Probate in Aitkin County

Probate Court Record

Aitkin County District Court

Aitkin County · Ninth Judicial District

Hours

Monday-Friday 8:00 AM-4:30 PM

Office

209 2nd Street Northwest, Room 242A, Aitkin, MN 56431

Self-represented filing

Allowed

Self-help forms

How to file probate in Aitkin County →

Verified October 15, 2026 · Source

Do I need a lawyer for probate in Aitkin County? →Settling an estate in Aitkin County →

Estate Law Firms Serving Aitkin County

Serves Crow Wing, Cass, Aitkin, Morrison, Todd, Beltrami, and Itasca counties from Brainerd. Handles probate administration for families settling a loved one's estate, probate, trust and estate litigation, and guardianships and conservatorships, alongside wills, trusts, life estates, estate tax planning, and Medical Assistance planning. Shareholder Virginia Knudson also mediates probate disputes.

Serves 7 countiesEstate PlanningProbateProbate LitigationTrust LitigationTax Planning+6

Serves Crow Wing, Cass, Aitkin, and Morrison counties, including Brainerd, Baxter, Little Falls, Walker, Crosby, Nisswa, Cross Lake, and Aitkin, from a downtown Brainerd office. Handles probate and estate administration, guardianships, and conservatorships, and drafts wills and trusts, alongside elder law and real estate matters. The firm states it is up front about its fees.

Serves 4 countiesEstate PlanningProbateElder LawConservatorshipGuardianship+3

Serves clients in Minnesota and Wisconsin from a downtown Duluth office. Represents personal representatives through probate, from securing assets and paying creditors to distributing the estate, and plans around probate with transfer on death deeds; also practices cabin law. Attorney Chris Dahlberg meets clients by Zoom, including weeknights and weekends in winter.

Solo PracticeVirtual consultationsEstate PlanningProbateReal Estate

Serves southern Minnesota from offices in Mankato and Madelia, and states that its lawyers serve the entire state. Handles probate and estate administration, trust administration, affidavits of collection, guardianship and conservatorship, and estate litigation including will contests and probate and trust disputes. The firm traces its origin to a Mankato law practice opened on July 1, 1893.

Since 1893Serves the whole stateFree consultationEstate PlanningTrust AdministrationProbateProbate LitigationTrust Litigation+5

Serves Anoka County and the north metro, including Elk River and Cambridge, from its Anoka office. Attorney Joseph Field guides executors and administrators through probate, from filing the will to paying creditors, transferring assets and resolving will challenges. He meets clients at home or in senior living, and the first half hour is free.

Solo PracticeServes the whole stateFree consultationEstate PlanningProbateProbate LitigationTax Planning

Serves Nobles County from Worthington, and its lawyers practice in Minnesota, South Dakota and Iowa. Sees families through probate and estate administration after a death and works to resolve estate disputes without lengthy proceedings. Its estate planning emphasizes minimizing state and federal tax, and the practice dates to 1923.

Since 1923Serves the whole stateEstate PlanningProbateTax Planning

All 13 Minnesota estate law firms serving Aitkin County →

Forms for Planning and Settling an Estate in Minnesota

Free Minnesota forms to plan or settle an estate: a will, trust, powers of attorney, TOD deed and the probate forms. Prepare each form for Minnesota.

$12/month

Revocable Living Trust

Create a revocable living trust to avoid probate, protect privacy, and control asset distribution.

Get Started
Free

Last Will and Testament

In Minnesota, a will is signed before 2Minn. Stat. § 524.2-502Verified Oct 18, 2026View source witnesses, and a self-proving affidavit signed with it lets the court admit it without witness testimonyMinn. Stat. § 524.2-502Verified Oct 18, 2026View source.

Get Started
Free

Healthcare Power of Attorney

Minnesota allows a choice for a healthcare power of attorney: 2Minn. Stat. § 145C.16Verified Oct 15, 2026View source witnesses or a notary.

Get Started
Free

Financial Power of Attorney

Minnesota requires explicit durability language for a power of attorney to survive incapacityMinn. Stat. §§ 523.01, 523.02, 523.05, 523.07, 523.075, 523.08, 523.17, 523.18, 523.20, 523.23, 523.231, 523.24Verified Oct 21, 2026View source, and it is signed before a notaryMinn. Stat. §§ 523.01, 523.02, 523.05, 523.07, 523.075, 523.08, 523.17, 523.18, 523.20, 523.23, 523.231, 523.24Verified Oct 22, 2026View source.

Get Started
Free

Pour-Over Will

In Minnesota, a pour-over will is signed before 2Minn. Stat. § 524.2-502Verified Oct 18, 2026View source witnesses and moves anything left outside the trust into it through probate.

Get Started
Free

Transfer on Death Deed

In Minnesota, a transfer on death deed is signed before a notaryMinn. Stat. 507.071Verified Oct 18, 2026View source, then recorded with the county before the owner's deathMinn. Stat. 507.071Verified Oct 18, 2026View source. Minnesota does not recognize a Lady Bird deed.

Get Started

All Minnesota forms

Tools for Planning and Settling an Estate in Minnesota

Free calculators and checklists to plan or settle an estate in Minnesota: will and trust costs, probate, executor pay and taxes. Run each tool for Minnesota.

Trust or Will: Which Costs Less?

In Minnesota, a will-based plan pays probate attorney fees of typically 1.9%Modeled estimate under Minn. Stat. § 525.515 (just and reasonable compensation; no statutory percentage; review under § 524.3-721): the hours the statutory fee schedules imply, at the state's surveyed hourly rateVerified Sep 8, 2026View source to 3.1%Modeled estimate under Minn. Stat. § 525.515 (just and reasonable compensation; no statutory percentage; review under § 524.3-721): 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.

Calculate Costs

Do I Need a Revocable Trust?

Probate in Minnesota takes 4 months to 6 months for a simple estate and charges attorney fees of typically 1.9%Modeled estimate under Minn. Stat. § 525.515 (just and reasonable compensation; no statutory percentage; review under § 524.3-721): the hours the statutory fee schedules imply, at the state's surveyed hourly rateVerified Sep 8, 2026View source to 3.1%Modeled estimate under Minn. Stat. § 525.515 (just and reasonable compensation; no statutory percentage; review under § 524.3-721): 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.

Get the Answer

How Much Does Probate Cost?

Probate on a $500,000 estate in Minnesota costs an estimated $26,108Minn. Stat. § 525.515 (just and reasonable compensation; no statutory percentage; review under § 524.3-721)Verified Sep 8, 2026View source. Attorney fees run 1.9%Modeled estimate under Minn. Stat. § 525.515 (just and reasonable compensation; no statutory percentage; review under § 524.3-721): the hours the statutory fee schedules imply, at the state's surveyed hourly rateVerified Sep 8, 2026View source to 3.1%Modeled estimate under Minn. Stat. § 525.515 (just and reasonable compensation; no statutory percentage; review under § 524.3-721): 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.

Calculate Costs

What Are the Estate Laws in My State?

Probate on a $500,000 estate in Minnesota costs an estimated $26,108Minn. Stat. § 525.515 (just and reasonable compensation; no statutory percentage; review under § 524.3-721)Verified Sep 8, 2026View source and takes 4 months to 6 months for a simple estate, with attorney fees of typically 1.9%Modeled estimate under Minn. Stat. § 525.515 (just and reasonable compensation; no statutory percentage; review under § 524.3-721): the hours the statutory fee schedules imply, at the state's surveyed hourly rateVerified Sep 8, 2026View source to 3.1%Modeled estimate under Minn. Stat. § 525.515 (just and reasonable compensation; no statutory percentage; review under § 524.3-721): the hours the statutory fee schedules imply, at the state's surveyed hourly rateVerified Sep 8, 2026View source of the estate. Estates under $75,000Minn. Stat. § 524.3-1201Verified Sep 8, 2026View source can use a small-estate procedure instead.

Check the Rules

How Do I Settle an Estate?

Settling an estate in Minnesota: the personal representative files the estate inventory within 180 daysMinn. Stat. §§ 524.3-706, 524.3-708Verified Sep 15, 2026View source of appointment; creditors have 4 monthsMinn. Stat. §§ 524.3-801, 524.3-803, 524.3-805, 524.3-806Verified Oct 18, 2026View source to present claims; a simple estate closes in 4 months to 6 months.

See the Steps

What Does Estate Planning Actually Cost?

An attorney-prepared revocable trust in Minnesota runs $3,530Estimate: 10 hours at $353, Clio's Minnesota Trusts rate; Compare Lawyer Rates, 2025 dataVerified Oct 15, 2026View source to $5,295Estimate: 15 hours at $353, Clio's Minnesota Trusts rate; Compare Lawyer Rates, 2025 dataVerified Oct 15, 2026View source and a simple will $1,035Estimate: 3 hours at $345, Clio's Minnesota Wills and Estates rate; Compare Lawyer Rates, 2025 dataVerified Oct 15, 2026View source to $2,070Estimate: 6 hours at $345, Clio's Minnesota 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.

Calculate Costs

All Minnesota tools