Probate Litigation Attorneys in Vermont

16 probate litigation firms in Vermont, by city, county and firm type.

State

County

City

Practice Area

All Areas

Planning ahead

Estate Planning16 Tax Planning10 Special Needs Planning4 Asset Protection5 Medicaid Planning4

Settling an estate

Trust Administration10 Probate15 Probate Litigation16 Trust Litigation9

Capacity and care

Elder Law4 Guardianship7

Firm Type

Firm listings are for informational purposes only. SimplyTrust does not endorse or recommend any specific firm or attorney. Contact firms directly to discuss your situation and verify their current practice areas and availability.

16 firms

Bergeron, Paradis & Fitzpatrick, LLP

34 Pearl Street, Essex Junction, VT 05452

Essex Junction firm on Pearl Street in Chittenden County. Represents executors, administrators, trustees and beneficiaries in estate and trust administration, from probate petitions, estate tax returns and accountings to trust and probate litigation, and handles adult and minor guardianship. Most estate planning work is billed on a flat fee.

Estate PlanningTrust AdministrationProbateProbate LitigationTrust Litigation+8

1-802-879-6304

Dinse, P.C.

209 Battery Street, Burlington, VT 05402

Burlington firm on Battery Street, opened in 1917, whose estate group handles estates of all sizes. It guides families through estate administration and distribution, including probate court, property transfers and federal and state estate tax returns, and administers and interprets trusts, charitable trusts and private foundations. Probate and trust litigation is supported by the firm's litigation group.

Since 1917Estate PlanningTrust AdministrationProbateProbate LitigationTrust Litigation+3

1-802-864-5751

Downs Rachlin Martin PLLC

199 Main Street, Suite 600, Burlington, VT 05401

Burlington firm on Main Street with Vermont offices in Montpelier, St. Johnsbury and Brattleboro and one in Lebanon, New Hampshire. Its trusts and estates team handles probating wills, trust administration, gift and estate tax returns, and probate and trust dispute resolution, alongside planning for U.S. and non-U.S. citizens. The group is chaired by Willemien Dingemans Miller, an ACTEC Fellow since 2000.

Estate PlanningTrust AdministrationProbateProbate LitigationTrust Litigation+4

1-802-863-2375

Gravel & Shea PC

76 St. Paul Street, 7th Floor, Burlington, VT 05401

Burlington firm on St. Paul Street, traced to the practice Clarke A. Gravel opened in 1955 after serving as Chittenden probate judge. It handles all phases of probate, estate and trust administration for estates from modest to multi-million-dollar, including probate court filings, appraisals, estate and fiduciary income tax returns and post-mortem tax planning. Its litigators take on will and trust contests, creditor claims, fiduciary accountings and removal of trustees and administrators.

Since 1955Estate PlanningTrust AdministrationProbateProbate LitigationTrust Litigation+2

1-802-658-0220

Breton & Simon, PLC

344 Mountain Road, Stowe, VT 05672

Two-partner general practice on Mountain Road in Stowe, Lamoille County, run by Bryce Breton and Brice Simon. It processes small estates, assists with will contests, and drafts simple wills and trust agreements, alongside family law, real estate, civil litigation and criminal defense.

Estate PlanningProbateProbate LitigationCriminal DefenseFamily Law+2

1-802-760-6772

Clarke Demas & Berger

346 Shelburne Road, Suite 602, Burlington, VT 05401

Burlington firm on Shelburne Road. Administers decedents' trusts and estates, advising executors, personal representatives and trustees or serving in those roles directly, and handles probate administration and litigation, co-counseling contested probate matters with its litigation group. Also helps clients qualify for long-term care Medicaid.

Estate PlanningTrust AdministrationProbateProbate LitigationTax Planning+3

1-802-652-1400

Deppman Law PLC

2 Park Street, Middlebury, VT 05753

General practice firm at 2 Park Street in Middlebury, Addison County. Benj and Lesley Deppman handle probate matters and trust and estate administration, and represent beneficiaries and fiduciaries in estate and trust disputes, including will and trust contests and claims that an executor or trustee mismanaged assets.

Estate PlanningTrust AdministrationProbateProbate LitigationTrust Litigation+4

1-802-388-6337

Langrock Sperry & Wool, LLP

111 S. Pleasant Street, Middlebury, VT 05753

Firm with offices in Middlebury and Burlington. Assists executors, administrators, trustees and beneficiaries in administering estates and trusts whether or not the assets pass through probate, and its estate litigators bring and defend will, trust and administration challenges in Probate Court, Superior Court and the Vermont Supreme Court.

Free consultationEstate PlanningTrust AdministrationProbateProbate LitigationTrust Litigation+2

1-802-388-6356

Meub Associates, PLC

65 Grove Street, Rutland, VT 05701

Downtown Rutland firm on Grove Street whose attorneys appear in Rutland Probate Court. Administers testate and intestate estates from the petition for appointment through the inventory, accountings and final distribution, handles ancillary proceedings for nonresidents' Vermont real estate, and represents guardians and families in guardianship proceedings.

Estate PlanningProbateProbate LitigationGuardianshipBusiness Law+3

1-802-747-0610

Costello Valente Group, P.C.

51 Putney Road, Brattleboro, VT 05301

Brattleboro firm on Putney Road with a second Brattleboro office and one in Townshend, serving Vermont, New Hampshire and Massachusetts. Takes probate litigation for families who believe a loved one's wishes are not being carried out, and prepares wills, trusts and guardianships alongside long-term care planning. Formerly Costello, Valente & Gentry, P.C.

Estate PlanningProbate LitigationElder LawGuardianshipCriminal Defense+3

1-802-257-5533

William C. Deveneau, Esq. PLC

160 Benmont Ave, Suite C3-80A, Bennington, VT 05201

Bennington solo practice serving all of Vermont, mainly Bennington, Windham, Rutland and Windsor Counties, with offices in Albany, New York and Athol, Massachusetts. Advises executors or serves as personal representative from opening the estate through the inventory, estate tax returns and closing, and litigates will and trust contests. Free 30-minute strategy session in person or by phone.

Solo PracticeServes the whole stateFree consultationVirtual consultationsEstate PlanningProbateProbate LitigationTrust LitigationElder Law+4

1-802-442-9800

Bucknam Law PC

434 Eastman Road, Walden, VT 05836

Walden, Vermont practice run by Deborah T. Bucknam, who has practiced in Vermont since 1979, including in the Probate Division of the Superior Court. The firm prepares and files the court documents for opening, administering and closing estates, represents parties in will contests and other contested probate matters, and handles guardianship proceedings.

Solo PracticeEstate PlanningProbateProbate LitigationGuardianshipFamily Law

1-802-748-5525

Primmer Piper Eggleston & Cramer PC

30 Main Street, Suite 500, Burlington, VT 05402

Regional firm with Vermont offices in Burlington and Woodstock. Its estate practice takes executors through Vermont probate, from filing the will through the inventory, estate and gift tax returns and distribution, and handles trust administration and accountings. Its litigators handle will contests, removal of trustees or personal representatives and breach of fiduciary duty claims.

Estate PlanningTrust AdministrationProbateProbate LitigationTrust LitigationTax Planning

1-802-864-0880

Pratt Vreeland Kennelly Martin & White, Ltd.

64 North Main Street, Rutland, VT 05701

Rutland general civil practice firm handling probate administration with and without wills, including small estates, estate property sales, ancillary proceedings and accountings. It also takes will challenges, estate disputes, probate appeals and guardianships, and offers trust administration, including limited fiduciary services, and supplemental needs trusts.

Estate PlanningTrust AdministrationProbateProbate LitigationElder Law+7

1-802-775-7141

Wagner Law of Vermont

135 S. Pleasant Street, Middlebury, VT 05753

Middlebury solo practice serving clients throughout Vermont, begun by Jennifer Wagner in 2023 after Marsh & Wagner, P.C. dissolved. It guides executors through probating a will in Vermont probate court, from filing the will through paying creditors and taxes and locating beneficiaries, and handles will challenges and probate disputes. The first office visit is half-price.

Solo PracticeServes the whole stateEstate PlanningProbateProbate LitigationTax PlanningGuardianshipFamily Law

1-802-388-4026

Putnam & Menard, PLC

1 Cross Street, Middlebury, VT 05753

Middlebury firm formed in 2020 that practices in all of Vermont's civil, probate and environmental courts. Attorney Amy Menard focuses her litigation practice on trust and estate matters, handles probate and trust administration, and commonly serves as an estate administrator or trustee. Planning work includes wills, trusts, special needs trusts and Medicaid long-term care planning.

Since 2020Serves the whole stateEstate PlanningTrust AdministrationProbateProbate LitigationTrust Litigation+6

1-802-388-7966

Estate planning attorneys in Vermont average $297 an hour for wills and estates work. A flat-fee package runs $891 to $1,782 for a simple individual will and $2,400 to $3,600 for a basic revocable trust. An online service prices the same documents in the tens to low hundreds of dollars; the Vermont will cost calculator sets the two side by side.

In Vermont, estates with personal property of $45,000 or less qualify for the Small Estate Administration, a court procedure short of full probate. That route is a form rather than a court case, and most families handle it without an attorney. Above the line, formal probate generally benefits from counsel for the procedural work, even when nothing is contested. The Vermont probate calculator estimates the cost by estate value.

In Vermont, the situations where counsel is typically worth the cost are: a blended family with children from a prior relationship; a business, rental property or significant investment assets; a dependent with special needs, who needs a special-needs trust to keep benefits; an estate near or above the Vermont estate tax threshold of $5,000,000; substantial property in more than one state. Where none of these apply, an online or self-help document is often enough.

Filter the directory by county and by the practice area you need, and look for experience with your situation; a board certification in estate planning, trust or probate law is a strong signal. Most Vermont estate planning attorneys offer an initial consultation, some free and some for a flat fee. Ask up front whether the firm bills by the hour or by package, and what your situation is expected to cost.

Probate Litigation Attorneys in Vermont

Estate planning attorneys in Vermont charge $297 per hour for wills and estates work. A simple will done through an attorney typically runs $891–$1,782; online services cost $30–$300 for the same document.

Vermont imposes its own estate tax separate from the federal one, kicking in well below the federal exemption. Estates near the state threshold benefit from real planning — not because every family needs it, but because the line is lower than people expect.

Estates under $45,000 in Vermont can use a simplified affidavit instead of formal probate. Most families in that range can handle it without retaining counsel.

Legal Sources

(4)·Updated October 15, 2026

SimplyTrust Editorial

Data sourced from Vermont statutes and official state code. How we research.

Forms for Planning and Settling an Estate in Vermont

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

$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 Vermont, a will is signed before 2 witnesses, and a self-proving affidavit signed with it lets the court admit it without witness testimony.

Get Started

All Vermont forms

Tools for Planning and Settling an Estate in Vermont

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

How Much Does Probate Cost?

Probate on a $500,000 estate in Vermont costs an estimated $24,561. Attorney fees run 1.7% to 2.7% of the estate under a reasonable-compensation standard.

Calculate Costs

Who Inherits Without a Will?

Without a will in Vermont, a surviving spouse takes the entire estate when every child of either spouse is a child of both, and descendants divide what passes to them per stirpes.

Check the Rules

What Are the Creditor Claim Deadlines?

In Vermont, creditors have 4 months 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 Vermont: the personal representative files the estate inventory within 60 days of appointment; creditors have 4 months to present claims; a simple estate closes in 6 months to 9 months.

See the Steps

How Much Can an Executor Charge?

Vermont pays executors reasonable compensation, typically 2.2% to 3.8% of the estate.

Calculate the Fee

All Vermont tools

Probate Litigation Attorneys in Vermont

Forms for Planning and Settling an Estate in Vermont

Revocable Living Trust

Last Will and Testament

Tools for Planning and Settling an Estate in Vermont

How Much Does Probate Cost?

Who Inherits Without a Will?

What Are the Creditor Claim Deadlines?

How Do I Settle an Estate?

How Much Can an Executor Charge?

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Probate Litigation Attorneys in Vermont