Solo practice in Franklin, in central New Hampshire near the Merrimack County probate court, working statewide from that one office. Handles estate planning and probate administration, and travels to the county registries of deeds and probate for clients elsewhere in the state. Attorney James N. Sessler has practiced since 1977.
Probate in Cheshire County
Probate Court Record
Cheshire County 8th Circuit - Probate Division
Cheshire County · 8th Circuit
Phone
Hours
Monday-Friday 8:00 AM-4:00 PM
Office
33 Winter Street, Suite 1, Keene, NH 03431
Website
E-filing
Self-represented filing
Allowed
Self-help forms
How to file probate in Cheshire County →
Verified October 16, 2026 · Source
Do I need a lawyer for probate in Cheshire County? →Settling an estate in Cheshire County →
Guardianship Firms Serving Cheshire County
All 4 New Hampshire guardianship firms serving Cheshire County →
Forms for Planning and Settling an Estate in New Hampshire
Free New Hampshire forms to plan or settle an estate: a will, trust, powers of attorney, TOD deed and the probate forms. Prepare each form for New Hampshire.
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Last Will and Testament
In New Hampshire, a will is signed before 2NH RSA 551:2Verified Oct 19, 2026View source witnesses, and a self-proving affidavit signed with it lets the court admit it without witness testimonyNH RSA 551:2Verified Oct 19, 2026View source.
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Free
Healthcare Power of Attorney
New Hampshire allows a choice for a healthcare power of attorney: 2RSA 137-J:20Verified Oct 15, 2026View source witnesses or a notary.
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Free
Financial Power of Attorney
New Hampshire treats a power of attorney as durable by defaultRSA 564-E:104, 564-E:105, 564-E:106, 564-E:107, 564-E:109, 564-E:113, 564-E:114, 564-E:119, 564-E:120, 564-E:201, 564-E:217, 564-E:301; RSA 477:9Verified Oct 21, 2026View source, and it is signed before a notaryRSA 564-E:104, 564-E:105, 564-E:106, 564-E:107, 564-E:109, 564-E:113, 564-E:114, 564-E:119, 564-E:120, 564-E:201, 564-E:217, 564-E:301; RSA 477:9Verified Oct 21, 2026View source.
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Tools for Planning and Settling an Estate in New Hampshire
Free calculators and checklists to plan or settle an estate in New Hampshire: will and trust costs, probate, executor pay and taxes. Run each tool.
How Much Life Insurance Do I Need?
In New Hampshire, four years at a public university cost about $120,152NCES 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 near 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 inheritance tax (RSA Ch. 86, Legacy & Succession Tax) was repealed outright for deaths on or after 1/1/2003 ("Repealed 2002, 232:14, II, eff. Jan. 1, 2003."). The estate tax (RSA Ch. 87) remains codified but is void by its own terms: RSA 87:9 ("Chapter Void, When.") provides that "[t]his chapter shall become void and of no effect in respect to the estates of persons who die subsequent to the effective date of the repeal of ... that portion of such provisions that allow a credit for state death taxes against the decedent’s federal estate tax." The IRC § 2011 credit was terminated for decedents dying after 12/31/2004 (replaced by the § 2058 deduction, Pub. L. 107-16 § 532(d)) and § 2011 was formally repealed by Pub. L. 113-295 (Dec. 19, 2014), so no New Hampshire estate tax is due for deaths on or after 1/1/2005.Verified Sep 15, 2026View source.
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What Does Estate Planning Actually Cost?
An attorney-prepared revocable trust in New Hampshire runs $3,360Estimate: 10 hours at $336, Clio's New Hampshire Trusts rate; Compare Lawyer Rates, 2025 dataVerified Oct 15, 2026View source to $5,040Estimate: 15 hours at $336, Clio's New Hampshire Trusts rate; Compare Lawyer Rates, 2025 dataVerified Oct 15, 2026View source and a simple will $1,080Estimate: 3 hours at $360, Clio's New Hampshire Wills and Estates rate; Compare Lawyer Rates, 2025 dataVerified Oct 15, 2026View source to $2,160Estimate: 6 hours at $360, Clio's New Hampshire 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 New Hampshire, a surviving spouse takes the first $250,000 plus half of the restRSA § 561:1Verified 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 representationRSA § 561:1(II)(a)Verified Oct 21, 2026View source.
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