Serves all three Delaware counties from offices in Wilmington, Dover, Lewes and Georgetown. The Estates & Trusts group advises executors and trustees on settling estates and administering trusts, and represents fiduciaries and beneficiaries in will contests, guardianship, accounting and fiduciary duty disputes. Its elder law practice handles Delaware Medicaid long-term care planning.
Hockessin is in New Castle County.
More Elder Law Firms in New Castle County
Serves New Castle County from an office on Kennett Pike in Wilmington. Settles estates for executors, handling the court paperwork, probate fees, claims and taxes, alongside long-term care Medicaid applications and estate planning. Founder W. Wade W. Scott holds a Graduate Certification in Estate Planning from Temple University Beasley School of Law.
Serves New Castle County from the Red Clay Center on Centerville Road, northwest of downtown Wilmington. Handles estate and trust administration, probate, guardianships and Medicaid applications alongside estate and special needs planning. Founded in 1992 and led by Certified Elder Law Attorneys Catherine B. Read and William W. Erhart.
Serves New Castle County from Concord Pike in Wilmington. Works with executors and trustees on estate and trust administration, and handles estate and trust litigation, guardianship administration and Medicaid planning. Founded in 1990.
Serves clients throughout Delaware from a Greenville office, with a father-son team of Kevin and Paul O'Brien. Handles probate and estate administration, trust administration, small estate affidavits and federal estate tax returns, and drafts special needs trusts and Delaware asset protection trusts. Planning documents are quoted as a flat fee after the initial consultation.
Serves clients across Delaware from a Pike Creek office at Linden Hill Station, in person or by Zoom. Handles estate administration and probate through the Register of Wills, trust settlement, uncontested guardianships, and Delaware Medicaid applications; the firm does not take contested estate, trust or probate cases. Family-owned since 1981 and focused on elder law and estate planning.
Probate in New Castle County
Probate Court Record
New Castle County Register of Wills
New Castle County
Phone
Hours
Monday-Thursday 8:00 AM-noon and 1:00 PM-3:30 PM; Friday 8:00 AM-noon and 1:00 PM-3:00 PM
Office
800 North French Street, 2nd Floor, Wilmington, DE 19801
Website
E-filing
Filing in person
Appointment required
Self-represented filing
Allowed
Self-help forms
How to file probate in New Castle County →
Verified October 15, 2026 · Source
Do I need a lawyer for probate in New Castle County? →Settling an estate in New Castle County →
Forms for Planning and Settling an Estate in Delaware
Free Delaware forms to plan or settle an estate: a will, trust, powers of attorney, TOD deed and the probate forms. Prepare each form for Delaware.
$12/month
Revocable Living Trust
Create a revocable living trust to avoid probate, protect privacy, and control asset distribution.
Get Started
Free
Healthcare Power of Attorney
Delaware requires 116 Del. C. § 2511Verified Oct 15, 2026View source witness for a healthcare power of attorney; notarization is not required16 Del. C. § 2511Verified Oct 15, 2026View source.
Get Started
Free
Financial Power of Attorney
Delaware requires explicit durability language for a power of attorney to survive incapacity12 Del.C. §§ 49A-104, 49A-105, 49A-106, 49A-109, 49A-113, 49A-114, 49A-119, 49A-120, 49A-201, 49A-204 through 49A-217, 49A-301; 12 Del.C. §§ 5002, 5004, 5005; 25 Del.C. §§ 151, 154, 155, 172Verified Oct 21, 2026View source, and it is signed before 112 Del.C. §§ 49A-104, 49A-105, 49A-106, 49A-109, 49A-113, 49A-114, 49A-119, 49A-120, 49A-201, 49A-204 through 49A-217, 49A-301; 12 Del.C. §§ 5002, 5004, 5005; 25 Del.C. §§ 151, 154, 155, 172Verified Oct 21, 2026View source witness and a notary.
Get Started
Free
Last Will and Testament
In Delaware, a will is signed before 212 Del. C. § 202Verified Oct 18, 2026View source witnesses, and a self-proving affidavit signed with it lets the court admit it without witness testimony12 Del. C. § 202Verified Oct 18, 2026View source.
Get Started
Tools for Planning and Settling an Estate in Delaware
Free calculators and checklists to plan or settle an estate in Delaware: will and trust costs, probate, executor pay and taxes. Run each tool for Delaware.
What Does Estate Planning Actually Cost?
An attorney-prepared revocable trust in Delaware runs $4,390Estimate: 10 hours at $439, Clio's Delaware Trusts rate; Compare Lawyer Rates, 2025 dataVerified Oct 15, 2026View source to $6,585Estimate: 15 hours at $439, Clio's Delaware Trusts rate; Compare Lawyer Rates, 2025 dataVerified Oct 15, 2026View source and a simple will $1,317Estimate: 3 hours at $439, Clio's Delaware Trusts rate (no Wills and Estates rate published); Compare Lawyer Rates, 2025 dataVerified Oct 15, 2026View source to $2,634Estimate: 6 hours at $439, Clio's Delaware Trusts rate (no Wills and Estates rate published); Compare Lawyer Rates, 2025 dataVerified Oct 15, 2026View source, against $0 to $549 up front plus a subscription with an online service.
Calculate Costs
How Much Life Insurance Do I Need?
In Delaware, four years at a public university cost about $105,696NCES Digest of Education Statistics 2023, Table 330.20, public 4-year in-state tuition, fees, room and board, academic year 2022-23Verified Oct 17, 2026View source and the cost of living is near the U.S. averageBEA Regional Price Parities, all items, by state, 2024Verified Oct 17, 2026View source; no state estate or inheritance tax appliesNo state estate or inheritance tax. Estate tax (30 Del. C. ch. 15, §§ 1501-1507) repealed outright by 81 Del. Laws, c. 52, § 1 (HB 16, 149th Gen. Assem.), effective for estates of decedents dying after Dec. 31, 2017; inheritance tax (30 Del. C. ch. 13, §§ 1301-1314) repealed by 71 Del. Laws, c. 353, § 10, effective Jan. 1, 1999; gift tax (30 Del. C. ch. 14) repealed by 71 Del. Laws, c. 130, § 1.Verified Sep 15, 2026View source.
Calculate the Amount
What Are the Estate Laws in My State?
Probate on a $500,000 estate in Delaware costs an estimated $33,96412 Del. C. § 2305 (fees "as provided by rule of the Court of Chancery"; no statutory percentage)Verified Sep 8, 2026View source and takes 9 months to 12 months for a simple estate, with attorney fees of typically 2.5%Modeled estimate under 12 Del. C. § 2305 (fees "as provided by rule of the Court of Chancery"; no statutory percentage): the hours the statutory fee schedules imply, at the state's surveyed hourly rateVerified Sep 8, 2026View source to 3.9%Modeled estimate under 12 Del. C. § 2305 (fees "as provided by rule of the Court of Chancery"; no statutory percentage): the hours the statutory fee schedules imply, at the state's surveyed hourly rateVerified Sep 8, 2026View source of the estate. Estates under $50,000delcode.delaware.gov: 12 Del. C. § 2306Verified Sep 8, 2026View source can use a small-estate procedure instead.
Check the Rules
Do I Need a Revocable Trust?
Probate in Delaware takes 9 months to 12 months for a simple estate and charges attorney fees of typically 2.5%Modeled estimate under 12 Del. C. § 2305 (fees "as provided by rule of the Court of Chancery"; no statutory percentage): the hours the statutory fee schedules imply, at the state's surveyed hourly rateVerified Sep 8, 2026View source to 3.9%Modeled estimate under 12 Del. C. § 2305 (fees "as provided by rule of the Court of Chancery"; no statutory percentage): the hours the statutory fee schedules imply, at the state's surveyed hourly rateVerified Sep 8, 2026View source of the estate; assets held in a revocable trust skip both.
Get the Answer
Are My Beneficiary Designations Protected?
Delaware does not revoke an ex-spouse as beneficiary at divorce12 Del. C. § 209Verified 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
