer
I may help with one piece, or with the whole uncontested estate. We decide that in writing, before any work starts.
Fees
A consult first. Then hourly, with a retainer.
Probate and estate administration are not flat-fee matters on this site. The work depends on the estate. A 45-minute consult is $125. If I take the matter, it is hourly at $275/hour through December 8, 2026 ($350/hour thereafter), with a written retainer that lists what is in and what is out. The total charge varies with the hours the matter takes.
Surrogate fees, certified copies of letters, bond premiums, and other costs are extra. They are paid to the county or the provider, not to me.
See probate on the fees page →
Limits
What I take on a very limited basis, or not at all.
- Will contests and other contested probate litigation. I take contested work on a very limited basis, and a retainer is required
- Formal accountings in court
- Estates with a business to run, large or complicated assets, or estate-tax issues
- Representing more than one side in a family dispute about the estate
If your estate needs a larger team, I will say so and point you to one.
Planning ahead
Want to make this easier for your own family?
A basic will is $550 for one person. The parent bundle, with a power of attorney and an advance directive, is $895. Estate planning and wills →