Free North Dakota forms for planning an estate or settling one: a will, trust, powers of attorney, TOD deed, and the probate forms an executor files.
Create a revocable living trust to avoid probate, protect privacy, and control asset distribution.
In North Dakota, a will is signed before 2N.D.C.C. § 30.1-08-02Verified Oct 19, 2026View source witnesses, and a self-proving affidavit signed with it lets the court admit it without witness testimonyN.D.C.C. § 30.1-08-02Verified Oct 19, 2026View source.
Free calculators and checklists for planning or settling an estate in North Dakota: will and trust costs, probate, executor pay, and inheritance taxes.
Probate on a $500,000 estate in North Dakota costs an estimated $24,994N.D.C.C. § 30.1-18-21 (court reviews the reasonableness of attorney compensation; no statutory percentage schedule); § 30.1-18-20 (estate pays reasonable attorney's fees)Verified Sep 8, 2026View source. Attorney fees run 1.8%N.D.C.C. § 30.1-18-21 (court reviews the reasonableness of attorney compensation; no statutory percentage schedule); § 30.1-18-20 (estate pays reasonable attorney's fees)Verified Sep 8, 2026View source to 2.9%N.D.C.C. § 30.1-18-21 (court reviews the reasonableness of attorney compensation; no statutory percentage schedule); § 30.1-18-20 (estate pays reasonable attorney's fees)Verified Sep 8, 2026View source of the estate under a reasonable-compensation standard.
Settling an estate in North Dakota: the personal representative files the estate inventory within 180 daysN.D.C.C. §§ 30.1-18-06, 30.1-18-07, 30.1-18-08Verified Sep 15, 2026View source of appointment; creditors have 3 monthsN.D.C.C. §§ 30.1-19-01, 30.1-19-03, 30.1-19-05, 30.1-19-06Verified Oct 19, 2026View source to present claims; a simple estate closes in 4 months to 6 months.
North Dakota pays executors reasonable compensationN.D.C.C. § 30.1-18-19 (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.
In North Dakota, estates valued at $100,000N.D.C.C. § 30.1-23-01Verified Sep 8, 2026View source or less skip probate with the Small Estate AffidavitN.D.C.C. § 30.1-23-01Verified Sep 8, 2026View source, 30 daysN.D.C.C. § 30.1-23-01Verified Sep 8, 2026View source after death.
In North Dakota, creditors have 3 monthsN.D.C.C. § 30.1-19-03(1)(a)Verified Sep 8, 2026View source from first publication of the creditor notice to present claims; late claims are barred.
In North Dakota, informal probate is availableN.D.C.C. § 30.1-14-01Verified Sep 8, 2026View source, and a self-represented executor can usually handle it for a simple, uncontested estate.
81 probate firms in North Dakota, by county and firm type.
Firm listings are for informational purposes only. SimplyTrust does not endorse or recommend any specific firm or attorney. Contact firms directly to discuss your situation and verify their current practice areas and availability.
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81 firms
FirmWashburn, ND
Two-attorney office in Washburn serving McLean County and the neighboring communities of Riverdale, Underwood, and Wilton. Handles wills and probate, including choosing an appropriate executor, estate tax issues, guardianships, living trusts, and updating an existing will by codicil, in a rural general practice.
PracticesEstate PlanningProbateBusiness LawReal Estate Law
FirmWilliston, ND
Williston general practice serving Williams County and northwestern North Dakota, with two attorneys both admitted in North Dakota in 2011 and a retired founding partner. Handles estate planning and probate alongside real estate and family law. The firm has no website; contact is by phone or email.
PracticesEstate PlanningProbate
FirmDickinson, ND
The oldest law firm in western North Dakota and eastern Montana, practicing from Dickinson since 1889, with lawyers licensed in North Dakota, South Dakota, and Montana. Estate planning and probate is a named practice with three assigned attorneys. Mineral work includes clearing title to oil, gas, coal and wind interests and dormant mineral claims. Free consultations.
PracticesEstate PlanningTrust AdministrationProbateBusiness LawEstate Tax Planning
FirmMinot, ND
Minot firm, formerly Boppre Law Firm, serving north-central North Dakota. Has assisted personal representatives from across the country in administering North Dakota estates, and represents heirs disputing an administration as well as creditors of the decedent. Opens delayed probates years after a death, and prepares wills complying with the American Indian Probate Reform Act.
PracticesEstate PlanningTrust AdministrationProbateElder Law
FirmMinot, ND
Minot firm serving northeast and northwest North Dakota. Itemizes its probate work: filing the will with the court, transferring assets to the estate, valuing it, paying taxes and debts, locating beneficiaries, and challenging invalid wills or defending valid ones. Also handles mineral succession and royalty disputes, mineral trusts, and life estate deeds.
PracticesEstate PlanningTrust AdministrationProbateAgricultural Lawand 3 more
FirmMinot, ND
Minot firm in practice since 1901, with four of its attorneys carrying the estate work. Advises family members, beneficiaries, and creditors through formal and informal probate and intestacy proceedings, will contests, and guardianships, and represents beneficiaries, administrators, executors, and trustees in estate litigation.
PracticesEstate PlanningTrust AdministrationProbateTax Planning
FirmWilliston, ND
Serves northwestern North Dakota and northeastern Montana from Williston and Watford City, for more than 60 years. Represents families through probate whether the decedent died with or without a will, and keeps a dedicated probate paralegal on staff. Also handles oil and gas interests and land ownership in producing territory.
PracticesEstate PlanningTrust AdministrationProbate
Solo PracticeRugby, ND
Solo general practice in Rugby serving Pierce County, one of five attorneys currently practicing in the city. Galen Mack was admitted in North Dakota in 1986 and handles estate planning alongside real estate, agricultural matters, loan closing services, and senior issues. The office has no website; contact is by phone or email.
PracticesEstate PlanningProbateAgricultural LawReal Estate Law
FirmBismarck, ND
Bismarck firm serving Burleigh and Morton counties, with three attorneys admitted in North Dakota. Assists families after a death through formal and informal probate proceedings, prosecutes and defends will contests, and represents beneficiaries and fiduciaries in probate litigation. Also handles guardianships and conservatorships, special needs trusts, and Medicaid planning.
PracticesEstate PlanningTrust AdministrationProbateProbate Litigationand 2 more
FirmWilliston, ND
The longest-standing firm in Williston, serving Williams County and the Bakken. Curative probate is a named specialty: resolving the land and mineral title problems that surface on inherited property, with work alongside the oil companies operating the wells folded into the probate as standard. Also serves heirs living far from North Dakota, and handles farm succession.
PracticesEstate PlanningProbateBusiness Succession
FirmBismarck, ND
Bismarck firm with a staffed branch office in Harvey, serving central and western North Dakota since 2014. Probate administration is a named practice, alongside estate litigation and will and trust disputes. Also handles guardianship and conservatorship, including emergency appointments, and the agricultural and energy-lease matters that bear on North Dakota estates.
PracticesEstate PlanningTrust AdministrationProbateGuardianshipBusiness Succession
FirmFargo, ND
Downtown Fargo firm serving North Dakota, Minnesota, and South Dakota. Estate and trust administration guides families through probate, alongside estate tax planning, guardianship and conservatorship, and estate litigation. The firm traces its roots more than 100 years and has operated in downtown Fargo for its entire existence.
PracticesEstate PlanningTrust AdministrationProbate
FirmJamestown, ND
General practice in Jamestown serving Stutsman County and south-central North Dakota, now carried by Steven T. Ottmar after both founding attorneys retired. Practice lines are elder law, estate planning and probate, wills and trusts, real estate, family law, and personal injury.
PracticesEstate PlanningProbateElder LawReal Estate LawWills
FirmGrand Forks, ND
Grand Forks firm serving the region since 1898, with lawyers licensed in North Dakota and Minnesota — it makes the difference between the two states’ probate rules its stated focus. Probate administration runs from appointing the personal representative through gathering asset and debt information, paying final expenses, and distributing. Farm succession and guardianship are named practices.
PracticesEstate PlanningTrust AdministrationProbate
FirmWest Fargo, ND
Serves Cass, Traill, and Benson counties from five offices in West Fargo, Casselton, Hillsboro, Page, and Maddock. Addresses newly named personal representatives and successor trustees directly: cataloging and valuing assets, filing court documents, paying creditor claims and estate taxes, and distributing to heirs, with litigation when disputes arise.
PracticesEstate PlanningTrust AdministrationProbateElder Law
FirmMinot, ND
Minot firm serving north-central North Dakota, with attorneys in Kenmare and Fargo. Estate work covers wills, health care directives, powers of attorney, probate, and trust creation, within a practice representing more than 40 banks statewide and handling creditors’ rights — useful context for an estate facing claims. Also mineral title and division orders.
PracticesEstate PlanningTrust AdministrationProbate
FirmBismarck, ND
Bismarck firm serving clients across western North Dakota. Handles wills, trusts and trust administration, powers of attorney, living wills and health care directives, and guardianships, with planning aimed at minimizing taxes, reducing or eliminating the need for probate, and preventing conflict among heirs. Attorneys Rod Pagel and Scott Hager.
PracticesEstate PlanningProbateWills
FirmBismarck, ND
Bismarck firm that has advised clients across the region for nearly 100 years. Represents families in matters from simple probates through full probate litigation, and in estate planning ranging from simple wills to complex trusts. Its three estate attorneys each pair trusts and estates with oil, gas, and mineral property work, which matters for North Dakota estates holding mineral interests.
PracticesEstate PlanningTrust AdministrationProbate
FirmGrand Forks, ND
Serves both sides of the river from Grand Forks and East Grand Forks, licensed in North Dakota and Minnesota state and federal courts. Handles probate, estates and trusts, simple and complex wills, powers of attorney, and health care directives, with the firm’s litigation team available for disputes arising out of estate matters. Initial consultations carry no attorney’s fee.
PracticesEstate PlanningProbateTax PlanningWills
FirmWilliston, ND
Williston firm licensed in North Dakota, Montana, Wyoming, and South Dakota, which suits an estate spread across state lines. Handles probates and heirship matters, determines mineral ownership, and gets royalty funds released from suspense. Founder Malcolm Pippin has been a CPA since 1986. Consultation fees are paid upfront.
PracticesEstate PlanningTrust AdministrationProbateWills