Serves Lee, Chatham, Harnett, and Moore counties from Sanford, with a second by-appointment office in Pittsboro. W. Woods Doster, a board-certified specialist in estate planning and probate law for 25 years, and partner J. Grant Brown handle estate administration, guardianship petitions, and special-needs trusts. The firm serves as Public Administrator for Lee and Chatham counties.
Probate in Harnett County
Probate Court Record
Harnett County Clerk of Superior Court
Harnett County · Superior Court District 12
Phone
Hours
Monday-Friday 8:30 AM-12:30 PM and 1:30 PM-5:00 PM
Office
301 West Cornelius Harnett Boulevard, Suite 100, Lillington, NC 27546
Website
E-filing
Self-represented filing
Allowed
Self-help forms
How to file probate in Harnett County →
Verified October 16, 2026 · Source
Do I need a lawyer for probate in Harnett County? →Settling an estate in Harnett County →
Probate Firms Serving Harnett County
Serves Moore County and the surrounding Hoke, Harnett, Scotland, Lee and Richmond counties from North Bennett Street in Southern Pines. The estate administration side handles probate of a decedent's will, collecting estate assets, paying final expenses and debts, distributing property as the court approves, and challenging or defending a will when family members disagree over it.
Serves Johnston and Sampson counties from offices in Smithfield and Clinton, where the firm has practiced since 1969 and appears in the Johnston County courts regularly. Attorneys handle probate and estate administration after a death, guardianship for minors and adults who need care, and contested wills and disputed trusts. Spanish-speaking staff are available.
Serves Wayne County and Eastern North Carolina from Goldsboro, where the firm has practiced since 1914. Attorneys John W. Dees and Tommy W. Jarrett draft wills and trusts, guide families through the probate process, and take on elder-law questions, backed by an extensive real estate practice that bears on what happens to a decedent's property. Consultations are free.
A Fayetteville elder law and special needs practice in Cumberland County, founded in 2002 and led by J. Duane Gilliam, Jr. For executors and court-appointed personal representatives the firm handles opening the estate, inventory and appraisal, creditor notice, estate tax returns and the final accounting, alongside guardianships, Medicaid asset planning and special needs trusts.
A two-attorney Greenville office on Red Banks Road practicing primarily real estate law, where L. Allen Hahn has represented eastern North Carolina clients for over fifty years and closed transactions in nearly every county in the region. Its estate work is wills, estate planning and estate administration; Brian V. Meyerhoeffer, Jr. handles closings across the state.
All 18 North Carolina probate firms serving Harnett County →
Forms for Planning and Settling an Estate in North Carolina
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Last Will and Testament
In North Carolina, a will is signed before 2N.C.G.S. § 31-3.3Verified Oct 19, 2026View source witnesses, and a self-proving affidavit signed with it lets the court admit it without witness testimonyN.C.G.S. § 31-3.3Verified Oct 19, 2026View source.
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Tools for Planning and Settling an Estate in North Carolina
Free calculators and checklists to plan or settle an estate in North Carolina: will and trust costs, probate, executor pay and taxes. Run each tool.
How Much Does Probate Cost?
Probate on a $500,000 estate in North Carolina costs an estimated $27,108N.C.G.S. § 28A-13-3(a)(19), § 28A-23-3(a) (attorney fees are a negotiated administration expense; no statutory schedule or percentage)Verified Sep 8, 2026View source. Attorney fees run 2%Modeled estimate under N.C.G.S. § 28A-13-3(a)(19), § 28A-23-3(a) (attorney fees are a negotiated administration expense; no statutory schedule or percentage): the hours the statutory fee schedules imply, at the state's surveyed hourly rateVerified Sep 8, 2026View source to 3.1%Modeled estimate under N.C.G.S. § 28A-13-3(a)(19), § 28A-23-3(a) (attorney fees are a negotiated administration expense; no statutory schedule or 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 North Carolina: the personal representative files the estate inventory within 90 daysN.C.G.S. §§ 28A-20-1, 28A-20-3, 28A-20-4Verified Sep 15, 2026View source of appointment; creditors have 3 monthsNCGS §§ 28A-14-1, 28A-19-1, 28A-19-3, 28A-19-6, 28A-19-16Verified Oct 19, 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?
North Carolina pays executors reasonable compensationN.C.G.S. § 28A-23-3 (clerk sets commission up to 5% on receipts/expenditures; no fixed schedule)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 North Carolina, estates with personal property of $20,000N.C.G.S. § 28A-25-1Verified Sep 8, 2026View source or less use the Affidavit for Collection of Personal PropertyN.C.G.S. § 28A-25-1Verified Sep 8, 2026View source, 30 daysN.C.G.S. § 28A-25-1Verified Sep 8, 2026View source after death, a court filing short of full probate.
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What Are the Creditor Claim Deadlines?
In North Carolina, creditors have 3 monthsN.C.G.S. § 28A-14-1(a), § 28A-19-3Verified 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?
In North Carolina, informal probate is not availableN.C.G.S. § 28A-2-1 (clerk of superior court is ex officio judge of probate), § 28A-6-1 (single application for letters; no informal/formal election)Verified Sep 8, 2026View source, so self-filing means a formal court petition rather than a registrar filing.
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