Manhattan solo handling contested and uncontested Surrogate's Court matters across New York City and the surrounding counties: probate and intestate administration, kinship proceedings, will contests, fiduciary accountings, breach-of-fiduciary-duty claims, and estate taxes. Also drafts wills, trusts, and advance directives, and brings Article 81 guardianship proceedings.
Probate in Brooklyn
Probate Court Record
Kings County (Brooklyn) Surrogate's Court
Kings County (Brooklyn) · 2nd Judicial District
Phone
Hours
Monday-Tuesday, Thursday-Friday 9:00 AM-1:00 PM and 2:00 PM-4:45 PM; Wednesday 9:00 AM-noon
Office
2 Johnson Street, Brooklyn, NY 11201
Website
E-filing
Self-represented filing
Allowed
Self-help forms
How to file probate in Kings County (Brooklyn) →
Verified October 16, 2026 · Source
Do I need a lawyer for probate in Brooklyn? →Settling an estate in Brooklyn →
Probate Litigation Firms Serving Brooklyn
Forest Hills (Queens) solo practice helping families in Queens, Brooklyn, and Nassau since 1985. Guides families through Surrogate's Court probate and estate administration, handling filings, creditor claims, and disputes, and litigates will contests and contested guardianship petitions in Surrogate's and Supreme Court. Also prepares wills, trusts, health care proxies, and powers of attorney, with Medicaid and long-term-care planning. Offers a free consultation.
Queens practice weighted toward probate and estate administration, representing executors and administrators through appointment, creditor debts, and distribution. Also litigates disputes over asset distribution, will validity, and trust administration, and drafts wills, trusts, powers of attorney, and health-care proxies. Consultations are free.
Lower Manhattan practice on Broad Street representing beneficiaries, administrators, executors, heirs, and trustees in Surrogate's Court probate proceedings and will contests across the five boroughs, Long Island, and Westchester. Handles estate administration, ancillary probate for foreign and out-of-state decedents, SCPA 1404 examinations, contested accountings, guardianship, and federal and New York estate tax returns.
Five-attorney estate practice at 40 Wall Street, appearing regularly in the New York County Surrogate's Court. Gets fiduciaries appointed — letters testamentary, letters of administration c.t.a. and d.b.n. — then handles what goes wrong afterwards: contested accountings, discovery and turnover proceedings to recover estate assets, fiduciary removal, and kinship hearings proving a right to inherit. Also runs contested Article 81 guardianships.
Great Kills firm on Staten Island's South Shore handling wills and probate for Richmond County families. Assists executors through the full Surrogate's Court process — filing the will, transferring assets from the decedent to the estate, valuing and liquidating property, paying taxes and debts, and locating beneficiaries — and litigates will contests on either side.
Forms for Planning and Settling an Estate in New York
Free New York forms to plan or settle an estate: a will, trust, powers of attorney, TOD deed and the probate forms. Prepare each form for New York.
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Revocable Living Trust
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Last Will and Testament
In New York, a will is signed before 2EPTL § 3-2.1Verified Oct 19, 2026View source witnesses, and a self-proving affidavit signed with it lets the court admit it without witness testimonyEPTL § 3-2.1Verified Oct 19, 2026View source.
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Tools for Planning and Settling an Estate in New York
Free calculators and checklists to plan or settle an estate in New York: will and trust costs, probate, executor pay and taxes. Run each tool for New York.
How Much Does Probate Cost?
Probate on a $500,000 estate in New York costs an estimated $35,992SCPA § 2110 (reasonable compensation; no statutory percentage)Verified Sep 8, 2026View source. Attorney fees run 2.5%Modeled estimate under SCPA § 2110 (reasonable compensation; no statutory percentage): the hours the statutory fee schedules imply, at the state's surveyed hourly rateVerified Sep 8, 2026View source to 4%Modeled estimate under SCPA § 2110 (reasonable compensation; 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.
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Who Inherits Without a Will?
Without a will in New York, a surviving spouse takes the first $50,000 plus half of the restEPTL § 4-1.1Verified Oct 21, 2026View source when a child or other descendant survives, and descendants divide what passes to them per capita at each generationEPTL § 4-1.1; EPTL § 1-2.16Verified Oct 21, 2026View source.
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What Are the Creditor Claim Deadlines?
In New York, the 7 monthsSCPA § 1802Verified Sep 8, 2026View source period after the personal representative's appointment protects a representative who distributes after it; late claims can still reach undistributed assets.
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How Do I Settle an Estate?
Settling an estate in New York: the personal representative files the estate inventory within 270 days22 NYCRR 207.20Verified Sep 15, 2026View source of appointment; creditors have 7 monthsSCPA 1802, 1803, 1810, 1811; EPTL 11-1.5Verified Oct 19, 2026View source to present claims; a simple estate closes in 7 months to 9 months.
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How Much Can an Executor Charge?
New York sets executor compensation by statute — about $19,000 on a $500,000 estate, roughly 3.8%SCPA § 2307Verified Sep 8, 2026View source.
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