Probate in Barnstable County

Probate Court Record

Barnstable County Probate and Family Court

Barnstable County

Hours

Monday-Friday 8:30 AM-4:30 PM

Office

3195 Main Street, Barnstable, MA 02630

E-filing

Filing in person

Walk-ins accepted

Self-represented filing

Allowed

Self-help forms

How to file probate in Barnstable County →

Verified October 16, 2026 · Source

Do I need a lawyer for probate in Barnstable County? →Settling an estate in Barnstable County →

Asset Protection Firms Serving Barnstable County

Serves Plymouth County, the Upper Cape portion of Barnstable County and southeastern Norfolk County from Plymouth. Guides personal representatives and trustees through probate and trust administration, including estate taxes, and handles will and trust contests and challenges to fiduciary accountings. Initial consultations carry a fee; Zoom meetings are available.

Solo PracticeSince 1996Serves 3 countiesVirtual consultationsEstate PlanningTrust AdministrationProbateProbate LitigationTrust Litigation+8

Serves Massachusetts from Waltham, concentrating on Greater Boston, with offices in New Hampshire and Florida. Guides executors, administrators and trustees through probate court proceedings, trust administration and distribution, and estate and fiduciary tax returns, and handles guardianship and conservatorship petitions. Founder David M. Beliveau is also a Certified Public Accountant.

Serves the whole stateEstate PlanningTrust AdministrationProbateElder LawTax Planning+6

Serves Bristol, Norfolk, Plymouth and Barnstable counties and families throughout Massachusetts from Fall River. Handles probate of wills, administration of estates, voluntary administration of small estates, guardianship and conservatorship petitions, and MassHealth long-term care planning with irrevocable trusts. Most planning is handled by phone and video, with in-person signings.

Since 2005Serves the whole stateFree consultationVirtual consultationsEstate PlanningProbateConservatorshipGuardianshipSpecial Needs Planning+2

Serves Essex, Middlesex and Suffolk counties from Wakefield, meeting clients in person or by telephone or Zoom. Handles probate and estate administration, trust administration, conservatorships and guardianships, and MassHealth applications and fair hearing appeals. Attorneys Patrick Curley and Lucy Budman are both Certified Elder Law Attorneys.

Serves the whole stateVirtual consultationsEstate PlanningTrust AdministrationProbateElder LawTax Planning+6

Serves families across Massachusetts and New Hampshire from Andover, with a second office in Rye, NH. Attorneys Carah Kiley, Thomas Kiley, Jr. and Thomas Kiley, Sr. handle informal, formal, late and limited formal probate and voluntary administration, administer trusts through final distribution, and litigate will contests, trust disputes and breach of fiduciary duty claims.

Serves the whole stateFree consultationEstate PlanningTrust AdministrationProbateProbate LitigationTrust LitigationAsset Protection

Serves the South Shore and Greater Boston from Quincy. Represents personal representatives and beneficiaries in probate, from petitions, inventories and accountings to debts, taxes and distribution, and handles guardianship, conservatorship and fiduciary litigation. Partner Natalie Logan Berardi leads the estate administration and trust accounting work; meetings are available over Zoom.

Serves the whole stateFree consultationVirtual consultationsEstate PlanningProbateProbate LitigationElder LawTax Planning+6

All 20 Massachusetts asset protection firms serving Barnstable County →

Forms for Planning Your Estate in Massachusetts

Free forms for planning your estate in Massachusetts: will, living trust, pour-over will, powers of attorney and TOD deed. Prepare each form for Massachusetts.

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Revocable Living Trust

Create a revocable living trust to avoid probate, protect privacy, and control asset distribution.

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Pour-Over Will

In Massachusetts, a pour-over will is signed before 2M.G.L. c. 190B § 2-502Verified Oct 18, 2026View source witnesses and moves anything left outside the trust into it through probate.

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Transfer on Death Deed

Transfer real property to a beneficiary upon your death without probate. Available in 34 states and the District of Columbia.

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Free

Last Will and Testament

In Massachusetts, a will is signed before 2M.G.L. c. 190B § 2-502Verified Oct 18, 2026View source witnesses, and a self-proving affidavit signed with it lets the court admit it without witness testimonyM.G.L. c. 190B § 2-502Verified Oct 18, 2026View source.

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All Massachusetts forms

Tools for Planning Your Estate in Massachusetts

Free tools for planning your estate in Massachusetts: will and trust costs, trust or TOD deed, and the signing rules. Run each tool for Massachusetts.

Trust or Will: Which Costs Less?

In Massachusetts, a will-based plan pays probate attorney fees of typically 2.2%Modeled estimate under No specific statute for general probate attorney fees; reasonable compensation subject to court review. M.G.L. c. 190B § 3-720 covers litigation expense reimbursement 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 No specific statute for general probate attorney fees; reasonable compensation subject to court review. M.G.L. c. 190B § 3-720 covers litigation expense reimbursement 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.

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How Much Does a Revocable Living Trust Cost?

An attorney-prepared revocable living trust in Massachusetts runs $3,920Estimate: 10 hours at $392, Clio's Massachusetts Trusts rate; Compare Lawyer Rates, 2025 dataVerified Oct 15, 2026View source to $5,880Estimate: 15 hours at $392, Clio's Massachusetts 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?

Massachusetts 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.

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Are My Beneficiary Designations Protected?

Massachusetts automatically revokes an ex-spouse as beneficiary at divorceM.G.L. c. 190B, § 2-804Verified 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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All Massachusetts tools