Winter Park firm serving Orange County and, in probate matters, the entire state of Florida. Represents estate administrators, executors, trustees, and fiduciaries; handles intestate estates, probate real estate, will contests, and probate litigation; and drafts wills, testamentary trusts, and advance directives. Co-founder John R. Gierach has 43 years of experience and an AV Preeminent rating.
Orlando is in Orange County.
More Estate Law Firms in Orange County
Winter Park practice on North Kentucky Avenue serving Orange County. Focused on probate and trust administration, wills, trusts, and estate planning for families settling a relative's estate. Bruce M. Wigle, III has practiced in Florida since 1980.
Maitland firm on Spartan Drive, founded in 1997, serving Orange, Seminole, Lake, Osceola, and Volusia counties. Handles probate and trust administration and trust and estate litigation -- claims against fiduciaries, will and trust contests, disputed trust accountings, and guardianship disputes -- alongside estate-tax, charitable, and special-needs planning.
Winter Park estate and probate practice on Lee Road with experience in the Orange, Seminole, Volusia, Lake, and Osceola county probate courts. Guides families through probate after a death, including intestate estates, and handles estate planning, special-needs trusts, and asset protection. Founder Merrell Bailey is an attorney and CPA listed in Super Lawyers for estate planning and probate.
Boutique probate and estate firm on East Plant Street in Winter Garden, serving Orange County and Central Florida. Kathryn C. Pyles handles probate administration -- collecting assets, settling debts, distributing under the will or Florida intestacy -- and real estate closings; Stephen F. Pyles handles wills, trusts, and transfer-tax planning.
Probate in Orange County
Probate Court Record
Orange County Clerk of Circuit Court
Orange County · 9th Judicial Circuit
Phone
Hours
Monday-Friday 7:30 AM-4:00 PM
Office
425 North Orange Avenue, Suite 335, Orlando, FL 32801
Website
E-filing
Self-represented filing
Allowed
Self-help forms
How to file probate in Orange County →
Verified October 15, 2026 · Source
Do I need a lawyer for probate in Orange County? →Settling an estate in Orange County →
Forms for Planning and Settling an Estate in Florida
Free Florida forms to plan or settle an estate: a will, trust, powers of attorney, TOD deed and the probate forms. Prepare each form for Florida.
$12/month
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 Florida, a will is signed before 2Fla. Stat. § 732.502Verified Oct 18, 2026View source witnesses, and a self-proving affidavit signed with it lets the court admit it without witness testimonyFla. Stat. § 732.502Verified Oct 18, 2026View source.
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Healthcare Power of Attorney
Florida requires 2Fla. Stat. § 765.203Verified Oct 15, 2026View source witnesses for a healthcare power of attorney; notarization is not requiredFla. Stat. § 765.203Verified Oct 15, 2026View source.
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Free
Financial Power of Attorney
Florida requires explicit durability language for a power of attorney to survive incapacityFla. Stat. §§ 709.2101, 709.2104, 709.2105, 709.2106, 709.2108, 709.2109, 709.2113, 709.2119, 709.2120, 709.2201, 709.2202, 709.2208, 709.2209 (2024 supported decisionmaking — informational only, not a POA); § 695.01 (recording); § 695.03 (alternative acknowledgment methods referenced by § 709.2105(2))Verified Oct 21, 2026View source, and it is signed before 2Fla. Stat. §§ 709.2101, 709.2104, 709.2105, 709.2106, 709.2108, 709.2109, 709.2113, 709.2119, 709.2120, 709.2201, 709.2202, 709.2208, 709.2209 (2024 supported decisionmaking — informational only, not a POA); § 695.01 (recording); § 695.03 (alternative acknowledgment methods referenced by § 709.2105(2))Verified Oct 21, 2026View source witnesses and a notary.
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Pour-Over Will
In Florida, a pour-over will is signed before 2Fla. Stat. § 732.502Verified Oct 18, 2026View source witnesses and moves anything left outside the trust into it through probate.
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Tools for Planning and Settling an Estate in Florida
Free calculators and checklists to plan or settle an estate in Florida: will and trust costs, probate, executor pay and taxes. Run each tool for Florida.
Trust or Will: Which Costs Less?
In Florida, a will-based plan pays probate attorney fees on a statutory schedule presumed reasonableFla. Stat. § 733.6171Verified Sep 8, 2026View source; 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 Florida takes 6 months to 9 months for a simple estate and charges attorney fees on a statutory schedule presumed reasonableFla. Stat. § 733.6171Verified Sep 8, 2026View source; assets held in a revocable trust skip both.
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How Much Does Probate Cost?
Probate on a $500,000 estate in Florida costs an estimated $30,600Fla. Stat. § 733.6171Verified Sep 8, 2026View source. Attorney fees on a statutory schedule presumed reasonableFla. Stat. § 733.6171Verified Sep 8, 2026View source.
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What Are the Estate Laws in My State?
Probate on a $500,000 estate in Florida costs an estimated $30,600Fla. Stat. § 733.6171Verified Sep 8, 2026View source and takes 6 months to 9 months for a simple estate, with attorney fees on a statutory schedule presumed reasonableFla. Stat. § 733.6171Verified Sep 8, 2026View source. Estates under $150,000 can use a small-estate procedure instead.
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How Do I Settle an Estate?
Settling an estate in Florida: the personal representative files the estate inventory within 60 daysFla. Prob. R. 5.340; Fla. Stat. § 733.604Verified Sep 15, 2026View source of appointment; creditors have 3 monthsFla. Stat. §§ 733.2121, 733.702 (later of 3 months from first publication or 30 days from service on a served creditor), 733.703, 733.705, 733.707, 733.710Verified Oct 18, 2026View source to present claims; a simple estate closes in 6 months to 9 months.
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What Does Estate Planning Actually Cost?
An attorney-prepared revocable trust in Florida runs $4,320Estimate: 10 hours at $432, Clio's Florida Trusts rate; Compare Lawyer Rates, 2025 dataVerified Oct 15, 2026View source to $6,480Estimate: 15 hours at $432, Clio's Florida Trusts rate; Compare Lawyer Rates, 2025 dataVerified Oct 15, 2026View source and a simple will $1,320Estimate: 3 hours at $440, Clio's Florida Wills and Estates rate; Compare Lawyer Rates, 2025 dataVerified Oct 15, 2026View source to $2,640Estimate: 6 hours at $440, Clio's Florida 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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