A Richmond firm serving Madison County and central and eastern Kentucky since 1969, with a second office in Beattyville. Its attorneys handle probate and estate administration, including the inventory, property appraisals, identifying heirs and beneficiaries, paying debts, state and federal tax returns and distributing assets. The firm also drafts and amends wills and living wills.
Berea is in Madison County.
More Estate Law Firms in Madison County
Serves Madison and Estill counties from offices in Richmond and Irvine, as it has since 1995. The firm counsels estate and trust administrators on their legal duties, sees that debts are settled, assets distributed and taxes paid, attends probate court proceedings, and handles will contests, guardianships and conservatorships. It also drafts wills, trusts and powers of attorney.
An elder-law firm with offices in Richmond (Madison County) and London (Laurel County), serving Central and Southeastern Kentucky. Its attorneys administer estates in District Court, including small-estate affidavits, intestate estates and farmland or mineral-rights transfers, and handle will contests and breach of fiduciary duty claims. Owner Scott Collins is a U.S. Army veteran.
A downtown Richmond practice in Madison County, in a renovated 1931 bus station on South Third Street. Attorney Walter G. Ecton Jr. represents clients in estate administration, notification of heirs and creditors, estate taxes and distribution, will contests and guardianships, and drafts wills, trusts and powers of attorney. The practice began in 1929.
Richmond firm serving Madison County and nearby central Kentucky counties, with estate matters settled in the District Court. The firm guides executors and administrators through appointment, the inventory, transfers to heirs and closing, and represents personal representatives and beneficiaries when a will is contested.
Probate in Madison County
Probate Court Record
Madison County District Court
Madison County · 25th Judicial District
Phone
Hours
Monday-Friday 8:00 AM-4:00 PM
Office
101 West Main Street, Richmond, KY 40475
Website
E-filing
Self-represented filing
Allowed
Self-help forms
How to file probate in Madison County →
Verified October 15, 2026 · Source
Do I need a lawyer for probate in Madison County? →Settling an estate in Madison County →
Forms for Planning and Settling an Estate in Kentucky
Free Kentucky forms to plan or settle an estate: a will, trust, powers of attorney, TOD deed and the probate forms. Prepare each form for Kentucky.
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Revocable Living Trust
Create a revocable living trust to avoid probate, protect privacy, and control asset distribution.
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Last Will and Testament
In Kentucky, a will is signed before 2KRS 394.040Verified Oct 18, 2026View source witnesses, and a self-proving affidavit signed with it lets the court admit it without witness testimonyKRS 394.040Verified Oct 18, 2026View source.
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Healthcare Power of Attorney
Kentucky allows a choice for a healthcare power of attorney: 2KRS 311.625Verified Oct 15, 2026View source witnesses or a notary.
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Free
Financial Power of Attorney
Kentucky treats a power of attorney as durable by defaultKRS § 457.050Verified Sep 18, 2026View source, and it is signed with no witness or notary requirementKRS § 457.050Verified Oct 21, 2026View source.
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Pour-Over Will
In Kentucky, a pour-over will is signed before 2KRS 394.040Verified Oct 18, 2026View source witnesses and moves anything left outside the trust into it through probate.
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Tools for Planning and Settling an Estate in Kentucky
Free calculators and checklists to plan or settle an estate in Kentucky: will and trust costs, probate, executor pay and taxes. Run each tool for Kentucky.
Trust or Will: Which Costs Less?
In Kentucky, a will-based plan pays probate attorney fees of typically 1.5%Modeled estimate under Reasonable compensation; no probate-specific attorney fee statute (SCR 3.130-1.5(a) general rule): the hours the statutory fee schedules imply, at the state's surveyed hourly rateVerified Sep 8, 2026View source to 2.4%Modeled estimate under Reasonable compensation; no probate-specific attorney fee statute (SCR 3.130-1.5(a) general rule): the hours the statutory fee schedules imply, at the state's surveyed hourly rateVerified Sep 8, 2026View source of the estate; a funded revocable trust keeps those assets out of probate and off that fee.
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Do I Need a Revocable Trust?
Probate in Kentucky takes 6 months to 12 months for a simple estate and charges attorney fees of typically 1.5%Modeled estimate under Reasonable compensation; no probate-specific attorney fee statute (SCR 3.130-1.5(a) general rule): the hours the statutory fee schedules imply, at the state's surveyed hourly rateVerified Sep 8, 2026View source to 2.4%Modeled estimate under Reasonable compensation; no probate-specific attorney fee statute (SCR 3.130-1.5(a) general rule): the hours the statutory fee schedules imply, at the state's surveyed hourly rateVerified Sep 8, 2026View source of the estate; assets held in a revocable trust skip both.
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How Much Does Probate Cost?
Probate on a $500,000 estate in Kentucky costs an estimated $23,308Reasonable compensation; no probate-specific attorney fee statute (SCR 3.130-1.5(a) general rule)Verified Sep 8, 2026View source. Attorney fees run 1.5%Modeled estimate under Reasonable compensation; no probate-specific attorney fee statute (SCR 3.130-1.5(a) general rule): the hours the statutory fee schedules imply, at the state's surveyed hourly rateVerified Sep 8, 2026View source to 2.4%Modeled estimate under Reasonable compensation; no probate-specific attorney fee statute (SCR 3.130-1.5(a) general rule): the hours the statutory fee schedules imply, at the state's surveyed hourly rateVerified Sep 8, 2026View source of the estate under a reasonable-compensation standard.
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What Are the Estate Laws in My State?
Probate on a $500,000 estate in Kentucky costs an estimated $23,308Reasonable compensation; no probate-specific attorney fee statute (SCR 3.130-1.5(a) general rule)Verified Sep 8, 2026View source and takes 6 months to 12 months for a simple estate, with attorney fees of typically 1.5%Modeled estimate under Reasonable compensation; no probate-specific attorney fee statute (SCR 3.130-1.5(a) general rule): the hours the statutory fee schedules imply, at the state's surveyed hourly rateVerified Sep 8, 2026View source to 2.4%Modeled estimate under Reasonable compensation; no probate-specific attorney fee statute (SCR 3.130-1.5(a) general rule): the hours the statutory fee schedules imply, at the state's surveyed hourly rateVerified Sep 8, 2026View source of the estate. Estates under $30,000KRS 391.030Verified Sep 8, 2026View source can use a small-estate procedure instead.
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How Do I Settle an Estate?
Settling an estate in Kentucky: the personal representative files the estate inventory within 90 daysKRS 395.250Verified Sep 15, 2026View source of appointment; creditors have 6 monthsKRS 396.011, 396.015, 396.055, 396.095, 424.340Verified Oct 18, 2026View source to present claims; a simple estate closes in 6 months to 12 months.
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What Does Estate Planning Actually Cost?
An attorney-prepared revocable trust in Kentucky runs $3,440Estimate: 10 hours at $344, Clio's Kentucky Trusts rate; Compare Lawyer Rates, 2025 dataVerified Oct 15, 2026View source to $5,160Estimate: 15 hours at $344, Clio's Kentucky Trusts rate; Compare Lawyer Rates, 2025 dataVerified Oct 15, 2026View source and a simple will $819Estimate: 3 hours at $273, Clio's Kentucky Wills and Estates rate; Compare Lawyer Rates, 2025 dataVerified Oct 15, 2026View source to $1,638Estimate: 6 hours at $273, Clio's Kentucky 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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