Serves Harford, Cecil and Baltimore counties from Bel Air. Guides personal representatives and trustees through probate and trust administration, from opening the estate with the Register of Wills through asset sales, tax filings, distributions and required accountings, and represents clients in probate court when needed. Laura Henninger is both an attorney and a certified public accountant.
Probate in Cecil County
Probate Court Record
Cecil County Register of Wills
Cecil County
Phone
Hours
Office
Website
Filing in person
Self-represented filing
Self-help forms
How to file probate in Cecil County →
Verified October 16, 2026 · Source
Do I need a lawyer for probate in Cecil County? →Settling an estate in Cecil County →
Estate Law Firms Serving Cecil County
Serves Anne Arundel, Queen Anne's and Carroll counties from a main office in Pasadena and appointment-only offices in Annapolis, Stevensville and Mt. Airy. Handles probate and estate administration, trust administration and counsel to trustees, and guardianships, along with estate, elder law and Medicaid planning, and has served the community for over 70 years.
Serves Anne Arundel County from Millersville and takes trust administration matters statewide. Helps families administer a loved one's estate through probate and assists trustees with trust administration, alongside adult guardianship and Medicaid crisis planning. Limits its practice to estate planning and elder law; partner Greg Jimeno wrote "How To Protect Your Home And Life Savings In Maryland."
Serves Kent County and the surrounding Eastern Shore from Chestertown and Anne Arundel County from Pasadena. Handles probate administration, including support when a dispute arises, for estates that often include farms and family businesses, and drafts wills, trusts, powers of attorney and advance medical directives. Spanish is spoken at the office.
Serves clients throughout Maryland from Potomac, with a second Maryland office in Baltimore. Its wills, trusts, estates and probate team handles probate court filings, estate administration and state and federal estate tax returns, and its attorneys serve as trustees and executors; a separate trusts and estates litigation group handles will and trust contests and breach of fiduciary duty claims.
Serves Maryland from offices in Annapolis and Towson. The firm administers estates and trusts, handles probate, and takes on estate and trust litigation, including will contests, caveat proceedings and fiduciary malfeasance claims.
Forms for Planning and Settling an Estate in Maryland
Free Maryland forms to plan or settle an estate: a will, trust, powers of attorney, TOD deed and the probate forms. Prepare each form for Maryland.
Revocable Living Trust
Create a revocable living trust to avoid probate, protect privacy, and control asset distribution.
Last Will and Testament
In Maryland, a will is signed before 2Md. Est. & Trusts § 4-102Verified Oct 18, 2026View source witnesses, and it is self-proved when properly executedMd. Est. & Trusts § 4-102Verified Oct 18, 2026View source.
Healthcare Power of Attorney
Maryland requires 2Md. Health-General Code Ann. § 5-603Verified Oct 15, 2026View source witnesses for a healthcare power of attorney; notarization is not requiredMd. Health-General Code Ann. § 5-603Verified Oct 15, 2026View source.
Financial Power of Attorney
Maryland treats a power of attorney as durable by defaultMd. Code, Est. & Trusts §§ 17-101 to 17-116, §§ 17-201 to 17-204; Md. Code, Real Prop. § 4-107; Md. Code, Gen. Prov. § 1-401Verified Sep 18, 2026View source, and it is signed before 2Md. Code, Est. & Trusts §§ 17-101 to 17-116, §§ 17-201 to 17-204; Md. Code, Real Prop. § 4-107; Md. Code, Gen. Prov. § 1-401Verified Sep 18, 2026View source witnesses and a notary.
Pour-Over Will
In Maryland, a pour-over will is signed before 2Md. Est. & Trusts § 4-102Verified Oct 18, 2026View source witnesses and moves anything left outside the trust into it through probate.
Transfer on Death Deed
In Maryland, a transfer-on-death deed is signed before a notaryMd. Code, Real Prop. §§ 14-1001 to 14-1014Verified Oct 18, 2026View source, then recorded with the county before the owner's deathMd. Code, Real Prop. §§ 14-1001 to 14-1014Verified Oct 18, 2026View source.
Tools for Planning and Settling an Estate in Maryland
Free calculators and checklists to plan or settle an estate in Maryland: will and trust costs, probate, executor pay and taxes. Run each tool for Maryland.
Trust or Will: Which Costs Less?
In Maryland, a will-based plan pays probate attorney fees of typically 2.1%Modeled estimate under Md. Est. & Trusts § 7-602 (reasonable compensation; no statutory percentage): the hours the statutory fee schedules imply, at the state's surveyed hourly rateVerified Sep 8, 2026View source to 3.3%Modeled estimate under Md. Est. & Trusts § 7-602 (reasonable compensation; no statutory percentage): 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.
Do I Need a Revocable Trust?
Probate in Maryland takes 6 months to 9 months for a simple estate and charges attorney fees of typically 2.1%Modeled estimate under Md. Est. & Trusts § 7-602 (reasonable compensation; no statutory percentage): the hours the statutory fee schedules imply, at the state's surveyed hourly rateVerified Sep 8, 2026View source to 3.3%Modeled estimate under Md. Est. & Trusts § 7-602 (reasonable compensation; no statutory percentage): 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.
How Much Does Probate Cost?
Probate on a $500,000 estate in Maryland costs an estimated $33,231Md. Est. & Trusts § 7-602 (reasonable compensation; no statutory percentage)Verified Sep 8, 2026View source. Attorney fees run 2.1%Modeled estimate under Md. Est. & Trusts § 7-602 (reasonable compensation; no statutory percentage): the hours the statutory fee schedules imply, at the state's surveyed hourly rateVerified Sep 8, 2026View source to 3.3%Modeled estimate under Md. Est. & Trusts § 7-602 (reasonable compensation; no statutory percentage): 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.
What Are the Estate Laws in My State?
Probate on a $500,000 estate in Maryland costs an estimated $33,231Md. Est. & Trusts § 7-602 (reasonable compensation; no statutory percentage)Verified Sep 8, 2026View source and takes 6 months to 9 months for a simple estate, with attorney fees of typically 2.1%Modeled estimate under Md. Est. & Trusts § 7-602 (reasonable compensation; no statutory percentage): the hours the statutory fee schedules imply, at the state's surveyed hourly rateVerified Sep 8, 2026View source to 3.3%Modeled estimate under Md. Est. & Trusts § 7-602 (reasonable compensation; no statutory percentage): the hours the statutory fee schedules imply, at the state's surveyed hourly rateVerified Sep 8, 2026View source of the estate. Estates under $50,000Md. Est. & Trusts § 5-601Verified Sep 8, 2026View source can use a small-estate procedure instead.
How Do I Settle an Estate?
Settling an estate in Maryland: the personal representative files the estate inventory within 90 daysET §§ 7-201, 7-202, 7-203Verified Sep 15, 2026View source of appointment; creditors have 6 monthsMd. Code, Est. & Trusts §§ 7-103, 7-103.1, 8-103, 8-104, 8-105, 8-107Verified Oct 18, 2026View source to present claims; a simple estate closes in 6 months to 9 months.
What Does Estate Planning Actually Cost?
An attorney-prepared revocable trust in Maryland runs $4,250Estimate: 10 hours at $425, Clio's Maryland Trusts rate; Compare Lawyer Rates, 2025 dataVerified Oct 15, 2026View source to $6,375Estimate: 15 hours at $425, Clio's Maryland Trusts rate; Compare Lawyer Rates, 2025 dataVerified Oct 15, 2026View source and a simple will $1,110Estimate: 3 hours at $370, Clio's Maryland Wills and Estates rate; Compare Lawyer Rates, 2025 dataVerified Oct 15, 2026View source to $2,220Estimate: 6 hours at $370, Clio's Maryland 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.
