Overland Park estate planning and elder law firm of Chris Gaughan and Casey Connealy, serving the Kansas City area in Kansas and Missouri. Represents trustees and beneficiaries in trust administration after a death, handles probate, and plans living trusts, special needs trusts, Medicaid eligibility and business succession. The two co-wrote Midwest Estate Planning: A Guide for Your Family.
Probate in Shawnee County
Probate Court Record
Shawnee County District Court
Shawnee County · 3rd Judicial District
Phone
Hours
Monday-Friday 8:00 AM-5:00 PM
Office
200 Southeast 7th Street, Room 209, Topeka, KS 66603
Website
E-filing
Self-represented filing
Allowed
Self-help forms
How to file probate in Shawnee County →
Verified October 16, 2026 · Source
Do I need a lawyer for probate in Shawnee County? →Settling an estate in Shawnee County →
Asset Protection Firms Serving Shawnee County
Downtown Ottawa firm founded in 1870 that appears in the Franklin County District Court and the district courts of nine neighboring counties, from Johnson and Douglas to Coffey, Allen and Linn. Laura Rhea and Brittni Winter handle probate and estate planning, and the firm also lists elder law and tax and estate planning among its services.
A twelve-attorney Salina firm, with a satellite office in Lindsborg, practicing in Salina since 1946. Guides families through Kansas probate, including informal administrations and determinations of descent, and handles trust administrations, trust modification and termination, and guardianships and conservatorships. Also does wills, trusts, and Medicaid planning.
Estate and business planning firm serving Kansas from offices in Manhattan, Elkhart, Hugoton, Hutchinson, Garden City, Overland Park, and Norton. Handles probate and trust administration for families after a death, alongside wills, trusts, farm and ranch planning, business succession, and Medicaid planning. Formed in 2014 through the merger of a Manhattan practice and an Elkhart practice.
All 7 Kansas asset protection firms serving Shawnee County →
Forms for Planning Your Estate in Kansas
Free forms for planning your estate in Kansas: will, living trust, pour-over will, powers of attorney and TOD deed. Prepare each form for Kansas.
$12/month
Revocable Living Trust
Create a revocable living trust to avoid probate, protect privacy, and control asset distribution.
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Free
Pour-Over Will
In Kansas, a pour-over will is signed before 2K.S.A. § 59-606Verified Oct 18, 2026View source witnesses and moves anything left outside the trust into it through probate.
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Free
Transfer on Death Deed
In Kansas, a transfer on death deed is signed before a notaryK.S.A. 59-3501 to 59-3507Verified Oct 18, 2026View source, then recorded with the county before the owner's deathK.S.A. 59-3501 to 59-3507Verified Oct 18, 2026View source. Kansas does not recognize a Lady Bird deed.
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Free
Last Will and Testament
In Kansas, a will is signed before 2K.S.A. § 59-606Verified Oct 18, 2026View source witnesses, and a self-proving affidavit signed with it lets the court admit it without witness testimonyK.S.A. § 59-606Verified Oct 18, 2026View source.
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Tools for Planning Your Estate in Kansas
Free tools for planning your estate in Kansas: will and trust costs, trust or TOD deed, and the signing rules. Run each tool for Kansas and read its answer.
Trust or Will: Which Costs Less?
In Kansas, a will-based plan pays probate attorney fees of typically 1.8%Modeled estimate under K.S.A. 59-1717 (fiduciary and attorney compensation "just and reasonable"; no statutory percentage): the hours the statutory fee schedules imply, at the state's surveyed hourly rateVerified Sep 8, 2026View source to 2.9%Modeled estimate under K.S.A. 59-1717 (fiduciary and attorney compensation "just and reasonable"; no statutory percentage): 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.
Calculate Costs
How Much Does a Revocable Living Trust Cost?
An attorney-prepared revocable living trust in Kansas runs $3,310Estimate: 10 hours at $331, Clio's Kansas Trusts rate; Compare Lawyer Rates, 2025 dataVerified Oct 15, 2026View source to $4,965Estimate: 15 hours at $331, Clio's Kansas 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.
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Do I Need a TOD Deed?
Kansas authorizes transfer on death deedsK.S.A. 59-3501 to 59-3507Verified Oct 17, 2026View source: a recorded, revocable deed that passes real property at death outside probate.
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Are My Beneficiary Designations Protected?
Kansas automatically revokes an ex-spouse as beneficiary at divorceK.S.A. § 59-610; § 59-105Verified Sep 15, 2026View source; employer plans under ERISA follow federal rules either way, so a 401(k) beneficiary changes only by a new designation.
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