Practices from offices in Rapid City and Spearfish. Handles simple and complex probates, trust administration, and contested trust and estate litigation for trustees, personal representatives, and beneficiaries, along with guardianships and conservatorships. Drafts wills and trusts under South Dakota trust law, including living, asset protection, generation-skipping, and dynasty trusts.
Spearfish is in Lawrence County.
Probate in Lawrence County
Probate Court Record
Lawrence County Circuit Court
Lawrence County · 4th Judicial Circuit
Phone
Hours
Monday-Friday 8:00 AM-noon and 1:00 PM-5:00 PM
Office
78 Sherman Street, Deadwood, SD 57732
Website
E-filing
Filing in person
Walk-ins accepted
Self-represented filing
Allowed
How to file probate in Lawrence County →
Verified October 16, 2026 · Source
Do I need a lawyer for probate in Lawrence County? →Settling an estate in Lawrence County →
Forms for Planning Your Estate in South Dakota
Free forms for planning your estate in South Dakota: will, living trust, pour-over will, powers of attorney and TOD deed. Prepare each form for South Dakota.
$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 South Dakota, a pour-over will is signed before 2SDCL 29A-2-502Verified Oct 19, 2026View source witnesses and moves anything left outside the trust into it through probate.
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Free
Transfer on Death Deed
In South Dakota, a transfer on death deed is signed before a notarySDCL 29A-6-401 to 29A-6-435Verified Oct 19, 2026View source, then recorded with the county before the owner's deathSDCL 29A-6-401 to 29A-6-435Verified Oct 19, 2026View source. South Dakota does not recognize a Lady Bird deed.
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Free
Last Will and Testament
In South Dakota, a will is signed before 2SDCL 29A-2-502Verified Oct 19, 2026View source witnesses, and a self-proving affidavit signed with it lets the court admit it without witness testimonySDCL 29A-2-502Verified Oct 19, 2026View source.
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Tools for Planning Your Estate in South Dakota
Free tools for planning your estate in South Dakota: will and trust costs, trust or TOD deed, and the signing rules. Run each tool for South Dakota.
Trust or Will: Which Costs Less?
In South Dakota, a will-based plan pays probate attorney fees of typically 1.8%Modeled estimate under SDCL § 29A-3-719(a) (reasonable compensation; no statutory percentage for attorneys): the hours the statutory fee schedules imply, at the state's surveyed hourly rateVerified Sep 8, 2026View source to 2.8%Modeled estimate under SDCL § 29A-3-719(a) (reasonable compensation; no statutory percentage for attorneys): 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 South Dakota runs $3,580Estimate: 10 hours at $358, Clio's South Dakota Trusts rate; Compare Lawyer Rates, 2025 dataVerified Oct 15, 2026View source to $5,370Estimate: 15 hours at $358, Clio's South Dakota 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?
South Dakota authorizes transfer on death deedsSDCL 29A-6-401 to 29A-6-435Verified 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?
South Dakota automatically revokes an ex-spouse as beneficiary at divorceSDCL § 29A-2-804; § 29A-1-201Verified 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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