Crenshaw, Dupree & Milam is a Texas-based firm that opened a Hobbs, New Mexico office in 2018 to serve Lea County and southeastern New Mexico. Kathleen A. Moran practices in corporate law, business transactions, probate, estate administration, and estate planning.
Probate in Lincoln County
Probate Court Record
Lincoln County Probate Court
Lincoln County · 12th Judicial District
Hours
Office
Website
Self-represented filing
Self-help forms
How to file probate in Lincoln County →
Verified October 16, 2026 · Source
Do I need a lawyer for probate in Lincoln County? →Settling an estate in Lincoln County →
Estate Law Firms Serving Lincoln County
Eric D. Dixon, Attorney and Counselor at Law, P.A.
Eric D. Dixon has practiced law since approximately 1989 and serves Roosevelt County and eastern New Mexico from Portales. Licensed in New Mexico, Texas, and Colorado, he has taught business law and real estate law at Eastern New Mexico University. Former Roosevelt County Chamber of Commerce President.
Attorney Jeff Grandjean has been practicing in Roswell since 2011, representing clients in Roswell, Carlsbad, Artesia, Hobbs, Alamogordo, and throughout southeastern New Mexico.
Holloman Law LLC
Scotty A. Holloman serves Lea County from Hobbs, continuing the estate practice of Maddox, Holloman & Kirksey as a solo firm. His State Bar profile declares estate planning, taxation, probate and wills alongside business and natural-resources work — the oil-and-gas pairing common to Permian Basin estates. He is also licensed in Texas, which covers estates straddling the state line.
Kathleen M. Haynes has served Curry County and eastern New Mexico since 1978, providing estate planning, business, and tax law services. With over 45 years of legal experience, she handles estate, gift, and income tax planning for individuals and businesses across Eastern New Mexico and West Texas.
Serves Roswell, Chaves County, and southeastern New Mexico. Handles probate, wills, powers of attorney, health care directives, trusts, and will contests, alongside family law and business matters. Founded in 1998; Rick Kraft is a past president of the State Bar of New Mexico.
Forms for Planning and Settling an Estate in New Mexico
Free New Mexico forms to plan or settle an estate: a will, trust, powers of attorney, TOD deed and the probate forms. Prepare each form for New Mexico.
Revocable Living Trust
Create a revocable living trust to avoid probate, protect privacy, and control asset distribution.
Last Will and Testament
In New Mexico, a will is signed before 2NMSA § 45-2-502Verified Oct 19, 2026View source witnesses, and a self-proving affidavit signed with it lets the court admit it without witness testimonyNMSA § 45-2-502Verified Oct 19, 2026View source.
Healthcare Power of Attorney
New Mexico requires neither witnesses nor a notaryNMSA 1978 § 24-7A-4Verified Oct 15, 2026View source for a healthcare power of attorney.
Financial Power of Attorney
New Mexico treats a power of attorney as durable by defaultNMSA §§ 45-5B-101 through 45-5B-403 (HB0231, Laws 2007, ch. 135; recompiled by Laws 2011, ch. 124)Verified Sep 18, 2026View source, and it is signed with no witness or notary requirementNMSA §§ 45-5B-101 through 45-5B-403 (HB0231, Laws 2007, ch. 135; recompiled by Laws 2011, ch. 124)Verified Sep 18, 2026View source.
Pour-Over Will
In New Mexico, a pour-over will is signed before 2NMSA § 45-2-502Verified Oct 19, 2026View source witnesses and moves anything left outside the trust into it through probate.
Transfer on Death Deed
In New Mexico, a transfer on death deed is signed before a notaryNMSA 45-6-401 to 45-6-417Verified Oct 19, 2026View source, then recorded with the county before the owner's deathNMSA 45-6-401 to 45-6-417Verified Oct 19, 2026View source.
Tools for Planning and Settling an Estate in New Mexico
Free calculators and checklists to plan or settle an estate in New Mexico: will and trust costs, probate, executor pay and taxes. Run each tool for New Mexico.
Trust or Will: Which Costs Less?
In New Mexico, a will-based plan pays probate attorney fees of typically 1.8%Modeled estimate under NMSA § 45-3-715(A)(21) (PR may employ attorneys); § 45-3-721 (court review of the compensation); § 45-3-720 (estate litigation expenses, incl. attorneys fees); no statutory percentage: the hours the statutory fee schedules imply, at the state's surveyed hourly rateVerified Sep 8, 2026View source to 2.9%Modeled estimate under NMSA § 45-3-715(A)(21) (PR may employ attorneys); § 45-3-721 (court review of the compensation); § 45-3-720 (estate litigation expenses, incl. attorneys fees); 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 New Mexico takes 4 months to 6 months for a simple estate and charges attorney fees of typically 1.8%Modeled estimate under NMSA § 45-3-715(A)(21) (PR may employ attorneys); § 45-3-721 (court review of the compensation); § 45-3-720 (estate litigation expenses, incl. attorneys fees); no statutory percentage: the hours the statutory fee schedules imply, at the state's surveyed hourly rateVerified Sep 8, 2026View source to 2.9%Modeled estimate under NMSA § 45-3-715(A)(21) (PR may employ attorneys); § 45-3-721 (court review of the compensation); § 45-3-720 (estate litigation expenses, incl. attorneys fees); 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 New Mexico costs an estimated $24,985NMSA § 45-3-715(A)(21) (PR may employ attorneys); § 45-3-721 (court review of the compensation); § 45-3-720 (estate litigation expenses, incl. attorneys fees); no statutory percentageVerified Sep 8, 2026View source. Attorney fees run 1.8%Modeled estimate under NMSA § 45-3-715(A)(21) (PR may employ attorneys); § 45-3-721 (court review of the compensation); § 45-3-720 (estate litigation expenses, incl. attorneys fees); no statutory percentage: the hours the statutory fee schedules imply, at the state's surveyed hourly rateVerified Sep 8, 2026View source to 2.9%Modeled estimate under NMSA § 45-3-715(A)(21) (PR may employ attorneys); § 45-3-721 (court review of the compensation); § 45-3-720 (estate litigation expenses, incl. attorneys fees); 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 New Mexico costs an estimated $24,985NMSA § 45-3-715(A)(21) (PR may employ attorneys); § 45-3-721 (court review of the compensation); § 45-3-720 (estate litigation expenses, incl. attorneys fees); no statutory percentageVerified Sep 8, 2026View source and takes 4 months to 6 months for a simple estate, with attorney fees of typically 1.8%Modeled estimate under NMSA § 45-3-715(A)(21) (PR may employ attorneys); § 45-3-721 (court review of the compensation); § 45-3-720 (estate litigation expenses, incl. attorneys fees); no statutory percentage: the hours the statutory fee schedules imply, at the state's surveyed hourly rateVerified Sep 8, 2026View source to 2.9%Modeled estimate under NMSA § 45-3-715(A)(21) (PR may employ attorneys); § 45-3-721 (court review of the compensation); § 45-3-720 (estate litigation expenses, incl. attorneys fees); 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 $50,000§ 45-3-1201Verified Sep 8, 2026View source can use a small-estate procedure instead.
How Do I Settle an Estate?
Settling an estate in New Mexico: the personal representative files the estate inventory within 90 daysNMSA § 45-3-706Verified Sep 15, 2026View source of appointment; creditors have 4 monthsNMSA §§ 45-3-801, 45-3-803, 45-3-806, 45-3-1006Verified Oct 19, 2026View source to present claims; a simple estate closes in 4 months to 6 months.
What Does Estate Planning Actually Cost?
An attorney-prepared revocable trust in New Mexico runs $3,510Estimate: 10 hours at $351, Clio's New Mexico Trusts rate; Compare Lawyer Rates, 2025 dataVerified Oct 15, 2026View source to $5,265Estimate: 15 hours at $351, Clio's New Mexico Trusts rate; Compare Lawyer Rates, 2025 dataVerified Oct 15, 2026View source and a simple will $963Estimate: 3 hours at $321, Clio's New Mexico Wills and Estates rate; Compare Lawyer Rates, 2025 dataVerified Oct 15, 2026View source to $1,926Estimate: 6 hours at $321, Clio's New Mexico 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.
