Free Wisconsin forms for planning an estate or settling one: a will, trust, powers of attorney, TOD deed, and the probate forms an executor files.
Create a revocable living trust to avoid probate, protect privacy, and control asset distribution.
In Wisconsin, a will is signed before 2Wis. Stat. § 853.03Verified Sep 16, 2026View source witnesses, and a self-proving affidavit signed with it lets the court admit it without witness testimonyWis. Stat. § 853.03Verified Sep 16, 2026View source.
Wisconsin requires 2Wis. Stat. § 155.30Verified Jul 15, 2026View source witnesses for a healthcare power of attorney; notarization is not requiredWis. Stat. § 155.30Verified Jul 15, 2026View source.
Wisconsin treats a power of attorney as durable by defaultWis. Stat. § 244.05Verified Sep 20, 2026View source, and it is signed with no witness or notary requirementWis. Stat. § 244.05Verified Sep 20, 2026View source.
In Wisconsin, a pour-over will is signed before 2Wis. Stat. § 853.03Verified Sep 16, 2026View source witnesses and moves anything left outside the trust into it through probate.
Free calculators and checklists for planning or settling an estate in Wisconsin: will and trust costs, probate, executor pay, and inheritance taxes.
In Wisconsin, a will-based plan pays probate attorney fees of typically 1.8%Wis. Stat. § 851.40(1) (just and reasonable compensation for services under chs. 851-879, incl. ch. 865 informal administration; no statutory percentage for attorneys — estate value may not be the controlling factor)Verified Sep 9, 2026View source to 2.9%Wis. Stat. § 851.40(1) (just and reasonable compensation for services under chs. 851-879, incl. ch. 865 informal administration; no statutory percentage for attorneys — estate value may not be the controlling factor)Verified Sep 9, 2026View source of the estate; a funded revocable trust keeps those assets out of probate and off that fee.
Probate in Wisconsin takes 6 months to 9 months for a simple estate and charges attorney fees of typically 1.8%Wis. Stat. § 851.40(1) (just and reasonable compensation for services under chs. 851-879, incl. ch. 865 informal administration; no statutory percentage for attorneys — estate value may not be the controlling factor)Verified Sep 9, 2026View source to 2.9%Wis. Stat. § 851.40(1) (just and reasonable compensation for services under chs. 851-879, incl. ch. 865 informal administration; no statutory percentage for attorneys — estate value may not be the controlling factor)Verified Sep 9, 2026View source of the estate; assets held in a revocable trust skip both.
An attorney-prepared revocable trust in Wisconsin runs $3,320Estimate: 10 hours at $332, Clio's Wisconsin Trusts rate; Compare Lawyer Rates, 2025 dataVerified Oct 15, 2026View source to $4,980Estimate: 15 hours at $332, Clio's Wisconsin Trusts rate; Compare Lawyer Rates, 2025 dataVerified Oct 15, 2026View source and a simple will $981Estimate: 3 hours at $327, Clio's Wisconsin Wills and Estates rate; Compare Lawyer Rates, 2025 dataVerified Oct 15, 2026View source to $1,962Estimate: 6 hours at $327, Clio's Wisconsin 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.
Probate on a $500,000 estate in Wisconsin costs an estimated $22,090Wis. Stat. § 851.40(1) (just and reasonable compensation for services under chs. 851-879, incl. ch. 865 informal administration; no statutory percentage for attorneys — estate value may not be the controlling factor)Verified Sep 9, 2026View source. Attorney fees run 1.8%Wis. Stat. § 851.40(1) (just and reasonable compensation for services under chs. 851-879, incl. ch. 865 informal administration; no statutory percentage for attorneys — estate value may not be the controlling factor)Verified Sep 9, 2026View source to 2.9%Wis. Stat. § 851.40(1) (just and reasonable compensation for services under chs. 851-879, incl. ch. 865 informal administration; no statutory percentage for attorneys — estate value may not be the controlling factor)Verified Sep 9, 2026View source of the estate under a reasonable-compensation standard.
Wisconsin automatically revokes an ex-spouse as beneficiary at divorceWis. Stat. § 854.15Verified Sep 15, 2026View source; employer plans under ERISA follow federal rules either way, so a 401(k) beneficiary changes only by a new designation.
Probate on a $500,000 estate in Wisconsin costs an estimated $22,090Wis. Stat. § 851.40(1) (just and reasonable compensation for services under chs. 851-879, incl. ch. 865 informal administration; no statutory percentage for attorneys — estate value may not be the controlling factor)Verified Sep 9, 2026View source and takes 6 months to 9 months for a simple estate, with attorney fees of typically 1.8%Wis. Stat. § 851.40(1) (just and reasonable compensation for services under chs. 851-879, incl. ch. 865 informal administration; no statutory percentage for attorneys — estate value may not be the controlling factor)Verified Sep 9, 2026View source to 2.9%Wis. Stat. § 851.40(1) (just and reasonable compensation for services under chs. 851-879, incl. ch. 865 informal administration; no statutory percentage for attorneys — estate value may not be the controlling factor)Verified Sep 9, 2026View source of the estate. Estates under $50,000small estate: § 867.03Verified Sep 9, 2026View source can use a small-estate procedure instead.
65 estate planning firms in Wisconsin, 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.
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65 firms
FirmSheboygan, WI
Serves Sheboygan from North 8th Street, in practice since 1898 under a succession of firm names. Its estate planning, probate and trusts team handles probate and trust administration after a death, probate avoidance, guardianships, and Medicaid planning including irrevocable Medicaid trusts and estate recovery.
PracticesEstate PlanningTrust AdministrationProbateElder Lawand 2 more
FirmManitowoc, WI
Manitowoc law firm on North 8th Street whose attorneys are Manitowoc natives, serving Manitowoc, Two Rivers, Sheboygan, and Fond du Lac. Advises personal representatives on intestate administration, summary administration and formal probate of larger estates, and counsels out-of-state executors handling Wisconsin estates, alongside Medicaid eligibility and guardianship.
PracticesEstate PlanningProbateGuardianshipMedicaid Planning
FirmSturgeon Bay, WI
Serves Door, Kewaunee, and Brown counties from Sturgeon Bay, with a second office in Green Bay. Handles trust administration and probate for families after a death, with a settlement coordinator on staff, alongside asset protection, Medicaid, special needs, and business succession planning. Founding partner Robert A. Ross is board certified as an Estate Planning Law Specialist.
PracticesEstate PlanningTrust AdministrationProbateElder Lawand 5 more
Solo PracticeOshkosh, WI
Solo practice on State Street in downtown Oshkosh, founded in 2018 by attorney Joe McCleer, who practices exclusively in elder law and estate planning. Handles long-term care and Medicaid planning, asset protection from nursing home costs, special needs planning for beneficiaries on SSI or Medicaid, and will- and trust-based plans, almost always on flat fees.
PracticesEstate PlanningElder LawSpecial Needs PlanningAsset ProtectionMedicaid Planning
FirmFond du Lac, WI
Family-run firm founded in 1970 on East Division Street in Fond du Lac, with a Milwaukee-area office in Whitefish Bay. Handles probate administration, non-probate transfers such as retitling real estate and transfer on death deeds, beneficiary designations down to Packers season tickets, and special needs trusts including WisPACT, for small and large estates.
PracticesEstate PlanningProbateSpecial Needs Planning
FirmJanesville, WI
Serves Rock and Green counties from East Court Street in Janesville and Brodhead, in practice since 1957. Represents personal representatives and trustees from simple probate to complex trust administration, and handles will and trust contests, claims of fiduciary misconduct, and beneficiary disputes. Estate work is led by Michael A. Faust and Holly D. Jensen.
PracticesEstate PlanningTrust AdministrationProbateProbate LitigationTrust Litigation
FirmBaraboo, WI
Serves Baraboo, Reedsburg, and Sauk County from offices on Third Avenue in Baraboo and North Walnut Street in Reedsburg, in practice since 1889. Handles formal and informal probate, small estate transfers by affidavit, trust administration and termination, and guardianships for adults and minors. Attorneys Robert Ginther and Laura Colt lead the estate planning and probate work.
PracticesEstate PlanningTrust AdministrationProbateElder Lawand 6 more
FirmKenosha, WI
Serves Kenosha County and Racine County from Green Bay Road in Kenosha, in practice since 1958, with probate experience in four county courts. Administers estates and trusts for personal representatives, including inventories, final accountings, 1041 returns and distributions, and takes on will contests and disputes. Offers a free initial consultation on trust planning.
PracticesEstate PlanningTrust AdministrationProbateProbate Litigationand 4 more
FirmRiver Falls, WI
A Pierce County firm headquartered on Main Street in River Falls. Advises personal representatives through formal and informal probate, from inventory and valuation to paying debts and taxes and distributing the estate, and handles guardianships of adults and of disabled children turning eighteen. Probate work is led by attorneys Leo Beskar and Max Neuhaus.
PracticesEstate PlanningProbateElder LawGuardianship
FirmKenosha, WI
Serves Kenosha from 52nd Street, a firm that traces its origins to a practice James Cavanagh started in 1877. Gives legal and tax advice to personal representatives and family members and moves court-supervised probate through to distribution under the will or to heirs by statute. Attorneys Neil F. Guttormsen and Erik H. Guttormsen handle the probate and estate planning work.
PracticesEstate PlanningProbateGuardianship
Solo PracticeKenosha, WI
Serves Kenosha and Racine counties from Green Bay Road in Kenosha, reaching Pleasant Prairie and Twin Lakes. Attorney Angela Frozena helps personal representatives and successor trustees administer probate estates and trusts, files fiduciary income and estate tax returns, and handles ancillary Wisconsin probate for out-of-state owners. She previously worked as a trust officer and tax associate.
PracticesEstate PlanningTrust AdministrationProbateElder Lawand 5 more
FirmBeaver Dam, WI
Serves Dodge County from Park Avenue in Beaver Dam and North Main Street in Mayville, in practice since 1902. Guides families through probate, trust administration, and other post-death procedures, and handles guardianships and elder law including Title 19. Offers appointments at home, living facilities, and hospitals throughout Dodge County.
PracticesEstate PlanningTrust AdministrationProbateElder Lawand 2 more
FirmBeaver Dam, WI
Serves Dodge County and the surrounding communities from Front Street in Beaver Dam. Attorney Dawn Gergen has probated estates from very small estates to ones over a million dollars, notes when assets can transfer without a court-supervised probate, and handles guardianships. Attorney Bill Gergen's estate planning draws on having litigated other attorneys' drafting errors.
PracticesEstate PlanningProbateGuardianship
FirmPortage, WI
Practices from West Pleasant Street in Portage, Columbia County, where the firm opened in 1971. Takes on probate and estate disputes: a will that favors one relative, assets re-titled payable on death late in life, an attorney-in-fact who has not accounted. Also drafts wills, revocable and irrevocable trusts, and powers of attorney, and offers a free half-hour consultation.
PracticesEstate PlanningProbateProbate LitigationAsset ProtectionBusiness Succession
Solo PracticeOshkosh, WI
Serves Winnebago, Outagamie, Fond du Lac, Green Lake, Waushara, Waupaca, Marquette, Dodge, and Brown counties from Oshkosh and Berlin, in practice since 2007. Handles probate and estate administration, including when family members disagree, alongside wills, revocable living trusts, powers of attorney, and retirement benefits planning. Attorney Nate Olson leads the practice.
PracticesEstate PlanningProbate
Solo PracticeSheboygan, WI
Practices from Michigan Avenue in Sheboygan, where the firm was established in 1925. Helps executors and families through probate and estate administration (court filings, debts and taxes, distribution) and handles guardianships, conservatorships, Medicaid and long-term care planning, and estate tax planning. Offers a complimentary initial consultation.
PracticesEstate PlanningProbateElder LawTax Planningand 4 more
FirmManitowoc, WI
Serves the Lakeshore from offices in Manitowoc, its base since the firm began in 2009, and Sheboygan. Handles probate and trust administration, from informal administration filings and inventories to creditor claims, estate tax returns and estate bank accounts, plus guardianship filings and Title XIX planning. Also does business and farm succession planning.
PracticesEstate PlanningTrust AdministrationProbateElder Lawand 4 more
FirmFond du Lac, WI
Serves clients throughout Wisconsin from Camelot Drive in Fond du Lac, with a second office in Beaver Dam, in practice for more than 28 years. Opens and settles probate estates for personal representatives, including wills the firm did not draft, and takes on will and trust contests over signing formalities, capacity and undue influence. Also files court-ordered guardianships.
PracticesEstate PlanningProbateProbate LitigationTrust Litigationand 2 more
FirmMequon, WI
Serves Ozaukee, Milwaukee, Washington, Sheboygan, and Waukesha counties from Mequon, with a Sheboygan office by appointment. Handles probate, trust administration fiduciary litigation when an estate or trust ends up in court, and guardianships, including challenges to a guardian. The firm concentrates on elder and special needs law; the first meeting is billed hourly.
PracticesEstate PlanningTrust AdministrationProbateProbate Litigationand 6 more
Solo PracticeChippewa Falls, WI
Practices from Bay Street in Chippewa Falls, Chippewa County. Takes estates through probate whether or not the decedent left a will, and administers trusts: contacting beneficiaries, paying debts, notifying creditors, filing taxes and distributing assets. Attorney Anthony J. Schmoldt also handles estate planning and elder law planning.
PracticesEstate PlanningTrust AdministrationProbateElder LawBusiness Succession