Serves Wilmington and the surrounding New Hanover County area from an office on Oleander Drive. The practice pairs court-supervised probate and estate administration — inventorying assets, paying creditors, and distributing to heirs — with advanced estate planning and tax work. Sole attorney Rick E. Graves is a Board Certified Specialist in Estate Planning and Probate Law.
Probate in Carteret County
Probate Court Record
Carteret County Clerk of Superior Court
Carteret County · Superior Court District 4
Phone
Hours
Monday-Friday 8:30 AM-5:00 PM
Office
300 Courthouse Square, Beaufort, NC 28516
Website
E-filing
Self-represented filing
Allowed
Self-help forms
How to file probate in Carteret County →
Verified October 16, 2026 · Source
Do I need a lawyer for probate in Carteret County? →Settling an estate in Carteret County →
Asset Protection Firms Serving Carteret County
Serves Lenoir, Pitt, Craven, and Greene counties from Kinston, Greenville, New Bern, and Snow Hill, with roots in Kinston dating to 1927. Estate work covers probate and estate administration — creditor matters, tax filings, and distribution of assets — along with trust administration and fiduciary litigation. Two estate attorneys are board-certified specialists in Estate Planning and Probate Law.
All 4 North Carolina asset protection firms serving Carteret County →
Forms for Planning Your Estate in North Carolina
Free forms for planning your estate in North Carolina: will, living trust, pour-over will, powers of attorney and TOD deed. Prepare each form.
$12/month
Revocable Living Trust
Create a revocable living trust to avoid probate, protect privacy, and control asset distribution.
Get Started
Free
Pour-Over Will
In North Carolina, a pour-over will is signed before 2N.C.G.S. § 31-3.3Verified Oct 19, 2026View source witnesses and moves anything left outside the trust into it through probate.
Get Started
Free
Transfer on Death Deed
Transfer real property to a beneficiary upon your death without probate. Available in 34 states and the District of Columbia.
Get Started
Free
Last Will and Testament
In North Carolina, a will is signed before 2N.C.G.S. § 31-3.3Verified Oct 19, 2026View source witnesses, and a self-proving affidavit signed with it lets the court admit it without witness testimonyN.C.G.S. § 31-3.3Verified Oct 19, 2026View source.
Get Started
Tools for Planning Your Estate in North Carolina
Free tools for planning your estate in North Carolina: will and trust costs, trust or TOD deed, and the signing rules. Run each tool for North Carolina.
Trust or Will: Which Costs Less?
In North Carolina, a will-based plan pays probate attorney fees of typically 2%Modeled estimate under N.C.G.S. § 28A-13-3(a)(19), § 28A-23-3(a) (attorney fees are a negotiated administration expense; no statutory schedule or percentage): the hours the statutory fee schedules imply, at the state's surveyed hourly rateVerified Sep 8, 2026View source to 3.1%Modeled estimate under N.C.G.S. § 28A-13-3(a)(19), § 28A-23-3(a) (attorney fees are a negotiated administration expense; no statutory schedule or 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 North Carolina runs $4,330Estimate: 10 hours at $433, Clio's North Carolina Trusts rate; Compare Lawyer Rates, 2025 dataVerified Oct 15, 2026View source to $6,495Estimate: 15 hours at $433, Clio's North Carolina 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.
Calculate Costs
Do I Need a TOD Deed?
North Carolina 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.
Get the Answer
Are My Beneficiary Designations Protected?
North Carolina does not revoke an ex-spouse as beneficiary at divorceN.C.G.S. § 31-5.4; § 36C-6-606Verified Sep 15, 2026View source; employer plans under ERISA follow federal rules either way, so a 401(k) beneficiary changes only by a new designation.
Get the Answer
