Probate in Somerset County

Probate Court Record

Somerset County Probate Court

Somerset County

Hours

Monday-Friday 8:00 AM-4:00 PM

Office

41 Court Street, Skowhegan, ME 04976

Self-represented filing

Allowed

Self-help forms

How to file probate in Somerset County →

Verified October 16, 2026 · Source

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

Probate Firms Serving Somerset County

Serves Cumberland and Kennebec counties from offices in Portland and Augusta. Its Trusts & Estates group handles estate and trust administration, represents executors and trustees, prepares estate and gift tax returns, and resolves trust and estate disputes. Founded in Portland in 1915.

Since 1915Serves 2 countiesEstate PlanningTrust AdministrationProbateProbate LitigationTrust LitigationTax Planning

Serves Knox and Waldo counties and the Augusta area from Camden, with a signing location in Manchester. Represents personal representatives in probate court, probating wills and handling intestate estates, and prepares MaineCare applications for a spouse or parent entering a nursing home. Attorney Jesse Bifulco also runs free online estate planning webinars.

Solo PracticeServes 3 countiesVirtual consultationsEstate PlanningProbateElder LawMedicaid Planning

Serves Cumberland and Kennebec counties from offices in Portland and Augusta, with its Trusts & Estates group in Portland. Handles estate administration, trust administration including trustee appointments, accountings, and nonjudicial settlement agreements, and probate litigation over guardianships, conservatorships, and disputed wills and trusts. Its attorneys also serve as trustees.

Serves 2 countiesEstate PlanningTrust AdministrationProbateProbate LitigationTrust Litigation+3

Serves Cumberland, Penobscot, and Kennebec counties from offices in Portland, Bangor, and Augusta. Its Private Clients & Fiduciary Services group handles estate administration, opens probate estates, appears in guardianship and conservatorship proceedings, and litigates estate and trust disputes in Maine, Massachusetts, and Connecticut probate courts. It also manages trusts as fiduciary.

Since 1862Serves 3 countiesEstate PlanningTrust AdministrationProbateProbate LitigationTrust Litigation+4

Serves clients throughout Maine from One Monument Way in Portland. Its Estate Planning & Elder Law attorneys guide personal representatives through probate administration, handle trust administration, and represent heirs and beneficiaries in will contests and disputes over the distribution of estate property. The firm has represented Maine people and businesses since 1881.

Since 1881Serves the whole stateEstate PlanningTrust AdministrationProbateProbate LitigationElder LawSpecial Needs Planning

Serves clients in probate courts throughout Maine from Marginal Way in Portland. Its estate planning and administration team represents personal representatives, trustees, and beneficiaries in administering estates and trusts, handles guardianships and conservatorships, and with the firm's trial group represents clients in contested probate, will, and trust matters. Founded in 1965.

Since 1965Serves the whole stateEstate PlanningTrust AdministrationProbateProbate LitigationTrust Litigation+3

All 24 Maine probate firms serving Somerset 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.

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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 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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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