Estate Planning Attorneys in North Dakota

86 estate planning firms in North Dakota, by county and firm type.

Firm listings are for informational purposes only. SimplyTrust does not endorse or recommend any specific firm or attorney. Contact firms directly to discuss your situation and verify their current practice areas and availability.

86 firms

FirmFargo, ND

Anderson, Bottrell, Sanden & Thompson (ABST Law)

Since 1981

Serves Fargo-Moorhead and Cass County. Probate work runs from identifying assets and the personal representative through commencing the estate, appointing the representative, and distributing both probate and non-probate property, including jointly held accounts and life insurance proceeds. Also handles farm and business succession.

PracticesEstate PlanningTrust AdministrationProbateTrust LitigationAgricultural Law

Office: 4132 30th Avenue South, Suite 100Fargo, ND 58104
Phone: (701) 235-3300

Solo PracticeFargo, ND

Astrup Law Office, P.C.

Solo practice in Fargo serving Cass County and the surrounding Red River Valley. Jason Astrup has practiced in North Dakota since 2005 and appears as counsel for the personal representative in Cass County probate matters. Also handles estate planning, trust administration, and guardianship and conservatorship.

PracticesEstate PlanningTrust AdministrationProbateGuardianshipBusiness Law

Office: 3186 Sienna Dr. S.Fargo, ND 58104
Phone: (701) 356-1287

FirmBismarck, ND

Bormann, Myerchin, Espeseth & Edison, LLP

Since 1998

Bismarck firm founded in 1998, representing clients across North Dakota, South Dakota, and Minnesota. A separate probate administration practice handles distributing a decedent’s assets and contesting or defending wills, alongside estate planning aimed at probate avoidance, providing for minor children, estate tax, charitable giving, and incapacity.

PracticesEstate PlanningProbateBankruptcyBusiness Lawand 4 more

Office: 418 E. Broadway Avenue, Suite 240Bismarck, ND 58501
Phone: (701) 250-8968

Solo PracticeCarrington, ND

Thomas J. Aljets Law Office

Solo practice in Carrington serving Foster County and south-central North Dakota. Thomas Aljets was admitted in North Dakota in 1978 and handles estate planning alongside family law and real estate. The office has no website; contact is by phone or email.

PracticesEstate PlanningFamily LawReal Estate Law

Office: 1405 Main StreetCarrington, ND 58421
Phone: (701) 652-3280

Solo PracticeMinot, ND

Burckhard Law, PLLC

Minot practice representing clients throughout Ward County and neighboring McHenry, McLean, Burleigh, Morton, Stark, and Mountrail counties. Estate work is planning-side and aimed at keeping an estate out of probate: wills, trusts, financial and health care powers of attorney, guardianships and conservatorships. Free consultations.

PracticesEstate PlanningProbate

Office: 7 3rd Street SE, Unit 110Minot, ND 58701
Phone: (701) 838-5599

Free consultation

FirmGrand Forks, ND

Camrud, Maddock, Olson & Larson, Ltd.

Since 1932

Grand Forks firm founded in 1932, practicing in North Dakota and Minnesota. Its wills and trusts group handles probate and estate administration, trust administration and drafting, gifting of assets, Medicaid eligibility, and elder law; trust and estate litigation is carried in-house by the commercial litigation group rather than referred out. Mineral succession planning is a named service.

PracticesEstate PlanningTrust AdministrationProbateTax Planning

Office: 401 DeMers Avenue, Suite 500Grand Forks, ND 58201
Phone: (701) 775-5595

Solo PracticeBismarck, ND

Chad Anderson Law Firm

Bismarck solo practice serving families throughout North Dakota. Handles probate and estate settlement, guardianships and conservatorships, and succession planning, along with wills, durable powers of attorney covering asset transfers, trust amendments, tax dealings and gifts, and health care directives. Probate and estate planning consultations are free.

PracticesEstate PlanningTrust AdministrationProbate

Office: 407 East Avenue CBismarck, ND 58501
Phone: (701) 214-5277

Free consultation

Solo PracticeFargo, ND

Cheryl Bergian Law Office

Solo practice in Fargo serving North Dakota and northwestern Minnesota. Handles probate from the petition and appointment of the personal representative through creditor notices, inventory, payment of debts and taxes, sale of estate real estate, and distribution, representing either the representative or an heir disputing a will. Free 30-minute consultations.

PracticesEstate PlanningProbateGuardianshipWills

Office: 112 N. University Drive, Suite 201Fargo, ND 58102
Phone: (701) 232-5051

Free consultation

FirmFargo, ND

Conmy Feste Ltd.

Since 1879

Fargo firm serving the Fargo-Moorhead area, North Dakota, and northwestern Minnesota. Represents individual and corporate fiduciaries through probate and trust and estate administration, including court filings, and litigates will and trust disputes, land disputes, and contested guardianships in North Dakota and Minnesota state courts. The firm dates to 1879.

PracticesEstate PlanningTrust AdministrationProbateTax PlanningWills

Office: 3369 45th Street SouthFargo, ND 58104
Phone: (701) 353-0454

FirmBismarck, ND

Crowley Fleck PLLP

Since 1895 · Serves the whole state

Bismarck office of a regional firm, the largest of its North Dakota offices, with a second office in Williston. Guides personal representatives and trustees through asset management, estate and gift tax returns, fiduciary accountings, elective share and allowances, and beneficiary and creditor claims, and carries trust and estate disputes through appeal.

PracticesEstate PlanningTrust AdministrationProbateBusiness SuccessionEstate Tax Planning

Office: 100 West Broadway Avenue, Suite 250Bismarck, ND 58501
Phone: (701) 223-6585

FirmGrand Forks, ND

Dakota Law Group, P.C.

Since 1932

Grand Forks firm, formerly Zimney Foster P.C., with roots to 1932. Estate administration covers notifying heirs and creditors, inventorying and valuing assets, transferring property, paying debts and taxes, and distributing. Creditor claim resolution is its own service line — validating claims and protecting estate assets from improper ones.

PracticesEstate PlanningTrust AdministrationProbate

Office: 3770 S Washington Street, Suite BGrand Forks, ND 58201
Phone: (701) 772-8111

FirmJamestown, ND

Dalsted & Ryan, P.C.

Since 1975

Jamestown firm established in 1975, with a branch office in Carrington and work across North Dakota. Handles probate of a will or an intestate estate, guardianships and conservatorships, and preparation of wills and trusts, powers of attorney, and health care directives. Real estate work includes title opinions and quiet title actions, which matter for farm estates.

PracticesEstate PlanningProbateGuardianship

Office: 1015 5th Avenue NEJamestown, ND 58401
Phone: (701) 252-6668

FirmMinot, ND

Demakis Law, PLLC

Minot practice serving Ward County families, with estate work built around the local energy economy: how mineral royalties will be divided, and what becomes of a family business. Sets up trusts holding mineral rights and family LLCs preserving access to generational property, alongside probate guidance, guardianship, and conservatorship.

PracticesEstate PlanningTrust AdministrationProbate

Office: 1408 20th Avenue SW, Suite 11Minot, ND 58701
Phone: (701) 838-2080

FirmGrafton, ND

Steven C. Ekman, PC

Two-attorney office in Grafton serving Walsh County and northeastern North Dakota. Steven Ekman was admitted in North Dakota in 1992 and is joined by Jarrod Steele, admitted in 2017. The firm also runs a land-auction arm under its own name, which bears on farm estates where selling the land is part of settling. No practice website; contact is by phone or email.

PracticesEstate PlanningProbateReal Estate Law

Office: 910 Hill AvenueGrafton, ND 58237
Phone: (701) 352-0916

FirmFargo, ND

Dwyer Law Office, PLLC

Fargo firm serving Cass County and practicing in both North Dakota and Minnesota. Handles probate where the decedent held real estate solely or as a tenant in common, or accounts with no co-owner or named beneficiary, filing to appoint the personal representative, inventorying property, and distributing it. Also handles guardianship and conservatorship and farm and business succession.

PracticesEstate PlanningProbateBusiness LawReal Estate Law

Office: 5306 51st Ave. S., Suite BFargo, ND 58104
Phone: (701) 235-2040

FirmDickinson, ND

Ebeltoft Sickler Lawyers, PLLC

Dickinson firm licensed in North Dakota, South Dakota, Montana, and Minnesota. Personal planning covers probate and probate alternatives, guardianships and conservatorships, health care directives, and elder law including long-term care and Medicaid planning. Attorney Marissa Cerkoney is a Certified Farm Succession Coordinator, working with farm and ranch families on transition planning.

PracticesEstate PlanningTrust AdministrationProbateElder LawGuardianship

Office: 2272 8th Street WestDickinson, ND 58601
Phone: (701) 225-5297

Solo PracticeGrafton, ND

Einarson Law Office, PC

Since 1996

Grafton firm providing probate support across northeast North Dakota and northwest Minnesota. Represents personal representatives in locating assets and heirs, managing estate finances, and distributing — and represents heirs against a representative, including will and trust contests, routed first through alternative dispute resolution. Initial consultations are not free.

PracticesEstate PlanningProbate

Office: 640 Hill AveGrafton, ND 58237
Phone: (701) 352-9311

FirmFargo, ND

Fredrikson & Byron, P.A.

Fargo office of a regional firm, serving the Red River Valley, North Dakota, and northern Minnesota. Its trusts and estates group of more than 30 attorneys and professionals represents personal representatives, trustees, and charitable institutions, and includes nine Fellows of the American College of Trust and Estate Counsel.

PracticesEstate PlanningTrust AdministrationProbateTax PlanningCharitable Planning

Office: 51 Broadway North, Suite 400Fargo, ND 58102
Phone: (701) 237-8200

Solo PracticeBismarck, ND

Law Office of Janel C. Frank

Bismarck practice serving central and western North Dakota. Estate planning runs from wills, powers of attorney, and health care directives through revocable living trusts, mineral trusts, and tax-driven vehicles including GRATs, QPRTs, life insurance trusts, and special needs and charitable trusts. Also advises on ancillary probate for out-of-state decedents.

PracticesEstate PlanningProbateTax Planning

Office: 200 East Main Avenue, Suite 201Bismarck, ND 58501
Phone: (701) 751-7017

FirmFargo, ND

Fremstad Law

Since 2008

Fargo firm serving North Dakota and Minnesota, both Uniform Probate Code states. Advises which probate track applies — informal, unsupervised formal, or supervised formal — then carries personal representatives through inventorying assets, noticing heirs and creditors, paying debts in priority order, filing tax returns, and distribution.

PracticesEstate PlanningProbateConservatorshipGuardianship

Office: 3003 32nd Avenue South, Suite 240Fargo, ND 58103
Phone: (701) 478-7620

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A basic revocable living trust in North Dakota costs $3,540 to $5,310 when drafted by an attorney, ten to fifteen hours of work at $354 an hour. An online service prices a trust package in the low hundreds of dollars without attorney advice on your situation. The North Dakota trust cost calculator carries the breakdown.

Even with a revocable trust in North Dakota, you still need a will, most commonly a pour-over will that catches any asset never retitled into the trust. North Dakota also allows a transfer-on-death deed for real estate, which moves property out of probate without a trust. Whether a trust adds enough over a will-only plan turns on the situation: real property, a blended family and out-of-state assets are the common reasons. The North Dakota trust-or-will tool walks through the decision.

Estate planning attorneys in North Dakota average $319 an hour for wills and estates work. A flat-fee package runs $957 to $1,914 for a simple individual will and $3,540 to $5,310 for a basic revocable trust. An online service prices the same documents in the tens to low hundreds of dollars; the North Dakota will cost calculator sets the two side by side.

In North Dakota, estates valued at $100,000 or less skip probate with the Small Estate Affidavit, 30 days after death. That route is a form rather than a court case, and most families handle it without an attorney. Above the line, formal probate generally benefits from counsel for the procedural work, even when nothing is contested. The North Dakota probate calculator estimates the cost by estate value.

In North Dakota, the situations where counsel is typically worth the cost are: a blended family with children from a prior relationship; a business, rental property or significant investment assets; a dependent with special needs, who needs a special-needs trust to keep benefits; substantial property in more than one state. Where none of these apply, an online or self-help document is often enough.

Estate Planning Attorneys in North Dakota

Estate planning attorneys focused on trusts in North Dakota charge $354 per hour for trust work. A basic revocable trust runs $3,540 to $5,310 when drafted by counsel. Trusts make the most sense in North Dakota when you own real property, have a blended family, or want to avoid probate court entirely.

Estate planning attorneys in North Dakota charge $319 per hour for wills and estates work. A simple will done through an attorney typically runs $957–$1,914; online services cost $30–$300 for the same document.

North Dakota runs a conventional probate system, so the decision to hire an attorney usually comes down to general factors: blended families, business ownership, special-needs dependents, or property in multiple states. If none of those apply, simpler tools are often enough.

Worth knowing: estates under $100,000 can use North Dakota's simplified affidavit instead of formal probate. If your situation is straightforward and the estate fits, you may not need an attorney at all.

SimplyTrust Editorial·Updated October 15, 2026

Legal Sources

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Data sourced from North Dakota statutes and official state code. How we research.

Forms for Planning and Settling an Estate in North Dakota

Free North Dakota forms for planning an estate or settling one: a will, trust, powers of attorney, TOD deed, and the probate forms an executor files.

$12/month

Revocable Living Trust

Create a revocable living trust to avoid probate, protect privacy, and control asset distribution.

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Free

Last Will and Testament

In North Dakota, a will is signed before 2 witnesses, and a self-proving affidavit signed with it lets the court admit it without witness testimony.

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Free

Healthcare Power of Attorney

North Dakota allows a choice for a healthcare power of attorney: 2 witnesses or a notary.

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Free

Financial Power of Attorney

North Dakota requires explicit durability language for a power of attorney to survive incapacity, and it is signed with no witness or notary requirement.

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Free

Pour-Over Will

In North Dakota, a pour-over will is signed before 2 witnesses and moves anything left outside the trust into it through probate.

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Free

Transfer on Death Deed

In North Dakota, a transfer on death deed is signed before a notary, then recorded with the county before the owner's death.

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All North Dakota forms

Tools for Planning and Settling an Estate in North Dakota

Free calculators and checklists for planning or settling an estate in North Dakota: will and trust costs, probate, executor pay, and inheritance taxes.

Trust or Will: Which Costs Less?

In North Dakota, a will-based plan pays probate attorney fees of typically 1.8% to 2.9% of the estate; a funded revocable trust keeps those assets out of probate and off that fee.

Compare Options

Do I Need a Revocable Trust?

Probate in North Dakota takes 4 months to 6 months for a simple estate and charges attorney fees of typically 1.8% to 2.9% 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 North Dakota runs $3,540 to $5,310 and a simple will $957 to $1,914, against $0 to $549 up front plus a subscription with an online service.

Compare Costs

How Much Does Probate Cost?

Probate on a $500,000 estate in North Dakota costs an estimated $24,994. Attorney fees run 1.8% to 2.9% of the estate under a reasonable-compensation standard.

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Are My Beneficiary Designations Protected?

North Dakota automatically revokes an ex-spouse as beneficiary at divorce; 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 North Dakota costs an estimated $24,994 and takes 4 months to 6 months for a simple estate, with attorney fees of typically 1.8% to 2.9% of the estate. Estates under $100,000 can use a small-estate procedure instead.

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All North Dakota tools