Blais Cunningham & Crowe Chester serves Rhode Island clients from Pawtucket and North Kingstown, with estate and probate matters handled through its Pawtucket office. Its lawyers assist personal representatives with estate administration, establish guardianships, and represent clients in will and trust contests. The firm has practiced since 1926.
Westerly is in Washington County.
More Estate Planning Firms in Washington County
Callaghan & Callaghan practices from Wickford Village in North Kingstown and serves Washington, Kent, Newport, and Providence counties. Its wills, estate planning, and probate practice files petitions in local Rhode Island probate courts and drafts wills and healthcare and durable powers of attorney, with remote drafting by phone or video. The firm offers a free confidential consultation.
Rampino Law is an elder law and estate planning practice with offices in North Kingstown and Providence. Attorney Kenneth R. Rampino represents personal representatives through probate, from the petition and inventory through distribution, tax returns, and the final account, and advises trustees on accountings and distributions. The firm also handles guardianships and conservatorships.
Santiago Law Offices has offices in Warwick and Wakefield and serves Rhode Island and Massachusetts clients. Attorney Jill M. Santiago prepares and files probate documents, represents families through the probate process, and lays out a step-by-step plan for each estate at the first meeting. A free Zoom or in-person consultation is offered.
Sayer Regan & Thayer works from offices in Newport and Wakefield and handles probate, trust, and estate administration across Rhode Island and southeastern Massachusetts. Its attorneys represent executors, heirs, trustees, and beneficiaries, collect, value, sell, and distribute assets, and prepare federal and state tax returns. Free initial consultations are offered.
Sullivan Estate Law has handled estate administration and probate in and around North Kingstown since 1955. Its attorneys advise executors and other fiduciaries on estate settlement, including opening an estate in the local probate court, inventory, debts and taxes, and distribution. James C. Sullivan is a Certified Elder Law Attorney (CELA).
Probate in Washington County
Probate Court Record
Washington County Town of South Kingstown Probate Court
Washington County
Hours
Office
Website
Filing in person
Self-represented filing
Self-help forms
How to file probate in Washington County →
Verified October 16, 2026 · Source
Do I need a lawyer for probate in Washington County? →Settling an estate in Washington County →
Forms for Planning and Settling an Estate in Rhode Island
Free Rhode Island forms to plan or settle an estate: a will, trust, powers of attorney, TOD deed and the probate forms. Prepare each form for Rhode Island.
Revocable Living Trust
Create a revocable living trust to avoid probate, protect privacy, and control asset distribution.
Last Will and Testament
In Rhode Island, a will is signed before 2R.I. Gen. Laws § 33-5-5Verified Oct 19, 2026View source witnesses, and the witnesses sign an affidavit at probate instead of a self-proving affidavitR.I. Gen. Laws § 33-5-5Verified Oct 19, 2026View source.
Healthcare Power of Attorney
Rhode Island allows a choice for a healthcare power of attorney: 2R.I. Gen. Laws § 23-4.10-2Verified Oct 15, 2026View source witnesses or a notary.
Financial Power of Attorney
Rhode Island requires explicit durability language for a power of attorney to survive incapacityR.I. Gen. Laws § 18-16-2Verified Oct 21, 2026View source, and it is signed before a notaryR.I. Gen. Laws § 18-16-2Verified Sep 20, 2026View source.
Pour-Over Will
In Rhode Island, a pour-over will is signed before 2R.I. Gen. Laws § 33-5-5Verified Oct 19, 2026View source witnesses and moves anything left outside the trust into it through probate.
Tools for Planning and Settling an Estate in Rhode Island
Free calculators and checklists to plan or settle an estate in Rhode Island: will and trust costs, probate, executor pay and taxes. Run each tool.
Trust or Will: Which Costs Less?
In Rhode Island, a will-based plan pays probate attorney fees of typically 2.1%Modeled estimate under R.I. Gen. Laws (no statutory schedule; court discretion applies): the hours the statutory fee schedules imply, at the state's surveyed hourly rateVerified Sep 8, 2026View source to 3.4%Modeled estimate under R.I. Gen. Laws (no statutory schedule; court discretion applies): 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.
Do I Need a Revocable Trust?
Probate in Rhode Island takes 6 months to 12 months for a simple estate and charges attorney fees of typically 2.1%Modeled estimate under R.I. Gen. Laws (no statutory schedule; court discretion applies): the hours the statutory fee schedules imply, at the state's surveyed hourly rateVerified Sep 8, 2026View source to 3.4%Modeled estimate under R.I. Gen. Laws (no statutory schedule; court discretion applies): 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.
What Does Estate Planning Actually Cost?
An attorney-prepared revocable trust in Rhode Island runs $3,850Estimate: 10 hours at $385, Clio's Rhode Island Trusts rate; Compare Lawyer Rates, 2025 dataVerified Oct 15, 2026View source to $5,775Estimate: 15 hours at $385, Clio's Rhode Island Trusts rate; Compare Lawyer Rates, 2025 dataVerified Oct 15, 2026View source and a simple will $1,146Estimate: 3 hours at $382, Clio's Rhode Island Wills and Estates rate; Compare Lawyer Rates, 2025 dataVerified Oct 15, 2026View source to $2,292Estimate: 6 hours at $382, Clio's Rhode Island 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.
How Much Does Probate Cost?
Probate on a $500,000 estate in Rhode Island costs an estimated $28,582R.I. Gen. Laws (no statutory schedule; court discretion applies)Verified Sep 8, 2026View source. Attorney fees run 2.1%Modeled estimate under R.I. Gen. Laws (no statutory schedule; court discretion applies): the hours the statutory fee schedules imply, at the state's surveyed hourly rateVerified Sep 8, 2026View source to 3.4%Modeled estimate under R.I. Gen. Laws (no statutory schedule; court discretion applies): 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.
Are My Beneficiary Designations Protected?
Rhode Island does not revoke an ex-spouse as beneficiary at divorceR.I. Gen. Laws § 33-5-9.1Verified Sep 15, 2026View source; employer plans under ERISA follow federal rules either way, so a 401(k) beneficiary changes only by a new designation.
What Are the Estate Laws in My State?
Probate on a $500,000 estate in Rhode Island costs an estimated $28,582R.I. Gen. Laws (no statutory schedule; court discretion applies)Verified Sep 8, 2026View source and takes 6 months to 12 months for a simple estate, with attorney fees of typically 2.1%Modeled estimate under R.I. Gen. Laws (no statutory schedule; court discretion applies): the hours the statutory fee schedules imply, at the state's surveyed hourly rateVerified Sep 8, 2026View source to 3.4%Modeled estimate under R.I. Gen. Laws (no statutory schedule; court discretion applies): the hours the statutory fee schedules imply, at the state's surveyed hourly rateVerified Sep 8, 2026View source of the estate. Estates under $15,000R.I. Gen. Laws § 33-24-1Verified Sep 8, 2026View source can use a small-estate procedure instead.
