Valparaiso firm serving Porter, Lake, and LaPorte counties in northwest Indiana, in practice since 1930. Handles probating a will, distribution of assets, transfer of titles, estate and trust administration, and Date of Death Affidavits, plus guardianships and conservatorships. R. Bradley Koeppen practices in probate, real estate, and estate planning.
Chesterton is in Porter County.
More Guardianship Firms in Porter County
Galvan Law, LLC
Hebron practice in Porter County, near the Jasper County line in northwest Indiana. Attorney Brett R. Galvan, admitted in Indiana in 2015, handles probate administration, guardianships, and wills and trusts, along with health-care directives and powers of attorney.
Michigan City firm serving LaPorte County and northwest Indiana from offices in Michigan City and Valparaiso. Handles probate administration, will contests, and trust contests, plus guardianships and Medicaid planning. Attorney Guy DiMartino has been admitted in Indiana since 1999.
Elder-law and estate firm with offices in Valparaiso, Lafayette and Granger, serving Porter, Tippecanoe and St. Joseph counties since 1972. Its trust and estate administration work covers asset inventory and valuation, paying debts, filing estate and income tax returns, and distributing to beneficiaries, and it handles testate and intestate probate and beneficiary disputes.
Probate in Porter County
Probate Court Record
Porter County Superior Courts 1 and 2
Porter County · Judicial District 2
Phone
Office
Website
E-filing
Self-represented filing
How to file probate in Porter County →
Verified October 16, 2026 · Source
Do I need a lawyer for probate in Porter County? →Settling an estate in Porter County →
Forms for Planning and Settling an Estate in Indiana
Free Indiana forms to plan or settle an estate: a will, trust, powers of attorney, TOD deed and the probate forms. Prepare each form for Indiana.
Last Will and Testament
In Indiana, a will is signed before 2IC 29-1-5-2; IC 29-1-5-3Verified Oct 18, 2026View source witnesses, and a self-proving affidavit signed with it lets the court admit it without witness testimonyIC 29-1-5-2; IC 29-1-5-3Verified Oct 18, 2026View source.
Healthcare Power of Attorney
Indiana allows a choice for a healthcare power of attorney: 2IC § 16-36-7-30 (sample forms; not mandatory)Verified Oct 15, 2026View source witnesses or a notary.
Financial Power of Attorney
Indiana treats a power of attorney as durable by defaultIC 30-5-2-2, IC 30-5-2-6, IC 30-5-3-2, IC 30-5-3-3, IC 30-5-3-6, IC 30-5-4-1, IC 30-5-4-1.3, IC 30-5-4-1.5, IC 30-5-4-1.7, IC 30-5-4-2, IC 30-5-5-14.5, IC 30-5-6-1, IC 30-5-8-2, IC 30-5-8-7, IC 30-5-8-8, IC 30-5-9-9, IC 30-5-10-3, IC 30-5-11-4, IC 30-5-11-4.5Verified Sep 18, 2026View source, and it is signed before 2IC 30-5-2-2, IC 30-5-2-6, IC 30-5-3-2, IC 30-5-3-3, IC 30-5-3-6, IC 30-5-4-1, IC 30-5-4-1.3, IC 30-5-4-1.5, IC 30-5-4-1.7, IC 30-5-4-2, IC 30-5-5-14.5, IC 30-5-6-1, IC 30-5-8-2, IC 30-5-8-7, IC 30-5-8-8, IC 30-5-9-9, IC 30-5-10-3, IC 30-5-11-4, IC 30-5-11-4.5Verified Sep 18, 2026View source witnesses or a notary.
Tools for Planning and Settling an Estate in Indiana
Free calculators and checklists to plan or settle an estate in Indiana: will and trust costs, probate, executor pay and taxes. Run each tool for Indiana.
How Much Life Insurance Do I Need?
In Indiana, four years at a public university cost about $84,064NCES 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 7% 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, inheritance, or generation skipping tax. HEA 1001 (2013) (P.L.205-2013) repealed all three, eff. Jan. 1, 2013 (inheritance tax repeal applies to deaths after Dec. 31, 2012) — IC 6-4.1-12-0.5; IC 6-4.1-11 (estate tax) and IC 6-4.1-11.5 (GST) repealed; Ind. DOR Departmental Notice #44 (Sept. 2023)Verified Sep 15, 2026View source.
What Does Estate Planning Actually Cost?
An attorney-prepared revocable trust in Indiana runs $2,720Estimate: 10 hours at $272, Clio's Indiana Trusts rate; Compare Lawyer Rates, 2025 dataVerified Oct 15, 2026View source to $4,080Estimate: 15 hours at $272, Clio's Indiana Trusts rate; Compare Lawyer Rates, 2025 dataVerified Oct 15, 2026View source and a simple will $945Estimate: 3 hours at $315, Clio's Indiana Wills and Estates rate; Compare Lawyer Rates, 2025 dataVerified Oct 15, 2026View source to $1,890Estimate: 6 hours at $315, Clio's Indiana 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.
Who Inherits Without a Will?
Without a will in Indiana, a surviving spouse takes half of the estateIC § 29-1-2-1Verified 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 representationIC § 29-1-2-1(d)(1)Verified Oct 21, 2026View source.
