Fort Payne father-son firm serving DeKalb County and nearby communities from Scottsboro to Gadsden and Anniston. Handles estate administration and probate, conservatorships, guardianships, wills and trusts; Patrick H. Tate has served as general administrator for DeKalb County since 1977.
Probate in Jackson County
Probate Court Record
Jackson County Probate Court
Jackson County
Phone
Hours
Monday-Friday 8:00 AM-4:00 PM
Office
205 Liberty Lane, Scottsboro, AL 35768
Website
Self-represented filing
Allowed
How to file probate in Jackson County →
Verified October 15, 2026 · Source
Do I need a lawyer for probate in Jackson County? →Settling an estate in Jackson County →
Guardianship Firms Serving Jackson County
Huntsville firm whose probate attorneys represent personal representatives, trustees and guardians and counsel heirs and beneficiaries. Handles letters of administration, inventories, debt payment, will contests and trustee advice, along with wills, credit shelter and marital trusts, and guardianship and conservatorship proceedings. Formed by a 1988 merger of practices dating to 1899.
Downtown Birmingham firm in the Renasant Bank Building, a short walk from the Jefferson County Courthouse, practicing mainly in Jefferson and Shelby counties with estates open in 47 Alabama counties. Lindsey Eastwood handles probate and estate administration and litigates will contests, undue influence claims, beneficiary designation disputes and fiduciary breaches by executors and trustees.
Birmingham firm founded in 2007 that practices probate and estate planning statewide from offices in Birmingham, Chelsea, Huntsville and Montgomery. It opens, administers and closes estates with or without a will, including small estates by summary distribution, and administers trusts after a death. Probate phone consultations are free; in-person consultations are $100.
Daphne firm on U.S. Highway 98 representing executors, beneficiaries and family members in probate, guardianship and conservatorship matters across Baldwin and Mobile counties. It handles will contests and disputes over executor conduct, accountings and creditor claims, along with trust administration. Consultations are held in Daphne or by Zoom.
Orange Beach estate planning and probate firm with Foley, Spanish Fort and Fairhope offices in Baldwin County. Helps executors and personal representatives probate a will, administer intestate estates, use summary distribution for a small estate, open an estate bank account, pay debts and taxes, and handle ancillary probate. Also handles trust administration, guardianship and Medicaid planning.
Forms for Planning and Settling an Estate in Alabama
Free Alabama forms to plan or settle an estate: a will, trust, powers of attorney, TOD deed and the probate forms. Prepare each form for Alabama.
Free
Last Will and Testament
In Alabama, a will is signed before 2Ala. Code § 43-8-131Verified Oct 18, 2026View source witnesses, and a self-proving affidavit signed with it lets the court admit it without witness testimonyAla. Code § 43-8-131Verified Oct 18, 2026View source.
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Free
Healthcare Power of Attorney
Alabama requires 2Ala. Code § 22-8A-4(h)Verified Oct 15, 2026View source witnesses for a healthcare power of attorney; notarization is not requiredAla. Code § 22-8A-4(h)Verified Oct 15, 2026View source.
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Free
Financial Power of Attorney
Alabama treats a power of attorney as durable by defaultAla. Code § 26-1A-101 et seq. (esp. §§ 26-1A-104, -105, -106, -107, -109, -113, -119, -201, -217, -301); § 26-1-1 (age of majority); § 35-4-28 (recording); §§ 19-1A-9, -10 (digital assets)Verified Sep 18, 2026View source, and it is signed with no witness or notary requirementAla. Code § 26-1A-101 et seq. (esp. §§ 26-1A-104, -105, -106, -107, -109, -113, -119, -201, -217, -301); § 26-1-1 (age of majority); § 35-4-28 (recording); §§ 19-1A-9, -10 (digital assets)Verified Sep 18, 2026View source.
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Tools for Planning and Settling an Estate in Alabama
Free calculators and checklists to plan or settle an estate in Alabama: will and trust costs, probate, executor pay and taxes. Run each tool for Alabama.
How Much Life Insurance Do I Need?
In Alabama, four years at a public university cost about $88,816NCES Digest of Education Statistics 2023, Table 330.20, public 4-year in-state tuition, fees, room and board, academic year 2022-23Verified Oct 17, 2026View source and the cost of living is 11% below the U.S. averageBEA Regional Price Parities, all items, by state, 2024Verified Oct 17, 2026View source; no state estate or inheritance tax appliesNo state estate or inheritance tax. The Ala. Code Title 40, Ch. 15 estate tax (§ 40-15-2) is a federal-credit "pickup" tax — still codified, but levied "only ... to the extent of absorbing" the federal state death tax credit, so it has computed to $0 since Congress eliminated that credit. Alabama has no separate inheritance tax and no gift tax, and the Alabama Department of Revenue confirms estates with a date of death after Dec. 31, 2004 are not required to file.Verified Sep 15, 2026View source.
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What Does Estate Planning Actually Cost?
An attorney-prepared revocable trust in Alabama runs $3,840Estimate: 10 hours at $384, Clio's Alabama Trusts rate; Compare Lawyer Rates, 2025 dataVerified Oct 15, 2026View source to $5,760Estimate: 15 hours at $384, Clio's Alabama Trusts rate; Compare Lawyer Rates, 2025 dataVerified Oct 15, 2026View source and a simple will $834Estimate: 3 hours at $278, Clio's Alabama Wills and Estates rate; Compare Lawyer Rates, 2025 dataVerified Oct 15, 2026View source to $1,668Estimate: 6 hours at $278, Clio's Alabama 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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Who Inherits Without a Will?
Without a will in Alabama, a surviving spouse takes the first $50,000 plus half of the restAla. Code § 43-8-41Verified Oct 21, 2026View source when every child of either spouse is a child of both, and descendants divide what passes to them per capita with representationAla. Code § 43-8-45Verified Oct 21, 2026View source.
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