Essex Junction firm on Pearl Street in Chittenden County. Represents executors, administrators, trustees and beneficiaries in estate and trust administration, from probate petitions, estate tax returns and accountings to trust and probate litigation, and handles adult and minor guardianship. Most estate planning work is billed on a flat fee.
Shelburne is in Chittenden County.
More Guardianship Firms in Chittenden County
Colchester firm on Hercules Drive in Chittenden County, established in 2010, with a by-appointment office in St. Albans. It guides executors, administrators and trustees through the Vermont Probate Division, from court filings and creditor notices to asset transfers and administration without a will, and offers guardianship representation. Managing attorney Lisa Gale has practiced in Vermont for over 30 years, and the firm pairs probate with residential real estate and title work.
Solo practice on South Union Street in Burlington, Chittenden County, opened by Brian Hehir in 1996. He handles Vermont probate administration and guardianship proceedings and prepares wills, trusts and powers of attorney, alongside real estate and land use work. He serves as an acting judge in Franklin and Chittenden counties, and will meet clients at home or work when they cannot travel to the office.
South Burlington firm on Williston Road near the airport in Chittenden County, concentrating on estate planning, probate administration, Lady Bird deeds, supplemental needs trusts, adult guardianship and Medicaid eligibility. Its probate work runs from filing the will with the probate division and petitioning to appoint the executor or administrator through creditor notice, inventory and appraisal, sale of estate assets, taxes and final distribution. Founder and of counsel Glenn Jarrett is certified as an elder law attorney by the National Elder Law Foundation.
Colchester firm on Water Tower Circle with an office in Newport and by-appointment offices in Montpelier and St. Albans. It guides named executors and beneficiaries through the probate process and represents people seeking or opposing appointment as guardian for vulnerable or elderly adults, in contested and uncontested matters. Planning covers wills, trusts and lifetime giving plans.
Burlington firm with a White River Junction office whose attorneys handle matters in all fourteen Vermont counties. Its estates and trusts attorneys represent trustees in trust administration and fiduciaries and families in probate court estate and guardianship proceedings. Principal Mark Melendy served on the bar committees that drafted Vermont's trust-decanting and directed-trust acts.
Probate in Chittenden County
Probate Court Record
Chittenden County Superior Court - Probate Division
Chittenden County
Phone
Hours
Office
Website
E-filing
Filing in person
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Self-help forms
How to file probate in Chittenden County →
Verified October 16, 2026 · Source
Do I need a lawyer for probate in Chittenden County? →Settling an estate in Chittenden County →
Forms for Planning and Settling an Estate in Vermont
Free Vermont forms to plan or settle an estate: a will, trust, powers of attorney, TOD deed and the probate forms. Prepare each form for Vermont.
Last Will and Testament
In Vermont, a will is signed before 214 V.S.A. § 5Verified Oct 19, 2026View source witnesses, and a self-proving affidavit signed with it lets the court admit it without witness testimony14 V.S.A. § 5Verified Oct 19, 2026View source.
Healthcare Power of Attorney
Vermont requires 218 V.S.A. § 9719Verified Oct 15, 2026View source witnesses for a healthcare power of attorney; notarization is not required18 V.S.A. § 9719Verified Oct 15, 2026View source.
Financial Power of Attorney
Vermont treats a power of attorney as durable by default14 V.S.A. §§ 4004, 4005, 4006, 4007, 4009, 4013, 4019, 4020, 4031, 4047, 4051, 4052Verified Oct 21, 2026View source, and it is signed with no witness or notary requirement14 V.S.A. §§ 4004, 4005, 4006, 4007, 4009, 4013, 4019, 4020, 4031, 4047, 4051, 4052Verified Oct 21, 2026View source.
Tools for Planning and Settling an Estate in Vermont
Free calculators and checklists to plan or settle an estate in Vermont: will and trust costs, probate, executor pay and taxes. Run each tool for Vermont.
How Much Life Insurance Do I Need?
In Vermont, four years at a public university cost about $123,548NCES 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; the state levies an estate tax32 V.S.A. § 7442aVerified Sep 15, 2026View source above $5,000,00032 V.S.A. § 7442aVerified Sep 15, 2026View source.
What Does Estate Planning Actually Cost?
An attorney-prepared revocable trust in Vermont runs $2,400Estimate: 10 hours at $240, Clio's Vermont Trusts rate; Compare Lawyer Rates, 2025 dataVerified Oct 15, 2026View source to $3,600Estimate: 15 hours at $240, Clio's Vermont Trusts rate; Compare Lawyer Rates, 2025 dataVerified Oct 15, 2026View source and a simple will $891Estimate: 3 hours at $297, Clio's Vermont Wills and Estates rate; Compare Lawyer Rates, 2025 dataVerified Oct 15, 2026View source to $1,782Estimate: 6 hours at $297, Clio's Vermont 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 Vermont, a surviving spouse takes the entire estate14 V.S.A. § 311Verified Oct 21, 2026View source when every child of either spouse is a child of both, and descendants divide what passes to them per stirpes14 V.S.A. § 314Verified Oct 21, 2026View source.
