Serves Ohio County from Main Street in Wheeling and practices across Hancock, Brooke, Marshall, Wetzel, Tyler, Monongalia and Harrison counties. Guides executors and administrators through West Virginia probate, from filing the will and appointment through inventory, debts and distribution, and handles will contests, executor disputes and trust litigation. Founded in Wheeling in 1925.
Probate in Hancock County
Probate Court Record
Hancock County Circuit Court
Hancock County · First Judicial Circuit
Phone
Hours
Monday-Friday 8:30 AM-4:30 PM
Office
Hancock County Courthouse, 102 Court Street, New Cumberland, WV 26047
Website
Filing in person
Appointment required
Self-represented filing
Allowed
How to file probate in Hancock County →
Verified October 15, 2026 · Source
Do I need a lawyer for probate in Hancock County? →Settling an estate in Hancock County →
Asset Protection Firms Serving Hancock County
Serves Monongalia County from Morgantown, with additional offices in Charleston and Wheeling. Guides executors and trustees through probate filings, trust administration and distribution, and represents fiduciaries and beneficiaries in will contests, trust disputes and breach of fiduciary duty claims. Counsel Richard R. Marsh focuses on trust and estate planning, administration and litigation.
Serves Ohio County from Main Street in Wheeling, where David R. Croft, co-chair of the firm's Wills, Estates & Trusts group, runs the office. Handles the probate of decedents' estates and the administration of trusts, represents beneficiaries and fiduciaries in estate and trust litigation, and plans estate and gift tax.
All 5 West Virginia asset protection firms serving Hancock County →
Forms for Planning Your Estate in West Virginia
Free forms for planning your estate in West Virginia: will, living trust, pour-over will, powers of attorney and TOD deed. Prepare each form for West Virginia.
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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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Free
Pour-Over Will
In West Virginia, a pour-over will is signed before 2W.Va. Code § 41-1-3Verified 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 West Virginia, a transfer on death deed is signed before a notaryW. Va. Code 36-12-1 to 36-12-17Verified Oct 19, 2026View source, then recorded with the county before the owner's deathW. Va. Code 36-12-1 to 36-12-17Verified Oct 19, 2026View source. West Virginia does not recognize a Lady Bird deed.
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Last Will and Testament
In West Virginia, a will is signed before 2W.Va. Code § 41-1-3Verified Oct 19, 2026View source witnesses, and the witnesses sign an affidavit at probate instead of a self-proving affidavitW.Va. Code § 41-1-3Verified Oct 19, 2026View source.
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Tools for Planning Your Estate in West Virginia
Free tools for planning your estate in West Virginia: will and trust costs, trust or TOD deed, and the signing rules. Run each tool for West Virginia.
Trust or Will: Which Costs Less?
In West Virginia, a will-based plan pays probate attorney fees of typically 1.6%Modeled estimate under W.Va. Code § 44-4-12 (attorney fees as reasonable expenses of the fiduciary, allowed by the fiduciary commissioner; no statutory schedule); § 44-3A-42(c) (fee vouchers); § 44-2-1(a) ($300 ceiling): the hours the statutory fee schedules imply, at the state's surveyed hourly rateVerified Sep 9, 2026View source to 2.6%Modeled estimate under W.Va. Code § 44-4-12 (attorney fees as reasonable expenses of the fiduciary, allowed by the fiduciary commissioner; no statutory schedule); § 44-3A-42(c) (fee vouchers); § 44-2-1(a) ($300 ceiling): the hours the statutory fee schedules imply, at the state's surveyed hourly rateVerified Sep 9, 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 West Virginia runs $2,870Estimate: 10 hours at $287, Clio's West Virginia Wills and Estates rate (no Trusts rate published); Compare Lawyer Rates, 2025 dataVerified Oct 15, 2026View source to $4,305Estimate: 15 hours at $287, Clio's West Virginia Wills and Estates rate (no Trusts rate published); 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?
West Virginia authorizes transfer on death deedsW. Va. Code 36-12-1 to 36-12-17Verified 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?
West Virginia does not revoke an ex-spouse as beneficiary at divorceW. Va. Code § 41-1-6Verified 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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