Wilmington is in New Castle County.

More Probate Firms in New Castle County

Serves all three Delaware counties from Seaford, with further offices in Camden, Milford, Rehoboth Beach, Bethany Beach and Middletown. Represents executors, administrators, trustees and beneficiaries in probate filings, creditor notices, deed transfers and distributions, and in trust administration. Attorneys work in English and Spanish, and Steve Nowak heads the estate planning department.

Serves the whole stateEstate PlanningTrust AdministrationProbateTax PlanningSpecial Needs Planning+2

Serves New Castle County from Newark. Valerie M. Carr opens estates with the Register of Wills, handles creditor notices, inventories, accountings and final distributions, and helps beneficiaries collect non-probate assets at hourly rates. She sits on the Estate Administration subcommittee of the Delaware State Bar Association's Estates and Trusts section and opened the practice in 2015.

Solo PracticeSince 2015Serves 1 countyEstate PlanningProbateReal Estate

Serves New Castle, Kent and Sussex counties from Montchanin, near Wilmington. Andrew P. Taylor drafts wills, powers of attorney and advance health care directives and helps families with the administration and settling of an estate after a death. The firm's other practices are family law and real estate, and Taylor is Legal Counsel for the Delaware Association of Realtors.

Since 2018Serves the whole stateEstate PlanningProbateFamily LawReal Estate

Serves New Castle County from the Stone Mill Office Plaza in Hockessin. Douglas J. Cummings, Jr. represents personal representatives through probate before the Register of Wills and represents families applying to the court for guardianship of a relative who lacks capacity, alongside wills, trusts and powers of attorney. His other practices are business litigation and real estate transactions.

Solo PracticeSince 2021Serves 1 countyEstate PlanningProbateGuardianshipReal Estate

Serves Delaware and Pennsylvania from Hockessin. Frederick J. Dimichele guides executors, administrators and beneficiaries through probate, from filing the will and petitioning for letters through short-form administrations, creditor claims and distribution, and handles trust administration, guardianship proceedings and Medicaid and long-term care planning. Initial consultations are free.

Solo PracticeServes the whole stateFree consultationEstate PlanningTrust AdministrationProbateElder LawGuardianship+3

Serves New Castle County from Greenville, with Delaware and Pennsylvania licensure. Handles probate and estate administration, trust administration, and adult guardianship petitions, annual updates and accountings in the Delaware Court of Chancery. Works primarily on a flat-fee basis, quoted at the end of the first meeting.

Serves 1 countyEstate PlanningTrust AdministrationProbateTax PlanningGuardianship+2

All 12 probate firms in New Castle County →

Probate in New Castle County

Probate Court Record

New Castle County Register of Wills

New Castle County

Hours

Monday-Thursday 8:00 AM-noon and 1:00 PM-3:30 PM; Friday 8:00 AM-noon and 1:00 PM-3:00 PM

Office

800 North French Street, 2nd Floor, Wilmington, DE 19801

Filing in person

Appointment required

Self-represented filing

Allowed

Self-help forms

How to file probate in New Castle County →

Verified October 15, 2026 · Source

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

Forms for Planning and Settling an Estate in Delaware

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

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Revocable Living Trust

Create a revocable living trust to avoid probate, protect privacy, and control asset distribution.

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Last Will and Testament

In Delaware, a will is signed before 212 Del. C. § 202Verified Oct 18, 2026View source witnesses, and a self-proving affidavit signed with it lets the court admit it without witness testimony12 Del. C. § 202Verified Oct 18, 2026View source.

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Tools for Planning and Settling an Estate in Delaware

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

How Much Does Probate Cost?

Probate on a $500,000 estate in Delaware costs an estimated $33,96412 Del. C. § 2305 (fees "as provided by rule of the Court of Chancery"; no statutory percentage)Verified Sep 8, 2026View source. Attorney fees run 2.5%Modeled estimate under 12 Del. C. § 2305 (fees "as provided by rule of the Court of Chancery"; no statutory percentage): the hours the statutory fee schedules imply, at the state's surveyed hourly rateVerified Sep 8, 2026View source to 3.9%Modeled estimate under 12 Del. C. § 2305 (fees "as provided by rule of the Court of Chancery"; 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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How Do I Settle an Estate?

Settling an estate in Delaware: the personal representative files the estate inventory within 90 daysDel. Code tit. 12, §§ 1904, 1905, 1908, 1910Verified Sep 15, 2026View source of appointment; creditors have 8 months12 Del. C. §§ 2101, 2102, 2103, 2104, 2105, 2109Verified Oct 18, 2026View source to present claims; a simple estate closes in 9 months to 12 months.

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How Much Can an Executor Charge?

Delaware pays executors reasonable compensation12 Del. C. § 2305 (commissions "as provided by rule of the Court of Chancery"; 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.

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Do I Need Probate?

In Delaware, estates with personal property of $50,000delcode.delaware.gov: 12 Del. C. § 2306Verified Sep 8, 2026View source or less skip probate with the Distribution Without Lettersdelcode.delaware.gov: 12 Del. C. § 2306Verified Sep 8, 2026View source, 30 daysdelcode.delaware.gov: 12 Del. C. § 2306Verified Sep 8, 2026View source after death.

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What Are the Creditor Claim Deadlines?

In Delaware, creditors have 8 months12 Del. C. § 2102 (8 months from death for pre-death claims; 6 months for post-death claims)Verified Sep 8, 2026View source from the date of death to present claims; late claims are barred.

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Can I Self-File Probate?

Delaware has no statewide fill-in probate petition, so the opening petition is drafted as a legal pleading, and informal probate is available12 Del. C. §§ 1302, 1303, 1502, 1505 (Register of Wills proves the will and grants letters; proof taken without notice unless an interested person petitions the Court of Chancery)Verified Sep 8, 2026View source.

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