Free Massachusetts forms for planning an estate or settling one: a will, trust, powers of attorney, TOD deed, and the probate forms an executor files.
Create a revocable living trust to avoid probate, protect privacy, and control asset distribution.
In Massachusetts, a will is signed before 2M.G.L. c. 190B § 2-502Verified Sep 16, 2026View source witnesses, and a self-proving affidavit signed with it lets the court admit it without witness testimonyM.G.L. c. 190B § 2-502Verified Sep 16, 2026View source.
Massachusetts requires 2M.G.L. c. 201D § 2Verified Oct 15, 2026View source witnesses for a healthcare power of attorney; notarization is not requiredM.G.L. c. 201D § 2Verified Oct 15, 2026View source.
Massachusetts requires explicit durability language for a power of attorney to survive incapacityM.G.L. c. 190B §§ 5-501 to 5-507; c. 183 §§ 29, 32Verified Sep 18, 2026View source, and it is signed with no witness or notary requirementM.G.L. c. 190B §§ 5-501 to 5-507; c. 183 §§ 29, 32Verified Sep 18, 2026View source.
In Massachusetts, a pour-over will is signed before 2M.G.L. c. 190B § 2-502Verified Sep 16, 2026View source witnesses and moves anything left outside the trust into it through probate.
Free calculators and checklists for planning or settling an estate in Massachusetts: will and trust costs, probate, executor pay, and inheritance taxes.
In Massachusetts, a will-based plan pays probate attorney fees of typically 2.2%No specific statute for general probate attorney fees; reasonable compensation subject to court review. M.G.L. c. 190B § 3-720 covers litigation expense reimbursement only.Verified Sep 8, 2026View source to 3.5%No specific statute for general probate attorney fees; reasonable compensation subject to court review. M.G.L. c. 190B § 3-720 covers litigation expense reimbursement only.Verified Sep 8, 2026View source of the estate; a funded revocable trust keeps those assets out of probate and off that fee.
Probate in Massachusetts takes 6 months to 9 months for a simple estate and charges attorney fees of typically 2.2%No specific statute for general probate attorney fees; reasonable compensation subject to court review. M.G.L. c. 190B § 3-720 covers litigation expense reimbursement only.Verified Sep 8, 2026View source to 3.5%No specific statute for general probate attorney fees; reasonable compensation subject to court review. M.G.L. c. 190B § 3-720 covers litigation expense reimbursement only.Verified Sep 8, 2026View source of the estate; assets held in a revocable trust skip both.
Probate on a $500,000 estate in Massachusetts costs an estimated $27,714No specific statute for general probate attorney fees; reasonable compensation subject to court review. M.G.L. c. 190B § 3-720 covers litigation expense reimbursement only.Verified Sep 8, 2026View source. Attorney fees run 2.2%No specific statute for general probate attorney fees; reasonable compensation subject to court review. M.G.L. c. 190B § 3-720 covers litigation expense reimbursement only.Verified Sep 8, 2026View source to 3.5%No specific statute for general probate attorney fees; reasonable compensation subject to court review. M.G.L. c. 190B § 3-720 covers litigation expense reimbursement only.Verified Sep 8, 2026View source of the estate under a reasonable-compensation standard.
Probate on a $500,000 estate in Massachusetts costs an estimated $27,714No specific statute for general probate attorney fees; reasonable compensation subject to court review. M.G.L. c. 190B § 3-720 covers litigation expense reimbursement only.Verified Sep 8, 2026View source and takes 6 months to 9 months for a simple estate, with attorney fees of typically 2.2%No specific statute for general probate attorney fees; reasonable compensation subject to court review. M.G.L. c. 190B § 3-720 covers litigation expense reimbursement only.Verified Sep 8, 2026View source to 3.5%No specific statute for general probate attorney fees; reasonable compensation subject to court review. M.G.L. c. 190B § 3-720 covers litigation expense reimbursement only.Verified Sep 8, 2026View source of the estate. Estates under $25,000M.G.L. c. 190B § 3-1201Verified Sep 8, 2026View source can use a small-estate procedure instead.
Settling an estate in Massachusetts: the personal representative files the estate inventory within 90 daysMGL c. 190B §§ 3-706, 3-707, 3-708Verified Sep 15, 2026View source of appointment; creditors have 12 monthsMGL c. 190B §§ 3-306, 3-801, 3-803, 3-804, 3-805, 3-806Verified Sep 15, 2026View source to present claims; a simple estate closes in 6 months to 9 months.
An attorney-prepared revocable trust in Massachusetts runs $3,920Estimate: 10 hours at $392, Clio's Massachusetts Trusts rate; Compare Lawyer Rates, 2025 dataVerified Oct 15, 2026View source to $5,880Estimate: 15 hours at $392, Clio's Massachusetts Trusts rate; Compare Lawyer Rates, 2025 dataVerified Oct 15, 2026View source and a simple will $1,161Estimate: 3 hours at $387, Clio's Massachusetts Wills and Estates rate; Compare Lawyer Rates, 2025 dataVerified Oct 15, 2026View source to $2,322Estimate: 6 hours at $387, Clio's Massachusetts 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.
101 estate planning firms in Massachusetts: probate, trust administration, and estate planning, by county and practice area.
Firm listings are for informational purposes only. SimplyTrust does not endorse or recommend any specific firm or attorney. Contact firms directly to discuss your situation and verify their current practice areas and availability.
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101 firms
FirmNantucket, MA
Nantucket Island firm run by partners Jennifer and Steven Cohen, serving year-round and seasonal property owners. Estate planning practice covers drafting of wills, trusts, and health care documents, plus formation of trusts, corporations, and LLCs for island residents and small businesses.
PracticesEstate Planning
FirmAttleboro, MA
Serves Bristol County from Attleboro, where it is the oldest law firm in town, tracing its roots to a 1946 partnership. Guides executors and trustees through probate and trust administration, from inventorying the decedent's property and paying debts and taxes to resolving will and trust disputes and distributing assets.
PracticesEstate PlanningTrust AdministrationProbateProbate Litigationand 6 more
FirmSomerset, MA
Serves Bristol and Plymouth counties from Somerset, including Fall River, New Bedford, Taunton, Brockton and Attleboro. Guides personal representatives and administrators through probate and estate administration, from proving the will to distributing the assets, and drafts and administers trusts.
PracticesEstate PlanningTrust AdministrationProbateSpecial Needs Planningand 3 more
FirmLongmeadow, MA
Serves Hampden and Hampshire counties from Longmeadow, including Springfield, Westfield, Wilbraham, Northampton and Amherst. Handles probate and estate administration, trust administration, guardianships and conservatorships, and estate litigation over contested wills and breaches of fiduciary duty. Michael J. Chernick is an appointed Public Administrator in Hampden County.
PracticesEstate PlanningTrust AdministrationProbateProbate Litigationand 4 more
FirmWakefield, MA
Serves Essex, Middlesex and Suffolk counties from Wakefield, meeting clients in person or by telephone or Zoom. Handles probate and estate administration, trust administration, conservatorships and guardianships, and MassHealth applications and fair hearing appeals. Attorneys Patrick Curley and Lucy Budman are both Certified Elder Law Attorneys.
PracticesEstate PlanningTrust AdministrationProbateElder Lawand 7 more
FirmWaltham, MA
Serves Massachusetts clients from Waltham and offices in Braintree, Hyannis, Westborough, Woburn and Longmeadow. Represents executors, trustees, conservators and beneficiaries in probate and estate administration, trust administration, estate tax returns, will contests and breach of fiduciary duty claims. Leo J. Cushing, Esq., CPA, founded the firm in Boston in 1984.
PracticesEstate PlanningTrust AdministrationProbateProbate Litigationand 11 more
Solo PracticeHanover, MA
Serves the South Shore, Cape Cod and Greater Boston from Hanover, with video and phone meetings available. Guides surviving family members through probate and trust and estate administration, alongside wills, trusts and estate planning. Founding attorney Danielle G. Van Ess started the firm in Hingham in 2008.
PracticesEstate PlanningTrust AdministrationProbate
FirmMethuen, MA
Serves the Merrimack Valley from Methuen. Handles estate and probate litigation, including will contests, and guardianship petitions for minors and incapacitated adults, alongside wills, trusts and powers of attorney. Founded by Anthony DiFruscia in 1967, with interpretive services for Spanish- and Italian-speaking clients.
PracticesEstate PlanningProbate LitigationTax PlanningGuardianshipand 2 more
Solo PracticeWorcester, MA
Serves Worcester and the surrounding Worcester County area from Worcester. Attorney Nicholas W. Daviau guides personal representatives through estate administration, assists trustees with trust administration, handles will disputes and breach of fiduciary duty claims, and petitions for guardianships and conservatorships. In-home and after-hours appointments are available by arrangement.
PracticesEstate PlanningTrust AdministrationProbateProbate Litigationand 6 more
Solo PracticeEast Longmeadow, MA
Serves East Longmeadow, Springfield, Longmeadow, Wilbraham, Westfield and nearby Hampden County towns from East Longmeadow. Attorney David G. Carlson assists executors and administrators with filing, inventory, debts and distributions, and handles will challenges based on undue influence, capacity or fraud. In solo practice since 1991.
PracticesEstate PlanningProbateProbate LitigationElder Lawand 5 more
Solo PracticeEast Longmeadow, MA
Serves East Longmeadow, Longmeadow, Springfield, Wilbraham, Ludlow, Hampden and the rest of Hampden County from East Longmeadow. Attorney Douglas R. Peterson handles probate administration, probate litigation and contested wills, and offers private mediation for estate, probate and family disagreements. The office, established in 1985, offers in-home consultations by special arrangement.
PracticesEstate PlanningProbateProbate LitigationElder Lawand 2 more
FirmNorth Adams, MA
Serves Berkshire County from North Adams and Pittsfield, with a small office in Springfield. Guides executors through probate petitions, asset collection, taxes, debts and distributions, assists with trust administration, and litigates will contests and trust disputes. Founded in Adams in 1913, the firm has 16 attorneys and a Vermont office in Bennington.
PracticesEstate PlanningTrust AdministrationProbateProbate Litigationand 7 more
FirmFall River, MA
Serves Bristol, Plymouth, Norfolk and Barnstable counties from Fall River and Quincy. Attorneys Wilfred C. Driscoll, Jr. and Laurie A. Sanford petition for guardianship of minors and incapacitated adults and offer limited assistance representation for discrete probate and estate tasks. Attorney Driscoll has served as a Probate Court master and guardian ad litem.
PracticesEstate PlanningProbateConservatorshipGuardianshipand 2 more
FirmCambridge, MA
Serves Cambridge and Boston from Cambridge. Works with personal representatives and trustees on formal and informal probate, asset collection, creditor claims, fiduciary and estate tax returns, real estate sales and distributions, and in limited instances serves as a successor professional trustee. Founded in 2009 by Anna Eckert Byrne, author of The Inheritor's Guide.
PracticesEstate PlanningTrust AdministrationProbateTax PlanningAsset Protection
FirmWorcester, MA
Serves Worcester, Norfolk and Barnstable counties from Worcester, Leominster, Braintree and Hyannis. Counsels executors, administrators and trustees from probate of the will through inventories, fiduciary accounts, estate tax returns and distributions, and handles contested guardianship and conservatorship proceedings. The firm also serves as executor or trustee when clients ask.
PracticesEstate PlanningTrust AdministrationProbateElder Lawand 6 more
FirmNew Bedford, MA
Serves Bristol, Plymouth and Barnstable counties and Rhode Island from New Bedford. Probates estates, establishes guardianships and conservatorships, and petitions for the approval of minor's, special needs and settlement trusts; Attorney Heather M. Bonnet-Hebert also provides professional trustee services. Formed in 1994 as Robert B. Feingold & Associates, P.C.
PracticesEstate PlanningTrust AdministrationProbateElder Lawand 6 more
FirmWorcester, MA
Serves Worcester, Middlesex, Suffolk, Barnstable and Bristol counties from offices in Worcester, Boston, Framingham, Centerville and New Bedford. Guides executors and trustees through probate, estate tax, post-mortem planning, sale of estate property and trust administration, for estates from insolvent to over $40 million. Manages more than 250 trusts and administers more than 130 estates a year.
PracticesEstate PlanningTrust AdministrationProbateElder Lawand 3 more
FirmBoston, MA
Serves Suffolk County and nearby Middlesex and Norfolk communities such as Cambridge, Newton and Brookline from an office on Court Square in Boston. A tax-focused firm whose estate planning and administration practice covers wills, revocable and irrevocable trusts, and plans built to reduce estate taxes and avoid probate. Formed in 2000 by Walter Flowers and Jennifer Manning.
PracticesEstate PlanningProbateTax Planning
FirmWellesley, MA
Serves Norfolk and Middlesex county communities such as Wellesley, Newton, Needham and Westwood from Wellesley. Administers and settles testate and intestate estates, litigates will contests and handles the removal of fiduciaries, plus guardianships and Medicaid qualification for nursing-home residents. Founding partner Sheryl Dennis pairs estate work with family law and special needs planning.
PracticesEstate PlanningTrust AdministrationProbateProbate Litigationand 7 more
Solo PracticeBrockton, MA
Serves Brockton and southeastern Massachusetts from an office on Torrey Street in Brockton. Assists families with the probate filings, court procedures, asset valuations and estate and gift tax matters involved in settling an estate, and with MassHealth applications, hearings and asset protection for long-term care. Attorney David P. Frenette carries on a practice first established in 1928.
PracticesEstate PlanningProbateElder LawSpecial Needs Planningand 2 more
