Serves Montgomery and Howard counties from Rockville, with meeting locations in Columbia, Washington, D.C., Tysons Corner and Vienna. Handles estate and trust administration and probate and trust litigation, including will contests and breach of fiduciary duty. Practice is limited to estate law; a one-hour initial consultation is $500, applied to the engagement if retained.
Probate in Howard County
Probate Court Record
Howard County Register of Wills
Howard County
Phone
Hours
Monday-Friday 8:30 AM-4:30 PM
Office
Circuit Courthouse, 9250 Judicial Way, Suite 1100, Ellicott City, MD 21043
Website
Filing in person
Walk-ins accepted
Self-represented filing
Allowed
Self-help forms
How to file probate in Howard County →
Verified October 16, 2026 · Source
Do I need a lawyer for probate in Howard County? →Settling an estate in Howard County →
Probate Firms Serving Howard County
Serves Baltimore City and the surrounding counties from downtown Baltimore. Assists personal representatives in settling estates, from gathering assets and paying debts to distribution, tax returns and the estate accounting, and represents beneficiaries and excluded heirs in will contests and breach of fiduciary duty litigation. Serves estates of any asset level.
Serves Prince George's, Howard, Montgomery and Anne Arundel counties from Main Street in Laurel. Handles Maryland probate and estate administration and helps successor trustees administer trusts, whether or not the firm drafted the trust, and assists trustees and beneficiaries in the probate court process. Tom Downs has limited his practice to estate planning, probate, trust administration and guardianship since 1995.
Serves Baltimore City and Anne Arundel, Baltimore, Harford and Howard counties from an office in Canton. Guides executors and trustees through probate and estate and trust administration, including accountings, tax returns and distributions, and represents beneficiaries and fiduciaries in will and trust contests and breach of fiduciary duty disputes. The firm's roots date to 1939.
Serves Montgomery, Prince George's, Frederick and Howard counties from Rockville. Dan Willard assists personal representatives, beneficiaries and others with probate administration and related probate litigation, including filing the will with the Register of Wills and obtaining letters. A husband-and-wife practice with over 25 years in Montgomery County that also handles construction and business litigation.
Serves Carroll County and surrounding counties from Westminster, near the Carroll County courts. Guides personal representatives through opening the estate, the inventory and valuation, sale of assets, payment of taxes and debts, and distribution, and handles disputes over wills, undue influence and breach of fiduciary duty, as well as guardianship of the person and of the property. Gary W. Desper is a former Assistant Attorney General for Maryland; the first 30 minutes of a consultation are free for new clients.
Forms for Planning and Settling an Estate in Maryland
Free Maryland forms to plan or settle an estate: a will, trust, powers of attorney, TOD deed and the probate forms. Prepare each form for Maryland.
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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 Maryland, a will is signed before 2Md. Est. & Trusts § 4-102Verified Oct 18, 2026View source witnesses, and it is self-proved when properly executedMd. Est. & Trusts § 4-102Verified Oct 18, 2026View source.
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Tools for Planning and Settling an Estate in Maryland
Free calculators and checklists to plan or settle an estate in Maryland: will and trust costs, probate, executor pay and taxes. Run each tool for Maryland.
How Much Does Probate Cost?
Probate on a $500,000 estate in Maryland costs an estimated $33,231Md. Est. & Trusts § 7-602 (reasonable compensation; no statutory percentage)Verified Sep 8, 2026View source. Attorney fees run 2.1%Modeled estimate under Md. Est. & Trusts § 7-602 (reasonable compensation; no statutory percentage): the hours the statutory fee schedules imply, at the state's surveyed hourly rateVerified Sep 8, 2026View source to 3.3%Modeled estimate under Md. Est. & Trusts § 7-602 (reasonable compensation; 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 Maryland: the personal representative files the estate inventory within 90 daysET §§ 7-201, 7-202, 7-203Verified Sep 15, 2026View source of appointment; creditors have 6 monthsMd. Code, Est. & Trusts §§ 7-103, 7-103.1, 8-103, 8-104, 8-105, 8-107Verified Oct 18, 2026View source to present claims; a simple estate closes in 6 months to 9 months.
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How Much Can an Executor Charge?
Maryland sets executor compensation by statute — about $19,080 on a $500,000 estate, roughly 3.8%Md. Est. & Trusts § 7-601Verified Sep 8, 2026View source.
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Do I Need Probate?
In Maryland, estates valued at $50,000Md. Est. & Trusts § 5-601Verified Sep 8, 2026View source or less qualify for the Petition for Administration of Small EstateMd. Est. & Trusts § 5-601Verified Sep 8, 2026View source, a court procedure short of full probate.
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What Are the Creditor Claim Deadlines?
In Maryland, creditors have 6 monthsMd. Est. & Trusts § 8-103Verified 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?
In Maryland, informal probate is availableMd. Est. & Trusts § 5-301 et seq. (administrative probate; Register of Wills appointment)Verified Sep 8, 2026View source, and a self-represented executor can usually handle it for a simple, uncontested estate.
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