Estate planning attorneys in Virginia average $437Clio Compare Lawyer Rates, Virginia: Wills and Estates rate (2025 data)Verified Oct 15, 2026View source an hour for wills and estates work. A flat-fee package runs $1,311Estimate: 3 hours at $437, Clio's Virginia Wills and Estates rate; Compare Lawyer Rates, 2025 dataVerified Oct 15, 2026View source to $2,622Estimate: 6 hours at $437, Clio's Virginia Wills and Estates rate; Compare Lawyer Rates, 2025 dataVerified Oct 15, 2026View source for a simple individual will and $3,770Estimate: 10 hours at $377, Clio's Virginia Trusts rate; Compare Lawyer Rates, 2025 dataVerified Oct 15, 2026View source to $5,655Estimate: 15 hours at $377, Clio's Virginia Trusts rate; Compare Lawyer Rates, 2025 dataVerified Oct 15, 2026View source for a basic revocable trust. An online service prices the same documents in the tens to low hundreds of dollars; the Virginia will cost calculator sets the two side by side.
In Virginia, estates with personal property of $75,000Va. Code § 64.2-600Verified Sep 9, 2026View source or less skip probate with the Small Estate AffidavitVa. Code § 64.2-600Verified Sep 9, 2026View source, 60 daysVa. Code § 64.2-600Verified Sep 9, 2026View source after death. 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 Virginia probate calculator estimates the cost by estate value.
In Virginia, 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; 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 Virginia 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.
Free Virginia forms for planning an estate or settling one: a will, trust, powers of attorney, TOD deed, and the probate forms an executor files.
Create a revocable living trust to avoid probate, protect privacy, and control asset distribution.
In Virginia, a will is signed before 2Va. Code § 64.2-403Verified Oct 19, 2026View source witnesses, and a self-proving affidavit signed with it lets the court admit it without witness testimonyVa. Code § 64.2-403Verified Oct 19, 2026View source.
Free calculators and checklists for planning or settling an estate in Virginia: will and trust costs, probate, executor pay, and inheritance taxes.
Probate on a $500,000 estate in Virginia costs an estimated $29,411Va. Code §§ 64.2-105(B)(12) (fiduciary employs and compensates counsel), 64.2-1208(A) (commissioner of accounts allows reasonable expenses; no statutory percentage)Verified Sep 9, 2026View source. Attorney fees run 2.5%Va. Code §§ 64.2-105(B)(12) (fiduciary employs and compensates counsel), 64.2-1208(A) (commissioner of accounts allows reasonable expenses; no statutory percentage)Verified Sep 9, 2026View source to 3.9%Va. Code §§ 64.2-105(B)(12) (fiduciary employs and compensates counsel), 64.2-1208(A) (commissioner of accounts allows reasonable expenses; no statutory percentage)Verified Sep 9, 2026View source of the estate under a reasonable-compensation standard.
Without a will in Virginia, a surviving spouse takes the entire estateVa. Code § 64.2-200Verified Sep 10, 2026View source when every child of either spouse is a child of both, and descendants divide what passes to them per capita with representationVa. Code § 64.2-202Verified Sep 10, 2026View source.
In Virginia, the 6 monthsVa. Code §§ 64.2-554, 64.2-556(A) (six months from qualification before distribution may be compelled or ordered over creditors), 64.2-508.1(C)(4) (elective published notice: claims due at least six months from first publication); § 64.2-529 (separate 12-month personal-liability shield for the personal representative); § 64.2-550 (debts-and-demands hearing before the commissioner of accounts)Verified Sep 9, 2026View source period after first publication of the creditor notice protects a representative who distributes after it; late claims can still reach undistributed assets.
Settling an estate in Virginia: the personal representative files the estate inventory within 120 daysVa. Code § 64.2-1300Verified Sep 15, 2026View source of appointment; creditors have 6 monthsVa. Code §§ 64.2-508.1, 64.2-528, 64.2-529, 64.2-550, 64.2-552, 64.2-556Verified Oct 19, 2026View source to present claims; a simple estate closes in 6 months to 9 months.
Virginia pays executors reasonable compensationVa. Code § 64.2-1208(A) (commissioner of accounts allows reasonable compensation; no statutory percentage)Verified Sep 9, 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 9, 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 9, 2026View source of the estate.
5 probate litigation firms in Virginia, by county and 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.
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5 firms
FirmRichmond, VA
Richmond firm on Westerre Parkway serving the metro area. Handles wills, trusts, powers of attorney, and advance directives, plus adult guardianship and contested estate and fiduciary litigation. Offers a free initial consultation.
PracticesEstate PlanningProbate LitigationTrust LitigationGuardianshipand 2 more
FirmRoanoke, VA
Roanoke firm on Franklin Road serving the Roanoke and New River Valleys and the surrounding counties. Guides personal representatives through probate and estate administration — asset gathering, creditor notification, and distribution to heirs — and handles will contests, beneficiary-status determinations, and accounting disputes.
PracticesEstate PlanningTrust AdministrationProbateProbate LitigationWills Trusts
FirmFairfax, VA
Fairfax firm serving Northern Virginia through the Fairfax County Circuit Court and Commissioner of Accounts since 1980. Handles probate and estate administration for executors and heirs, trust administration, estate and trust disputes and litigation, elder law, and special-needs planning. Provides fixed-price quotes for defined estate matters.
PracticesEstate PlanningProbate LitigationElder LawSpecial Needs PlanningWills Trusts
FirmLynchburg, VA
Lynchburg firm on Enterprise Drive serving the city and Amherst, Bedford, and Campbell counties. Walks executors and administrators through probate — reviewing the will, qualifying the personal representative, notifying creditors, and transferring assets — and handles will contests and beneficiary disputes. Three decades serving central Virginia families.
PracticesEstate PlanningProbateProbate LitigationWills Trusts
FirmLeesburg, VA
Leesburg firm serving Loudoun, Fairfax, and surrounding Northern Virginia in estate planning, probate, and trust administration. Handles trusts, wills, powers of attorney, advance medical directives, probate, adult guardianships, and trust and estate administration, plus related litigation. Offers complimentary estate-planning consultations.
PracticesEstate PlanningTrust AdministrationProbateProbate LitigationTrust Litigation