Serves eastern Massachusetts from a main office in Milton with satellite offices in Brockton, Mashpee and Marshfield. Guides personal representatives and beneficiaries through probate and estate administration, handles will contests and disputes over executors and trustees, and takes guardianship and conservatorship cases. Consultations can be held at the office or at the client's home.
Probate in Bristol County
Probate Court Record
Bristol County Probate and Family Court
Bristol County
Phone
Hours
Monday-Friday 8:30 AM-4:30 PM
Office
40 Broadway, Suite 240, Taunton, MA 02780
Website
E-filing
Filing in person
Walk-ins accepted
Self-represented filing
Allowed
Self-help forms
How to file probate in Bristol County →
Verified October 16, 2026 · Source
Do I need a lawyer for probate in Bristol County? →Settling an estate in Bristol County →
Probate Litigation Firms Serving Bristol County
Serves the South Shore, MetroWest and southeastern Massachusetts from offices in Hingham, Holliston, Brockton and Plymouth. Counsels executors, administrators, trustees and heirs through testate and intestate probate, trust administration, ancillary probate and wrongful death estates, prepares federal and Massachusetts estate tax returns, and represents parties in contested wills.
Serves Worcester, Suffolk and Plymouth counties from offices in Worcester, Boston, Plymouth and Southborough. Administers estates and trusts, from Probate Court filings, inventories and annual accounts to estate tax returns and audits, and litigates contested wills, trust disputes and breach of fiduciary duty claims. Established in 1914.
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 families across Massachusetts and New Hampshire from Andover, with a second office in Rye, NH. Attorneys Carah Kiley, Thomas Kiley, Jr. and Thomas Kiley, Sr. handle informal, formal, late and limited formal probate and voluntary administration, administer trusts through final distribution, and litigate will contests, trust disputes and breach of fiduciary duty claims.
Serves the South Shore and Greater Boston from Quincy. Represents personal representatives and beneficiaries in probate, from petitions, inventories and accountings to debts, taxes and distribution, and handles guardianship, conservatorship and fiduciary litigation. Partner Natalie Logan Berardi leads the estate administration and trust accounting work; meetings are available over Zoom.
All 9 Massachusetts probate litigation firms serving Bristol County →
Forms for Planning and Settling an Estate in Massachusetts
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Revocable Living Trust
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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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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.
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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Who Inherits Without a Will?
Without a will in Massachusetts, a surviving spouse takes the entire estateM.G.L. c. 190B § 2-102Verified Oct 21, 2026View source when every child of either spouse is a child of both, and descendants divide what passes to them per capita at each generationM.G.L. c. 190B § 2-106Verified Oct 21, 2026View source.
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What Are the Creditor Claim Deadlines?
In Massachusetts, creditors have 12 monthsM.G.L. c. 190B § 3-803Verified Sep 8, 2026View source from the date of death to present claims; late claims are barred.
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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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How Much Can an Executor Charge?
Massachusetts pays executors reasonable compensationM.G.L. c. 190B § 3-719 (reasonable compensation; no statutory percentage)Verified Sep 8, 2026View source, typically 2.2%Estimated from the 16 state statutes that set an executor fee schedule (median and interquartile range at this estate value)Verified Sep 8, 2026View source to 3.8%Estimated from the 16 state statutes that set an executor fee schedule (median and interquartile range at this estate value)Verified Sep 8, 2026View source of the estate.
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