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.
Springfield is in Hampden County.
More Estate Law Firms in Hampden County
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.
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.
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.
Serves Hampshire, Hampden and Worcester counties from offices in Easthampton, Amherst, Ludlow and Westborough, plus Bloomfield, Connecticut. Guides personal representatives through probate and helps successor trustees gather, value and distribute trust assets, whether or not the firm drafted the trust. Also handles Medicaid, estate-tax and supplemental needs planning.
Serves the Greater Springfield area from Holyoke. Handles probate and estate administration for personal representatives, executors, and beneficiaries, including estates with no will, along with estate planning and business succession planning. Attorney Nicholas Ratush is also admitted in New York and Connecticut.
Probate in Hampden County
Probate Court Record
Hampden County Probate and Family Court
Hampden County
Phone
Hours
Monday-Friday 8:00 AM-4:00 PM
Office
50 State Street, Springfield, MA 01103
Website
E-filing
Filing in person
Walk-ins accepted
Self-represented filing
Allowed
Self-help forms
How to file probate in Hampden County →
Verified October 16, 2026 · Source
Do I need a lawyer for probate in Hampden County? →Settling an estate in Hampden County →
Forms for Planning and Settling an Estate in Massachusetts
Free Massachusetts forms to plan or settle an estate: a will, trust, powers of attorney, TOD deed and the probate forms. Prepare each form for Massachusetts.
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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 Massachusetts, a will is signed before 2M.G.L. c. 190B § 2-502Verified Oct 18, 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 Oct 18, 2026View source.
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Free
Healthcare Power of Attorney
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.
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Financial Power of Attorney
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 Oct 21, 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 Oct 21, 2026View source.
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Pour-Over Will
In Massachusetts, a pour-over will is signed before 2M.G.L. c. 190B § 2-502Verified 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 Massachusetts
Free calculators and checklists to plan or settle an estate in Massachusetts: will and trust costs, probate, executor pay and taxes. Run each tool.
Trust or Will: Which Costs Less?
In Massachusetts, a will-based plan pays probate attorney fees of typically 2.2%Modeled estimate under 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.: the hours the statutory fee schedules imply, at the state's surveyed hourly rateVerified Sep 8, 2026View source to 3.5%Modeled estimate under 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.: 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 Massachusetts takes 6 months to 9 months for a simple estate and charges attorney fees of typically 2.2%Modeled estimate under 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.: the hours the statutory fee schedules imply, at the state's surveyed hourly rateVerified Sep 8, 2026View source to 3.5%Modeled estimate under 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.: 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 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%Modeled estimate under 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.: the hours the statutory fee schedules imply, at the state's surveyed hourly rateVerified Sep 8, 2026View source to 3.5%Modeled estimate under 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.: 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 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%Modeled estimate under 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.: the hours the statutory fee schedules imply, at the state's surveyed hourly rateVerified Sep 8, 2026View source to 3.5%Modeled estimate under 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.: the hours the statutory fee schedules imply, at the state's surveyed hourly rateVerified 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.
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How Do I Settle an Estate?
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 Oct 18, 2026View source to present claims; a simple estate closes in 6 months to 9 months.
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What Does Estate Planning Actually Cost?
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.
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