Mount Pleasant firm practicing in estate planning and probate law, serving clients throughout the Charleston and Lowcountry regions. Practice covers wills and trusts, probate and administration, and powers of attorney.
Charleston is in Charleston County.
More Estate Law Firms in Charleston County
Kirby Law, LLC is a boutique Estate Planning and Probate law firm serving the entire state of South Carolina. Since 2005, the principal attorney has been designated by the Supreme Court of South Carolina as a Certified Specialist in Estate Planning and Probate Law. Angela Kirby is both a CPA and an Attorney, and was an Associate Probate Judge for Richland County Probate Court for over five years.
LawyerLisa handles probate across South Carolina from Irmo in the Midlands and offices in Simpsonville, Aiken, Bluffton, Mount Pleasant, and Myrtle Beach. The firm represents proposed personal representatives through appointment and their duties, preparing filings such as the Information to Heirs and Devisees and the Inventory and Appraisement. It also handles elder law and trust administration.
Todd and Johnson was founded in Columbia in 1980 with a focus on estate planning, trusts, probate, and tax law. Multiple attorneys hold the Certified Specialist designation in Estate Planning and Probate Law from the SC Supreme Court, and several are Fellows of the American College of Trust and Estate Counsel (ACTEC).
Wiles Law is a full-service Estate, Tax and Business Planning law firm founded in 2007. The firm assists clients with wills, trusts, probate, wealth transfer, and tax and business planning, serving the tri-county area around Charleston.
Probate in Charleston County
Probate Court Record
Charleston County Probate Court
Charleston County
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How to file probate in Charleston County →
Verified October 16, 2026 · Source
Do I need a lawyer for probate in Charleston County? →Settling an estate in Charleston County →
Forms for Planning and Settling an Estate in South Carolina
Free South Carolina forms to plan or settle an estate: a will, trust, powers of attorney, TOD deed and the probate forms. Prepare each form for South Carolina.
Revocable Living Trust
Create a revocable living trust to avoid probate, protect privacy, and control asset distribution.
Last Will and Testament
In South Carolina, a will is signed before 2S.C. Code § 62-2-502Verified Oct 19, 2026View source witnesses, and a self-proving affidavit signed with it lets the court admit it without witness testimonyS.C. Code § 62-2-502Verified Oct 19, 2026View source.
Healthcare Power of Attorney
South Carolina requires 2S.C. Code Ann. § 62-5-504Verified Oct 15, 2026View source witnesses for a healthcare power of attorney; notarization is not requiredS.C. Code Ann. § 62-5-504Verified Oct 15, 2026View source.
Financial Power of Attorney
South Carolina treats a power of attorney as durable by defaultS.C. Code § 62-8-101 et seq.Verified Sep 20, 2026View source, and it is signed before 2S.C. Code § 62-8-101 et seq.Verified Sep 20, 2026View source witnesses and a notary.
Pour-Over Will
In South Carolina, a pour-over will is signed before 2S.C. Code § 62-2-502Verified Oct 19, 2026View source witnesses and moves anything left outside the trust into it through probate.
Tools for Planning and Settling an Estate in South Carolina
Free calculators and checklists to plan or settle an estate in South Carolina: will and trust costs, probate, executor pay and taxes. Run each tool.
Trust or Will: Which Costs Less?
In South Carolina, a will-based plan pays probate attorney fees of typically 2.1%Modeled estimate under S.C. Code § 62-3-721 (compensation of any person the PR employs, including an attorney); § 62-1-111 (costs and attorney's fees in a formal proceeding); § 62-3-720 (litigation expenses): the hours the statutory fee schedules imply, at the state's surveyed hourly rateVerified Sep 8, 2026View source to 3.3%Modeled estimate under S.C. Code § 62-3-721 (compensation of any person the PR employs, including an attorney); § 62-1-111 (costs and attorney's fees in a formal proceeding); § 62-3-720 (litigation expenses): the hours the statutory fee schedules imply, at the state's surveyed hourly rateVerified Sep 8, 2026View source of the estate; a funded revocable trust keeps those assets out of probate and off that fee.
Do I Need a Revocable Trust?
Probate in South Carolina takes 6 months to 9 months for a simple estate and charges attorney fees of typically 2.1%Modeled estimate under S.C. Code § 62-3-721 (compensation of any person the PR employs, including an attorney); § 62-1-111 (costs and attorney's fees in a formal proceeding); § 62-3-720 (litigation expenses): the hours the statutory fee schedules imply, at the state's surveyed hourly rateVerified Sep 8, 2026View source to 3.3%Modeled estimate under S.C. Code § 62-3-721 (compensation of any person the PR employs, including an attorney); § 62-1-111 (costs and attorney's fees in a formal proceeding); § 62-3-720 (litigation expenses): the hours the statutory fee schedules imply, at the state's surveyed hourly rateVerified Sep 8, 2026View source of the estate; assets held in a revocable trust skip both.
How Much Does Probate Cost?
Probate on a $500,000 estate in South Carolina costs an estimated $27,462S.C. Code § 62-3-721 (compensation of any person the PR employs, including an attorney); § 62-1-111 (costs and attorney's fees in a formal proceeding); § 62-3-720 (litigation expenses)Verified Sep 8, 2026View source. Attorney fees run 2.1%Modeled estimate under S.C. Code § 62-3-721 (compensation of any person the PR employs, including an attorney); § 62-1-111 (costs and attorney's fees in a formal proceeding); § 62-3-720 (litigation expenses): the hours the statutory fee schedules imply, at the state's surveyed hourly rateVerified Sep 8, 2026View source to 3.3%Modeled estimate under S.C. Code § 62-3-721 (compensation of any person the PR employs, including an attorney); § 62-1-111 (costs and attorney's fees in a formal proceeding); § 62-3-720 (litigation expenses): 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.
What Are the Estate Laws in My State?
Probate on a $500,000 estate in South Carolina costs an estimated $27,462S.C. Code § 62-3-721 (compensation of any person the PR employs, including an attorney); § 62-1-111 (costs and attorney's fees in a formal proceeding); § 62-3-720 (litigation expenses)Verified Sep 8, 2026View source and takes 6 months to 9 months for a simple estate, with attorney fees of typically 2.1%Modeled estimate under S.C. Code § 62-3-721 (compensation of any person the PR employs, including an attorney); § 62-1-111 (costs and attorney's fees in a formal proceeding); § 62-3-720 (litigation expenses): the hours the statutory fee schedules imply, at the state's surveyed hourly rateVerified Sep 8, 2026View source to 3.3%Modeled estimate under S.C. Code § 62-3-721 (compensation of any person the PR employs, including an attorney); § 62-1-111 (costs and attorney's fees in a formal proceeding); § 62-3-720 (litigation expenses): the hours the statutory fee schedules imply, at the state's surveyed hourly rateVerified Sep 8, 2026View source of the estate. Estates under $45,000S.C. Code § 62-3-1201Verified Sep 8, 2026View source can use a small-estate procedure instead.
How Do I Settle an Estate?
Settling an estate in South Carolina: the personal representative files the estate inventory within 90 daysS.C. Code §§ 62-3-706, 62-3-707, 62-3-708Verified Sep 15, 2026View source of appointment; creditors have 8 monthsSC Code §§ 62-3-801, 62-3-803, 62-3-805, 62-3-806Verified Oct 19, 2026View source to present claims; a simple estate closes in 6 months to 9 months.
What Does Estate Planning Actually Cost?
An attorney-prepared revocable trust in South Carolina runs $4,150Estimate: 10 hours at $415, Clio's South Carolina Trusts rate; Compare Lawyer Rates, 2025 dataVerified Oct 15, 2026View source to $6,225Estimate: 15 hours at $415, Clio's South Carolina Trusts rate; Compare Lawyer Rates, 2025 dataVerified Oct 15, 2026View source and a simple will $1,122Estimate: 3 hours at $374, Clio's South Carolina Wills and Estates rate; Compare Lawyer Rates, 2025 dataVerified Oct 15, 2026View source to $2,244Estimate: 6 hours at $374, Clio's South Carolina Wills and Estates rate; Compare Lawyer Rates, 2025 dataVerified Oct 15, 2026View source, against $0 to $549 up front plus a subscription with an online service.
