Serves Wake County and the Triangle from Cary, with clients in Apex, Clayton, Durham, Morrisville, and Raleigh. The firm represents executors, administrators, and successor trustees through North Carolina estate administration — opening the estate with the Clerk of Court, filing the inventory and final accounting, and settling underfunded trusts. Administration work is billed hourly.
Raleigh is in Wake County.
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Serves Wake County and the Triangle from Towne Village Drive in Cary, practicing since 2001. Founder W. Thomas McCuiston, Jr. is an NC Board Certified Specialist in Estate Planning and Probate Law, and the planning work — wills, revocable and irrevocable trusts, powers of attorney, special needs trusts — is built around minimizing income, estate, gift and generation-skipping transfer taxes.
Probate in Wake County
Probate Court Record
Wake County Clerk of Superior Court
Wake County · Superior Court District 10
Phone
Hours
Monday-Friday 8:30 AM-5:00 PM
Office
316 Fayetteville Street Mall, Raleigh, NC 27601
Website
E-filing
Self-represented filing
Allowed
Self-help forms
How to file probate in Wake County →
Verified October 16, 2026 · Source
Do I need a lawyer for probate in Wake County? →Settling an estate in Wake County →
Forms for Planning and Settling an Estate in North Carolina
Free North Carolina forms to plan or settle an estate: a will, trust, powers of attorney, TOD deed and the probate forms. Prepare each form for North Carolina.
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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 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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