Serves Mecklenburg County from Charlotte, with a second North Carolina office in Raleigh. The trust and estate administration team advises executors and trustees on probate, estate tax returns, distributions, and trust modifications, and handles fiduciary litigation. Chambers High Net Worth ranks the practice in North Carolina private wealth law.
Wake Forest is in Wake County.
More Probate Litigation Firms in Wake County
Serves Mecklenburg County from Charlotte, with a second North Carolina office in Raleigh. The trust and estate administration attorneys handle probate of wills, administration of testate and intestate estates and of trusts, post-death tax planning and fiduciary tax returns, and fiduciary litigation among beneficiaries and fiduciaries. The firm is the only Charlotte-based member of the Am Law 200.
Serves Johnston County from Smithfield, with a second office in Benson and a Raleigh office reaching Wake. The estates group prepares wills, powers of attorney and trusts, manages the probate process, and handles estate and trust administration and trust and estate litigation. Founding partner James W. Narron has been a Board Certified Specialist in Estate Planning and Probate Law since 1987.
A Charlotte firm founded in 1960, now more than 165 attorneys across four offices. Its trusts and estates group represents individual and corporate fiduciaries through estate and trust settlement: court inventories and accountings, estate, gift and fiduciary income tax returns, and post-mortem planning. A separate fiduciary litigation group handles trustee, executor, and beneficiary disputes.
Serves Wake County and central North Carolina from north Raleigh, with offices in Charlotte and Charleston, South Carolina. Its trust and estate administration attorneys represent executors, administrators, guardians, and trustees — initiating probate with the clerk of court, valuing assets, preparing estate accountings, paying claims and taxes, and distributing property — and handle will caveats.
Serves Buncombe and Henderson counties from Asheville and Hendersonville, with further offices in Raleigh and Durham. After a death the firm files the will and opens probate, handles intestate estates, guides trustees through post-death trust administration, prepares the final accounting and closing filings, and takes up disputes among beneficiaries. The firm offers a free initial consultation.
Probate in Wake County
Probate Court Record
Wake County Clerk of Superior Court
Wake County · Superior Court District 10
Phone
Hours
Monday-Friday 8:30 AM-5:00 PM
Office
316 Fayetteville Street Mall, Raleigh, NC 27601
Website
E-filing
Self-represented filing
Allowed
Self-help forms
How to file probate in Wake County →
Verified October 16, 2026 · Source
Do I need a lawyer for probate in Wake County? →Settling an estate in Wake County →
Forms for Planning and Settling an Estate in North Carolina
Free North Carolina forms to plan or settle an estate: a will, trust, powers of attorney, TOD deed and the probate forms. Prepare each form for North Carolina.
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Revocable Living Trust
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Last Will and Testament
In North Carolina, a will is signed before 2N.C.G.S. § 31-3.3Verified Oct 19, 2026View source witnesses, and a self-proving affidavit signed with it lets the court admit it without witness testimonyN.C.G.S. § 31-3.3Verified Oct 19, 2026View source.
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Tools for Planning and Settling an Estate in North Carolina
Free calculators and checklists to plan or settle an estate in North Carolina: will and trust costs, probate, executor pay and taxes. Run each tool.
How Much Does Probate Cost?
Probate on a $500,000 estate in North Carolina costs an estimated $27,108N.C.G.S. § 28A-13-3(a)(19), § 28A-23-3(a) (attorney fees are a negotiated administration expense; no statutory schedule or percentage)Verified Sep 8, 2026View source. Attorney fees run 2%Modeled estimate under N.C.G.S. § 28A-13-3(a)(19), § 28A-23-3(a) (attorney fees are a negotiated administration expense; no statutory schedule or percentage): the hours the statutory fee schedules imply, at the state's surveyed hourly rateVerified Sep 8, 2026View source to 3.1%Modeled estimate under N.C.G.S. § 28A-13-3(a)(19), § 28A-23-3(a) (attorney fees are a negotiated administration expense; no statutory schedule or 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 North Carolina, descendants divide what passes to them per capita at each generationN.C.G.S. § 29-16Verified Oct 21, 2026View source, and an heir must survive the decedent by 120 hoursN.C.G.S. § 28A-24-2(a)Verified Oct 21, 2026View source to inherit.
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What Are the Creditor Claim Deadlines?
In North Carolina, creditors have 3 monthsN.C.G.S. § 28A-14-1(a), § 28A-19-3Verified Sep 8, 2026View source from first publication of the creditor notice to present claims; late claims are barred.
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How Do I Settle an Estate?
Settling an estate in North Carolina: the personal representative files the estate inventory within 90 daysN.C.G.S. §§ 28A-20-1, 28A-20-3, 28A-20-4Verified Sep 15, 2026View source of appointment; creditors have 3 monthsNCGS §§ 28A-14-1, 28A-19-1, 28A-19-3, 28A-19-6, 28A-19-16Verified Oct 19, 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?
North Carolina pays executors reasonable compensationN.C.G.S. § 28A-23-3 (clerk sets commission up to 5% on receipts/expenditures; no fixed schedule)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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