Estate planning attorneys in Connecticut average $388Clio Compare Lawyer Rates, Connecticut: Wills and Estates rate (2025 data)Verified Oct 15, 2026View source an hour for wills and estates work. A flat-fee package runs $1,164Estimate: 3 hours at $388, Clio's Connecticut Wills and Estates rate; Compare Lawyer Rates, 2025 dataVerified Oct 15, 2026View source to $2,328Estimate: 6 hours at $388, Clio's Connecticut Wills and Estates rate; Compare Lawyer Rates, 2025 dataVerified Oct 15, 2026View source for a simple individual will and $4,460Estimate: 10 hours at $446, Clio's Connecticut Trusts rate; Compare Lawyer Rates, 2025 dataVerified Oct 15, 2026View source to $6,690Estimate: 15 hours at $446, Clio's Connecticut Trusts rate; Compare Lawyer Rates, 2025 dataVerified Oct 15, 2026View source for a basic revocable trust. An online service prices the same documents in the tens to low hundreds of dollars; the Connecticut will cost calculator sets the two side by side.
In Connecticut, estates with personal property of $40,000C.G.S. § 45a-273Verified Sep 8, 2026View source or less use the Small Estate Affidavit (Affidavit in Lieu of Probate of Will/Administration, PC-212)C.G.S. § 45a-273Verified Sep 8, 2026View source, 30 daysC.G.S. § 45a-273Verified Sep 8, 2026View source after death, a court filing short of full probate. That route is a form rather than a court case, and most families handle it without an attorney. Above the line, formal probate generally benefits from counsel for the procedural work, even when nothing is contested. The Connecticut probate calculator estimates the cost by estate value.
In Connecticut, the situations where counsel is typically worth the cost are: a blended family with children from a prior relationship; a business, rental property or significant investment assets; a dependent with special needs, who needs a special-needs trust to keep benefits; an estate near or above the Connecticut estate taxConn. Gen. Stat. § 12-391Verified Sep 15, 2026View source threshold of $15,000,000Conn. Gen. Stat. § 12-391Verified Sep 15, 2026View source; substantial property in more than one state. Where none of these apply, an online or self-help document is often enough.
Filter the directory by county and by the practice area you need, and look for experience with your situation; a board certification in estate planning, trust or probate law is a strong signal. Most Connecticut estate planning attorneys offer an initial consultation, some free and some for a flat fee. Ask up front whether the firm bills by the hour or by package, and what your situation is expected to cost.
Free forms for planning your estate in Connecticut: a will, living trust, pour-over will, both powers of attorney, living will, and TOD deed.
Create a revocable living trust to avoid probate, protect privacy, and control asset distribution.
In Connecticut, a pour-over will is signed before 2Conn. Gen. Stat. § 45a-251Verified Oct 18, 2026View source witnesses and moves anything left outside the trust into it through probate.
Transfer real property to a beneficiary upon your death without probate. Available in 34 states and the District of Columbia.
In Connecticut, a will is signed before 2Conn. Gen. Stat. § 45a-251Verified Oct 18, 2026View source witnesses, and a self-proving affidavit signed with it lets the court admit it without witness testimonyConn. Gen. Stat. § 45a-251Verified Oct 18, 2026View source.
Free tools for planning your estate in Connecticut: what a will or trust costs, whether you need a trust or TOD deed, and how documents are signed.
In Connecticut, a will-based plan pays probate attorney fees of typically 2.2%Modeled estimate under CT Probate Court Rules of Procedure, Rule 39 (reasonable compensation; no statutory percentage; Hayward v. Plant factors); C.G.S. § 45a-294 (will contest expenses only): the hours the statutory fee schedules imply, at the state's surveyed hourly rateVerified Sep 8, 2026View source to 3.5%Modeled estimate under CT Probate Court Rules of Procedure, Rule 39 (reasonable compensation; no statutory percentage; Hayward v. Plant factors); C.G.S. § 45a-294 (will contest expenses only): the hours the statutory fee schedules imply, at the state's surveyed hourly rateVerified Sep 8, 2026View source of the estate; a funded revocable trust keeps those assets out of probate and off that fee.
An attorney-prepared revocable living trust in Connecticut runs $4,460Estimate: 10 hours at $446, Clio's Connecticut Trusts rate; Compare Lawyer Rates, 2025 dataVerified Oct 15, 2026View source to $6,690Estimate: 15 hours at $446, Clio's Connecticut Trusts rate; Compare Lawyer Rates, 2025 dataVerified Oct 15, 2026View source for an individual, against $0 to $549 up front plus a subscription with an online service.
Connecticut does not authorize transfer on death deeds; sole-name real property goes through probate, at least 6 months for a simple estate, unless held in a trust or with a right of survivorship.
Connecticut does not revoke an ex-spouse as beneficiary at divorceConn. Gen. Stat. § 45a-257cVerified Sep 15, 2026View source; employer plans under ERISA follow federal rules either way, so a 401(k) beneficiary changes only by a new designation.
37 asset protection firms in Connecticut, by county and firm type.
Firm listings are for informational purposes only. SimplyTrust does not endorse or recommend any specific firm or attorney. Contact firms directly to discuss your situation and verify their current practice areas and availability.
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37 firms
FirmBristol, CT
Bristol elder law firm with a probate team of attorneys and paralegals serving families across Connecticut. Settles estates through probate, including defending a will that is contested, and handles Medicaid planning, special needs trusts, and veterans benefits.
PracticesEstate PlanningProbateElder LawSpecial Needs Planningand 4 more
Solo PracticeWallingford, CT
Wallingford practice serving clients in and around the Wallingford area. Helps executors, administrators, trustees, and conservators carry out their duties, and has served hundreds of times as a fiduciary under court orders or trust designations. Also handles will contests, probate appeals, trust disputes, and Title 19 applications.
PracticesEstate PlanningTrust AdministrationProbateProbate Litigationand 7 more
FirmMilford, CT
Milford and Westport firm, founded in 1933, whose Trusts and Estates Practice Group works in local probate courts from Bridgeport and Stamford to New Haven and Waterbury. Helps executors and families through probate court and estate settlement, from asset inventories to court appearances, and handles estate and gift tax planning.
PracticesEstate PlanningProbateTax PlanningAsset Protection
Solo PracticeMiddletown, CT
Middletown solo practice of Attorney Elizabeth Byrne, licensed in Connecticut since 1985 and a long-time NAELA member. Guides family members after a death through short-form probate, formal probate, and trust settlement, from setting up estate and trust accounts to final distribution. Also submits Medicaid applications and prepares Florida documents for clients who winter there.
PracticesEstate PlanningTrust AdministrationProbateElder Lawand 3 more
FirmNaugatuck, CT
Naugatuck estate and probate firm of attorneys William P. Burns Jr. and Christine L. Thomas, serving New Haven and Fairfield counties from Waterbury and Cheshire to Southbury and Middlebury. Handles every step of probate and estate administration, and for an executor who lives out of state, explains Connecticut law and handles the local steps.
PracticesEstate PlanningProbateAsset Protection
FirmMiddletown, CT
Middletown firm with a by-appointment office in Mystic, also serving Hartford-area towns from Glastonbury to Windsor. Handles probate and trust administration after a death, either answering an executor's questions or handling the whole process, and advises when beneficiaries disagree or a will is challenged. Most meetings, including initial consultations, can be held over Zoom or Teams.
PracticesEstate PlanningTrust AdministrationProbateSpecial Needs Planningand 5 more
FirmOld Saybrook, CT
Old Saybrook general practice firm, tracing its roots to 1966, serving Middlesex, New London, Hartford, and New Haven counties along the Connecticut shoreline. Administers probate estates, handles guardianships, conservatorships, and probate appeals, and pursues will and trust contests in probate court for beneficiaries. Offers a free consultation, and staff speak Spanish.
PracticesEstate PlanningProbateProbate LitigationElder Lawand 8 more
FirmBridgeport, CT
Serves Fairfield County from offices in Bridgeport, Westport, Danbury and Trumbull, with a fifth office in Hartford; founded in 1951. Its Trusts & Estates Group handles estate and trust administration, conservatorships and guardianships, and its Probate Litigation Group takes will and trust contests, objections to accountings, fiduciary removal proceedings and probate appeals.
PracticesEstate PlanningTrust AdministrationProbateProbate Litigationand 7 more
FirmBerlin, CT
Serves all of Connecticut from five offices including Berlin and Simsbury; formerly Czepiga Daly Pope & Perri. Takes executors through probate from the application through the inventory, claims, estate tax returns and final accounting, administers special needs trusts as trustee, and handles will contests, removal of a personal representative, conservatorship disputes and creditor claims.
PracticesEstate PlanningTrust AdministrationProbateProbate Litigationand 6 more
FirmNew Britain, CT
Serves clients across Connecticut from offices in New Britain and Avon. Handles probate administration for executors, from gathering and valuing assets to paying debts and taxes, and probate disputes including will contests, breach of fiduciary duty claims, fiduciary removal and conservatorships. A firm trust committee reviews trust administration questions; Medicaid applications handled in-house.
PracticesEstate PlanningTrust AdministrationProbateProbate Litigationand 8 more
Solo PracticeWilton, CT
Solo estate planning practice in Wilton serving Fairfield County towns including Ridgefield, Westport and Norwalk. Prepares wills, revocable and irrevocable trusts, powers of attorney and healthcare directives, including planning for blended families, rental real estate held in LLCs and Connecticut estate tax. Flat-fee plans; consultations in person in Wilton or entirely virtual.
PracticesEstate PlanningTax PlanningAsset Protection
Solo PracticeHartford, CT
Serves families across Connecticut from an office on the Hartford-West Hartford line. Guides executors through Connecticut probate, from the application and inventory to the final accounting, and handles trust administration, Title 19 applications, conservatorships and VA benefits. Planning work is billed at flat fees.
PracticesEstate PlanningTrust AdministrationProbateElder Lawand 3 more
Solo PracticeOld Saybrook, CT
Solo trusts and estates practice based in Old Saybrook on the Boston Post Road. For executors, determines whether a probate proceeding is needed, bonds the fiduciary and prepares the reports the probate court requires; also handles trust administration, conservatorships and Medicaid planning for long-term care.
PracticesEstate PlanningTrust AdministrationProbateConservatorshipand 2 more
FirmWallingford, CT
Family-owned Wallingford firm founded in 1967, serving central Connecticut. Opens full probate estates, files affidavits in lieu of administration for smaller estates and handles tax-purposes-only filings for jointly owned property, with probate paralegals on staff. Also handles Title 19 applications, conservatorships and special needs trusts.
PracticesEstate PlanningProbateElder LawConservatorshipand 6 more
FirmManchester, CT
Manchester firm serving the greater Hartford area east of the river. For executors, drafts and files the application for probate, transfers accounts to the estate, deals with creditor claims and prepares the final accounting and tax returns; also handles will contests, conservatorships and Medicaid planning. NAELA member firm.
PracticesEstate PlanningProbateProbate LitigationElder Lawand 7 more
FirmSeymour, CT
Seymour firm, with an appointment-only office in Southbury, serving greater New Haven, Fairfield and Litchfield counties. Takes executors and administrators through Connecticut probate from the petition and heir notices to the inventory, creditor payments and final distribution, and handles successor-trustee administration and will and trust contests. Family law is a second practice.
PracticesEstate PlanningTrust AdministrationProbateProbate Litigationand 12 more
FirmHamden, CT
Hamden general practice firm serving New Haven County, including North Haven, Wallingford, Cheshire, Branford, Milford and Waterbury. Handles probate from the application to probate the will through distribution, and represents executors and beneficiaries in will and probate disputes in probate and superior court and in trust disputes. Elder law work includes Title XIX applications.
PracticesEstate PlanningProbateProbate LitigationTrust Litigationand 6 more
Solo PracticeWest Hartford, CT
West Hartford elder law and estate practice working with families through Connecticut probate estate settlement after a death, and with post-death issues where there is no probate estate. Represents fiduciaries, counsels trustees of supplemental needs trusts, and assists conservators and Medicaid (Title 19) applicants. Attorney Rebecca Hajosy has been an accredited VA claims attorney since 2009.
PracticesEstate PlanningTrust AdministrationProbateElder Lawand 5 more
FirmBranford, CT
Branford firm on the shoreline, providing legal services since 1973 to high net worth individuals and closely held businesses. Its four attorneys handle probate administration and probate litigation, estate and gift tax reduction, and Medicaid eligibility and long-term care planning for older clients.
PracticesEstate PlanningProbateProbate LitigationElder Lawand 3 more
Solo PracticeStonington, CT
Stonington trust and estate boutique serving families across New London County. Attorney Paul G. Holland, Jr., who trained in estate administration at Cummings & Lockwood, guides executors through Probate Court filings, asset inventories, creditor claims and estate and income tax returns, and advises successor trustees settling funded revocable trusts.
PracticesEstate PlanningTrust AdministrationProbateTax PlanningAsset Protection