Serves Cumberland and Franklin counties from South Portland and Kingfield. Its probate team handles estate and trust administration, probate litigation over contested wills, guardianships and conservatorships, and MaineCare nursing home planning. The firm has practiced in the Greater Portland area for over 40 years.
Portland is in Cumberland County.
More Probate Firms in Cumberland County
Serves southern and central Maine from an office in South Portland. Handles the probate and administration of estates of all sizes, assists trustees with trust administration, gives limited-scope help to personal representatives, and handles non-probate asset transfers. Hospice and nursing facility conferences are available for clients who cannot travel.
Serves Greater Portland and the Lakes Region from offices in Falmouth and Bridgton. A probate, estate and trust administration group guides personal representatives and trustees, including the accounting of estate assets, and the firm handles guardianships, conservatorships, and MaineCare applications. Of counsel Patricia Nelson-Reade is a certified elder law attorney and registered nurse.
Serves Cumberland County from Brunswick. Represents personal representatives, trustees, and other fiduciaries in probating wills and administering trusts, from periodic check-ins to full administrative support by firm staff, much of it at paralegal rates. Prepares MaineCare applications for assisted living and nursing home benefits; does not handle guardianship or conservatorship.
Probate in Cumberland County
Probate Court Record
Cumberland County Probate Court
Cumberland County
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How to file probate in Cumberland County →
Verified October 16, 2026 · Source
Do I need a lawyer for probate in Cumberland County? →Settling an estate in Cumberland County →
Forms for Planning and Settling an Estate in Maine
Free Maine forms to plan or settle an estate: a will, trust, powers of attorney, TOD deed and the probate forms. Prepare each form for Maine.
Revocable Living Trust
Create a revocable living trust to avoid probate, protect privacy, and control asset distribution.
Last Will and Testament
In Maine, a will is signed before 218-C M.R.S. § 2-502Verified Oct 18, 2026View source witnesses, and a self-proving affidavit signed with it lets the court admit it without witness testimony18-C M.R.S. § 2-502Verified Oct 18, 2026View source.
Tools for Planning and Settling an Estate in Maine
Free calculators and checklists to plan or settle an estate in Maine: will and trust costs, probate, executor pay and taxes. Run each tool for Maine.
How Much Does Probate Cost?
Probate on a $500,000 estate in Maine costs an estimated $26,31318-C M.R.S. § 3-721 (court review of the reasonableness of attorney compensation; no statutory percentage); § 3-720 (reasonable attorney fees in estate litigation)Verified Sep 8, 2026View source. Attorney fees run 1.9%Modeled estimate under 18-C M.R.S. § 3-721 (court review of the reasonableness of attorney compensation; no statutory percentage); § 3-720 (reasonable attorney fees in estate litigation): the hours the statutory fee schedules imply, at the state's surveyed hourly rateVerified Sep 8, 2026View source to 3.1%Modeled estimate under 18-C M.R.S. § 3-721 (court review of the reasonableness of attorney compensation; no statutory percentage); § 3-720 (reasonable attorney fees in estate litigation): 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.
How Do I Settle an Estate?
Settling an estate in Maine: the personal representative files the estate inventory within 90 days18-C MRSA §§ 3-706, 3-707, 3-708Verified Sep 15, 2026View source of appointment; creditors have 4 months18-C MRS §§ 3-801, 3-803, 3-805, 3-806Verified Oct 18, 2026View source to present claims; a simple estate closes in 4 months to 6 months.
How Much Can an Executor Charge?
Maine pays executors reasonable compensation18-C M.R.S. § 3-719 (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.
Do I Need Probate?
In Maine, estates with personal property of $52,50018-C M.R.S. § 3-1201Verified Sep 8, 2026View source or less skip probate with the Small Estate Affidavit18-C M.R.S. § 3-1201Verified Sep 8, 2026View source, 30 days18-C M.R.S. § 3-1201Verified Sep 8, 2026View source after death.
What Are the Creditor Claim Deadlines?
In Maine, creditors have 4 months18-C M.R.S. § 3-801(1) (4 months from first publication); § 3-803(1) (outer bar: earlier of 9 months after death or the § 3-801 period)Verified Sep 8, 2026View source from first publication of the creditor notice to present claims; late claims are barred.
Can I Self-File Probate?
Maine has no statewide fill-in probate petition, so the opening petition is drafted as a legal pleading, and informal probate is available18-C M.R.S. §§ 3-301, 3-302Verified Sep 8, 2026View source.
