Serves Carroll County from downtown Westminster, near the Register of Wills and Orphans' Court. Handles judicial and administrative probate with in-house preparation of estate tax and fiduciary income tax returns, represents clients in estate controversies before the Orphans' Court, and advises trustees administering inter vivos and testamentary trusts. Founded in 1959, the firm has prepared estate planning documents for thousands of individuals.
Finksburg is in Carroll County.
More Estate Planning Firms in Carroll County
Serves Carroll County from Westminster, where the practice was established in 1936. Handles probate and estate and trust administration, including the inventory, the accounting and Maryland and federal estate and fiduciary income tax returns, along with estate disputes and Medicaid planning. One of the few Carroll County firms that handles Pennsylvania wills and estate and trust administration.
Serves Carroll County and surrounding counties from Westminster, near the Carroll County courts. Guides personal representatives through opening the estate, the inventory and valuation, sale of assets, payment of taxes and debts, and distribution, and handles disputes over wills, undue influence and breach of fiduciary duty, as well as guardianship of the person and of the property. Gary W. Desper is a former Assistant Attorney General for Maryland; the first 30 minutes of a consultation are free for new clients.
Probate in Carroll County
Probate Court Record
Carroll County Register of Wills
Carroll County
Phone
Hours
Monday-Friday 8:30 AM-4:30 PM
Office
Courthouse Annex, 55 North Court Street, Room 124, Westminster, MD 21157
Website
Filing in person
Walk-ins accepted
Self-represented filing
Allowed
Self-help forms
How to file probate in Carroll County →
Verified October 16, 2026 · Source
Do I need a lawyer for probate in Carroll County? →Settling an estate in Carroll County →
Forms for Planning and Settling an Estate in Maryland
Free Maryland forms to plan or settle an estate: a will, trust, powers of attorney, TOD deed and the probate forms. Prepare each form for Maryland.
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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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Last Will and Testament
In Maryland, a will is signed before 2Md. Est. & Trusts § 4-102Verified Oct 18, 2026View source witnesses, and it is self-proved when properly executedMd. Est. & Trusts § 4-102Verified Oct 18, 2026View source.
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Healthcare Power of Attorney
Maryland requires 2Md. Health-General Code Ann. § 5-603Verified Oct 15, 2026View source witnesses for a healthcare power of attorney; notarization is not requiredMd. Health-General Code Ann. § 5-603Verified Oct 15, 2026View source.
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Financial Power of Attorney
Maryland treats a power of attorney as durable by defaultMd. Code, Est. & Trusts §§ 17-101 to 17-116, §§ 17-201 to 17-204; Md. Code, Real Prop. § 4-107; Md. Code, Gen. Prov. § 1-401Verified Sep 18, 2026View source, and it is signed before 2Md. Code, Est. & Trusts §§ 17-101 to 17-116, §§ 17-201 to 17-204; Md. Code, Real Prop. § 4-107; Md. Code, Gen. Prov. § 1-401Verified Sep 18, 2026View source witnesses and a notary.
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Pour-Over Will
In Maryland, a pour-over will is signed before 2Md. Est. & Trusts § 4-102Verified Oct 18, 2026View source witnesses and moves anything left outside the trust into it through probate.
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Free
Transfer on Death Deed
In Maryland, a transfer-on-death deed is signed before a notaryMd. Code, Real Prop. §§ 14-1001 to 14-1014Verified Oct 18, 2026View source, then recorded with the county before the owner's deathMd. Code, Real Prop. §§ 14-1001 to 14-1014Verified Oct 18, 2026View source.
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Tools for Planning and Settling an Estate in Maryland
Free calculators and checklists to plan or settle an estate in Maryland: will and trust costs, probate, executor pay and taxes. Run each tool for Maryland.
Trust or Will: Which Costs Less?
In Maryland, a will-based plan pays probate attorney fees of typically 2.1%Modeled estimate under Md. Est. & Trusts § 7-602 (reasonable compensation; no statutory percentage): the hours the statutory fee schedules imply, at the state's surveyed hourly rateVerified Sep 8, 2026View source to 3.3%Modeled estimate under Md. Est. & Trusts § 7-602 (reasonable compensation; no statutory 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.
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Do I Need a Revocable Trust?
Probate in Maryland takes 6 months to 9 months for a simple estate and charges attorney fees of typically 2.1%Modeled estimate under Md. Est. & Trusts § 7-602 (reasonable compensation; no statutory percentage): the hours the statutory fee schedules imply, at the state's surveyed hourly rateVerified Sep 8, 2026View source to 3.3%Modeled estimate under Md. Est. & Trusts § 7-602 (reasonable compensation; 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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What Does Estate Planning Actually Cost?
An attorney-prepared revocable trust in Maryland runs $4,250Estimate: 10 hours at $425, Clio's Maryland Trusts rate; Compare Lawyer Rates, 2025 dataVerified Oct 15, 2026View source to $6,375Estimate: 15 hours at $425, Clio's Maryland Trusts rate; Compare Lawyer Rates, 2025 dataVerified Oct 15, 2026View source and a simple will $1,110Estimate: 3 hours at $370, Clio's Maryland Wills and Estates rate; Compare Lawyer Rates, 2025 dataVerified Oct 15, 2026View source to $2,220Estimate: 6 hours at $370, Clio's Maryland 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 Does Probate Cost?
Probate on a $500,000 estate in Maryland costs an estimated $33,231Md. Est. & Trusts § 7-602 (reasonable compensation; no statutory percentage)Verified Sep 8, 2026View source. Attorney fees run 2.1%Modeled estimate under Md. Est. & Trusts § 7-602 (reasonable compensation; no statutory percentage): the hours the statutory fee schedules imply, at the state's surveyed hourly rateVerified Sep 8, 2026View source to 3.3%Modeled estimate under Md. Est. & Trusts § 7-602 (reasonable compensation; no statutory percentage): the hours the statutory fee schedules imply, at the state's surveyed hourly rateVerified Sep 8, 2026View source of the estate under a reasonable-compensation standard.
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Are My Beneficiary Designations Protected?
Maryland does not revoke an ex-spouse as beneficiary at divorceMd. Code, Est. & Trusts § 4-105; § 14.5-604; § 17-112Verified 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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What Are the Estate Laws in My State?
Probate on a $500,000 estate in Maryland costs an estimated $33,231Md. Est. & Trusts § 7-602 (reasonable compensation; 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 Md. Est. & Trusts § 7-602 (reasonable compensation; no statutory percentage): the hours the statutory fee schedules imply, at the state's surveyed hourly rateVerified Sep 8, 2026View source to 3.3%Modeled estimate under Md. Est. & Trusts § 7-602 (reasonable compensation; 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 $50,000Md. Est. & Trusts § 5-601Verified Sep 8, 2026View source can use a small-estate procedure instead.
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