Serves St. Charles County from Lake St. Louis, with offices in St. Charles and O'Fallon (by appointment). Guides executors through Missouri probate, from filing the will and creditor notice to court-approved distribution, and handles contested will and trust disputes, guardianships, and conservatorships. Founder Charles J. Moore has practiced since 2005; consultations are free.
Probate in Franklin County
Probate Court Record
Franklin County Circuit Court - Probate Division
Franklin County · 20th Judicial Circuit
Phone
Hours
Monday-Friday 8:00 AM-4:30 PM
Office
401 East Main Street, Union, MO 63084
Website
Files probate
Probate Department
E-filing
Self-represented filing
Allowed
Self-help forms
How to file probate in Franklin County →
Verified October 16, 2026 · Source
Do I need a lawyer for probate in Franklin County? →Settling an estate in Franklin County →
Guardianship Firms Serving Franklin County
Lake of the Ozarks firm with offices in Osage Beach and Columbia, serving the mid-Missouri region including Hickory, Benton and Morgan counties. Guides executors through Missouri probate: filing the will, notifying heirs and creditors, the inventory, paying debts and the final accounting, and drafts wills and trusts. Partner Staci Birdsong also handles minor and adult guardianships.
Springfield firm serving Greene County and southwest Missouri, handling probate in county courts throughout the state. Runs estate administrations, small estates, refusals of letters, heirship determinations and affidavits, guardianship and conservatorship estates, and ancillary probate. Its elder law practice covers Medicaid (MO HealthNet) planning and special needs trusts.
Laurie practice of attorney Andrew W. Renken, serving the Lake of the Ozarks and Camden, Miller, Morgan, and Laclede counties, and taking estate planning cases throughout Missouri. Handles probate administration, guardianships, and conservatorships, and prepares wills, trusts, powers of attorney, health care directives, and living wills. Evening and weekend appointments are available.
Columbia firm serving clients throughout Missouri. Handles probate decedent estates from small estates to full administration, administers trusts after a death, and litigates will and trust contests, breach of fiduciary duty, accountings, and removal of fiduciaries. Also handles guardianships, conservatorships, and special needs planning; new probate clients get a complimentary consultation.
Jefferson City practice of attorney Todd Miller, who serves clients across Missouri and has handled probate and estate disputes in more than 30 counties. Guides personal representatives through petitions, creditor payments, distributions, and court deadlines, and represents heirs in will contests and beneficiary disputes. Also handles Medicaid planning, guardianships, and conservatorships.
Forms for Planning and Settling an Estate in Missouri
Free Missouri forms to plan or settle an estate: a will, trust, powers of attorney, TOD deed and the probate forms. Prepare each form for Missouri.
Free
Last Will and Testament
In Missouri, a will is signed before 2RSMo § 474.320Verified Oct 18, 2026View source witnesses, and a self-proving affidavit signed with it lets the court admit it without witness testimonyRSMo § 474.320Verified Oct 18, 2026View source.
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Free
Healthcare Power of Attorney
Missouri requires 2RSMo § 459.015 (optional living will form only)Verified Oct 15, 2026View source witnesses and notarizationRSMo § 459.015 (optional living will form only)Verified Oct 15, 2026View source for a healthcare power of attorney.
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Free
Financial Power of Attorney
Missouri requires explicit durability language for a power of attorney to survive incapacityRSMo §§ 404.700-404.735Verified Oct 21, 2026View source, and it is signed before a notaryRSMo §§ 404.700-404.735Verified Sep 18, 2026View source.
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Tools for Planning and Settling an Estate in Missouri
Free calculators and checklists to plan or settle an estate in Missouri: will and trust costs, probate, executor pay and taxes. Run each tool for Missouri.
How Much Life Insurance Do I Need?
In Missouri, four years at a public university cost about $82,516NCES 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 9% below the U.S. averageBEA Regional Price Parities, all items, by state, 2024Verified Oct 17, 2026View source; no state estate or inheritance tax appliesMo. Rev. Stat. §§ 145.011, 145.1000; Mo. Dept. of Revenue, Estate Tax (no Missouri estate tax imposed; no return required for deaths on or after Jan. 1, 2005)Verified Sep 15, 2026View source.
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What Does Estate Planning Actually Cost?
An attorney-prepared revocable trust in Missouri runs $3,570Estimate: 10 hours at $357, Clio's Missouri Trusts rate; Compare Lawyer Rates, 2025 dataVerified Oct 15, 2026View source to $5,355Estimate: 15 hours at $357, Clio's Missouri Trusts rate; Compare Lawyer Rates, 2025 dataVerified Oct 15, 2026View source and a simple will $984Estimate: 3 hours at $328, Clio's Missouri Wills and Estates rate; Compare Lawyer Rates, 2025 dataVerified Oct 15, 2026View source to $1,968Estimate: 6 hours at $328, Clio's Missouri 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 Missouri, a surviving spouse takes the first $20,000 plus half of the restMo. Rev. Stat. § 474.010Verified 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 representationMo. Rev. Stat. § 474.020Verified Oct 21, 2026View source.
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