Probate in Rutherford County

Probate Court Record

Rutherford County Probate Court (County Clerk's Office)

Rutherford County · 16th Judicial District

Hours

Monday-Thursday 8:00 AM-4:00 PM; Friday 8:00 AM-5:00 PM

Office

319 North Maple Street, Suite 121, Murfreesboro, TN 37130

E-filing

Self-represented filing

Allowed

Self-help forms

How to file probate in Rutherford County →

Verified October 16, 2026 · Source

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

Probate Litigation Firms Serving Rutherford County

Manchester practice serving Coffee County and the neighboring Franklin, Grundy, Warren, Cannon, Bedford, Moore and Rutherford counties. Its probate work runs from the initial petition through the asset inventory, creditor claims, final accounting and closing of the estate, and it handles contested wills. The firm also takes criminal, family law and personal injury cases.

Since 1995Serves 8 countiesFree consultationEstate PlanningProbateProbate LitigationFamily LawPersonal Injury

Franklin probate and estate practice serving Williamson, Davidson and Rutherford counties. Shanone Emmack assists executors in administering estates under court supervision and litigates will contests, executor and beneficiary conflicts, breach of fiduciary duty claims and partition of inherited property. She also handles conservatorships, including emergency conservatorships.

Solo PracticeServes 3 countiesFree consultationEstate PlanningTrust AdministrationProbateProbate LitigationTrust LitigationConservatorship

Patterson Bray has offices in Memphis and Brentwood, serving Shelby County and Nashville-area clients. Its estate attorneys handle probate and post-death administration of estates and revocable living trusts, and its estate litigators take on will contests, undue influence and breach of fiduciary duty claims. Lindsay Jones is President of the Planned Giving Council of Greater Memphis.

Serves 4 countiesFree consultationEstate PlanningTrust AdministrationProbateProbate LitigationAsset Protection+3

Higgins Estate Group works from Hart Street in Nashville and appears regularly in the Davidson, Williamson, Rutherford, Wilson and Sumner probate courts. It handles full and small estate administration, muniment of title and creditor claims, with no upfront probate costs for qualified estates, and litigates will contests, executor misconduct and partition actions.

Serves 15 countiesFree consultationEstate PlanningProbateProbate LitigationConservatorshipGuardianship+3

Harris Shelton keeps a Covington office in Tipton County beside its Memphis, Brentwood and Oxford, Mississippi offices. Its trusts and estates group represents fiduciaries and families after a death in probate administration, fiduciary and estate tax compliance, will contests, estate and trust litigation, and conservatorships.

Serves 3 countiesEstate PlanningTrust AdministrationProbateProbate LitigationTrust Litigation+5

Mobley & Gontarek practices from Nashville and serves clients throughout Tennessee. It settles complex estates and trusts, prepares federal and state estate tax returns, handles estate tax audits, and litigates will contests, undue-influence and elective-share claims and trust disputes for fiduciaries and beneficiaries. Jeff Mobley is an ACTEC Fellow and co-author of the Pritchard wills treatise.

Serves the whole stateEstate PlanningTrust AdministrationProbateProbate LitigationTrust Litigation+5

All 8 Tennessee probate litigation firms serving Rutherford County →

Forms for Planning and Settling an Estate in Tennessee

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

$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 Tennessee, a will is signed before 2T.C.A. § 32-1-104Verified Oct 19, 2026View source witnesses, and a self-proving affidavit signed with it lets the court admit it without witness testimonyT.C.A. § 32-1-104Verified Oct 19, 2026View source.

Get Started

All Tennessee forms

Tools for Planning and Settling an Estate in Tennessee

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

How Much Does Probate Cost?

Probate on a $500,000 estate in Tennessee costs an estimated $24,527T.C.A. § 30-2-317(a)(1) (reasonable compensation to the personal representative's counsel, a first-priority cost of administration); § 30-2-606; no statutory percentageVerified Sep 8, 2026View source. Attorney fees run 1.7%Modeled estimate under T.C.A. § 30-2-317(a)(1) (reasonable compensation to the personal representative's counsel, a first-priority cost of administration); § 30-2-606; no statutory percentage: the hours the statutory fee schedules imply, at the state's surveyed hourly rateVerified Sep 8, 2026View source to 2.7%Modeled estimate under T.C.A. § 30-2-317(a)(1) (reasonable compensation to the personal representative's counsel, a first-priority cost of administration); § 30-2-606; 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.

Calculate Costs

Who Inherits Without a Will?

Without a will in Tennessee, descendants divide what passes to them per capita with representationTenn. Code §§ 31-2-104(b)(1), 31-2-106Verified Oct 21, 2026View source, and an heir must survive the decedent by 120 hoursTenn. Code § 31-3-108Verified Oct 21, 2026View source to inherit.

Check the Rules

What Are the Creditor Claim Deadlines?

In Tennessee, creditors have 4 monthsT.C.A. § 30-2-306(b) cl. (1)(A) (4 months from first publication or posting), cl. (1)(B) (60 days from actual notice), cl. (2) and § 30-2-310(a) (12-month bar from death); § 30-2-307(a)(1); § 30-2-321Verified Sep 8, 2026View source from first publication of the creditor notice to present claims; late claims are barred.

Check the Rules

How Do I Settle an Estate?

Settling an estate in Tennessee: the personal representative files the estate inventory within 60 daysTenn. Code Ann. § 30-2-301Verified Sep 15, 2026View source of appointment; creditors have 4 monthsT.C.A. §§ 30-2-306, 30-2-307, 30-2-310, 30-2-314, 30-2-317Verified Oct 19, 2026View source to present claims; a simple estate closes in 6 months to 9 months.

See the Steps

How Much Can an Executor Charge?

Tennessee pays executors reasonable compensationT.C.A. § 30-2-606 (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.

Calculate the Fee

All Tennessee tools