An Americus law office on South Lee Street serving Sumter County families before the Sumter County Probate Court. Handles probate of estates alongside wills, family trusts, Georgia Advance Directives for Health Care, and financial powers of attorney, with elder law as a stated practice area. J. Michael Greene has practiced in Americus since 1987.
Americus is in Sumter County.
Probate in Sumter County
Probate Court Record
Sumter County Probate Court
Sumter County
Phone
Hours
Monday-Friday 8:30 AM-5:00 PM
Office
500 West Lamar Street, Americus, GA 31709
Website
Self-represented filing
Allowed
Self-help forms
How to file probate in Sumter County →
Verified July 3, 2026 · Source
Do I need a lawyer for probate in Sumter County? →Settling an estate in Sumter County →
Forms for Planning and Settling an Estate in Georgia
Free Georgia forms to plan or settle an estate: a will, trust, powers of attorney, TOD deed and the probate forms. Prepare each form for Georgia.
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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
Healthcare Power of Attorney
Georgia requires 2O.C.G.A. § 31-32-4Verified Oct 15, 2026View source witnesses for a healthcare power of attorney; notarization is not requiredO.C.G.A. § 31-32-4Verified Oct 15, 2026View source.
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Financial Power of Attorney
Georgia treats a power of attorney as durable by defaultO.C.G.A. §§ 10-6B-1 through 10-6B-81Verified Oct 22, 2026View source, and it is signed before 1O.C.G.A. §§ 10-6B-1 through 10-6B-81Verified Oct 21, 2026View source witness and a notary.
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Last Will and Testament
In Georgia, a will is signed before 2O.C.G.A. § 53-4-20Verified Oct 18, 2026View source witnesses, and a self-proving affidavit signed with it lets the court admit it without witness testimonyO.C.G.A. § 53-4-20Verified Oct 18, 2026View source.
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Tools for Planning and Settling an Estate in Georgia
Free calculators and checklists to plan or settle an estate in Georgia: will and trust costs, probate, executor pay and taxes. Run each tool for Georgia.
What Does Estate Planning Actually Cost?
An attorney-prepared revocable trust in Georgia runs $2,980Estimate: 10 hours at $298, Clio's Georgia Trusts rate; Compare Lawyer Rates, 2025 dataVerified Oct 15, 2026View source to $4,470Estimate: 15 hours at $298, Clio's Georgia Trusts rate; Compare Lawyer Rates, 2025 dataVerified Oct 15, 2026View source and a simple will $1,146Estimate: 3 hours at $382, Clio's Georgia Wills and Estates rate; Compare Lawyer Rates, 2025 dataVerified Oct 15, 2026View source to $2,292Estimate: 6 hours at $382, Clio's Georgia Wills and Estates rate; Compare Lawyer Rates, 2025 dataVerified Oct 15, 2026View source, against $0 to $549 up front plus a subscription with an online service.
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How Much Life Insurance Do I Need?
In Georgia, four years at a public university cost about $74,696NCES 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. Georgia's estate tax was outright eliminated (not merely a $0 federal-credit pickup): O.C.G.A. § 48-12-1(a) — "On and after July 1, 2014, there shall be no estate taxes levied by the state and no estate tax returns shall be required by the state." Georgia imposes no inheritance tax and requires no estate-tax waiver.Verified Sep 15, 2026View source.
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What Are the Estate Laws in My State?
Probate on a $500,000 estate in Georgia costs an estimated $38,748O.C.G.A. § 53-7-6(4) (petition to the probate court for a judgment fixing the attorney's fees and expenses; no statutory percentage)Verified Sep 8, 2026View source and takes 6 months to 9 months for a simple estate, with attorney fees of typically 2.1%Modeled estimate under O.C.G.A. § 53-7-6(4) (petition to the probate court for a judgment fixing the attorney's fees and expenses; no statutory percentage): the hours the statutory fee schedules imply, at the state's surveyed hourly rateVerified Sep 8, 2026View source to 3.4%Modeled estimate under O.C.G.A. § 53-7-6(4) (petition to the probate court for a judgment fixing the attorney's fees and expenses; 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 $15,000O.C.G.A. § 7-1-239Verified Sep 8, 2026View source can use a small-estate procedure instead.
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Do I Need a Revocable Trust?
Probate in Georgia takes 6 months to 9 months for a simple estate and charges attorney fees of typically 2.1%Modeled estimate under O.C.G.A. § 53-7-6(4) (petition to the probate court for a judgment fixing the attorney's fees and expenses; no statutory percentage): the hours the statutory fee schedules imply, at the state's surveyed hourly rateVerified Sep 8, 2026View source to 3.4%Modeled estimate under O.C.G.A. § 53-7-6(4) (petition to the probate court for a judgment fixing the attorney's fees and expenses; 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.
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Are My Beneficiary Designations Protected?
Georgia does not revoke an ex-spouse as beneficiary at divorceO.C.G.A. § 53-4-49Verified 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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