Maitland firm on Spartan Drive, founded in 1997, serving Orange, Seminole, Lake, Osceola, and Volusia counties. Handles probate and trust administration and trust and estate litigation -- claims against fiduciaries, will and trust contests, disputed trust accountings, and guardianship disputes -- alongside estate-tax, charitable, and special-needs planning.
Probate in Lake County
Probate Court Record
Lake County Clerk of Circuit & County Courts
Lake County · 5th Judicial Circuit
Phone
Hours
Monday-Friday 8:30 AM-5:00 PM
Office
550 West Main Street, 2nd Floor, Tavares, FL 32778
Website
E-filing
Self-represented filing
Allowed
Self-help forms
How to file probate in Lake County →
Verified October 15, 2026 · Source
Do I need a lawyer for probate in Lake County? →Settling an estate in Lake County →
Special Needs Planning Firms Serving Lake County
Winter Park estate and probate practice on Lee Road with experience in the Orange, Seminole, Volusia, Lake, and Osceola county probate courts. Guides families through probate after a death, including intestate estates, and handles estate planning, special-needs trusts, and asset protection. Founder Merrell Bailey is an attorney and CPA listed in Super Lawyers for estate planning and probate.
Fort Lauderdale two-attorney firm in which both partners hold Florida Bar board certification: David Shulman in Wills, Trusts and Estates and Jill Ginsberg in Elder Law. Handles probate and trust administration for Broward and Palm Beach fiduciaries, plus guardianship — including emergency temporary guardianship — estate planning, and asset protection. Takes probate matters anywhere in Florida.
Doral practice serving Miami-Dade and Broward families, with bilingual English/Spanish service. Handles formal, summary, and ancillary probate administration, trust administration, and beneficiary-rights representation, plus guardianship for minors and incapacity petitions. Also drafts wills, living trusts, advance directives, and special-needs plans.
Palm Beach Gardens elder law and estate planning firm with offices in Boynton Beach and Port St. Lucie, practicing since 1988. Handles probate and trust administration, estate litigation, Medicaid and veterans benefits planning, and wealth-transfer tax planning. Joseph S. Karp holds both Florida Bar and national elder law certification.
Gainesville solo practice serving all 67 Florida counties, with most matters handled remotely by phone, email, or Zoom. Lauren Richardson has 30 years of experience and has handled probate estates in more than 50 Florida counties, along with trust administration, guardianship, and elder law matters.
All 7 Florida special needs planning firms serving Lake County →
Forms for Planning Your Estate in Florida
Free forms for planning your estate in Florida: will, living trust, pour-over will, powers of attorney and TOD deed. Prepare each form for Florida.
$12/month
Revocable Living Trust
Create a revocable living trust to avoid probate, protect privacy, and control asset distribution.
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Financial Power of Attorney
Florida requires explicit durability language for a power of attorney to survive incapacityFla. Stat. §§ 709.2101, 709.2104, 709.2105, 709.2106, 709.2108, 709.2109, 709.2113, 709.2119, 709.2120, 709.2201, 709.2202, 709.2208, 709.2209 (2024 supported decisionmaking — informational only, not a POA); § 695.01 (recording); § 695.03 (alternative acknowledgment methods referenced by § 709.2105(2))Verified Oct 21, 2026View source, and it is signed before 2Fla. Stat. §§ 709.2101, 709.2104, 709.2105, 709.2106, 709.2108, 709.2109, 709.2113, 709.2119, 709.2120, 709.2201, 709.2202, 709.2208, 709.2209 (2024 supported decisionmaking — informational only, not a POA); § 695.01 (recording); § 695.03 (alternative acknowledgment methods referenced by § 709.2105(2))Verified Oct 21, 2026View source witnesses and a notary.
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Free
Last Will and Testament
In Florida, a will is signed before 2Fla. Stat. § 732.502Verified Oct 18, 2026View source witnesses, and a self-proving affidavit signed with it lets the court admit it without witness testimonyFla. Stat. § 732.502Verified Oct 18, 2026View source.
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Tools for Planning Your Estate in Florida
Free tools for planning your estate in Florida: will and trust costs, trust or TOD deed, and the signing rules. Run each tool for Florida and read its answer.
How Much Does a Revocable Living Trust Cost?
An attorney-prepared revocable living trust in Florida runs $4,320Estimate: 10 hours at $432, Clio's Florida Trusts rate; Compare Lawyer Rates, 2025 dataVerified Oct 15, 2026View source to $6,480Estimate: 15 hours at $432, Clio's Florida Trusts rate; Compare Lawyer Rates, 2025 dataVerified Oct 15, 2026View source for an individual, against $0 to $549 up front plus a subscription with an online service.
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How Much Life Insurance Do I Need?
In Florida, four years at a public university cost about $64,352NCES Digest of Education Statistics 2023, Table 330.20, public 4-year in-state tuition, fees, room and board, academic year 2022-23Verified Oct 17, 2026View source and the cost of living is near the U.S. averageBEA Regional Price Parities, all items, by state, 2024Verified Oct 17, 2026View source; no state estate or inheritance tax appliesNo state estate or inheritance tax. Fla. Const. Art. VII, § 5(a) caps any Florida estate or inheritance tax at the federal credit amount; the Chapter 198 estate tax (Fla. Stat. § 198.02) is a federal-credit pickup — not repealed, but $0 since EGTRRA eliminated the federal state death tax credit, and the Florida Department of Revenue confirms the estate tax was eliminated for people who died after Dec. 31, 2004. Florida has no inheritance tax and no gift tax.Verified Sep 15, 2026View source.
Calculate the Amount
What Does Estate Planning Actually Cost?
An attorney-prepared revocable trust in Florida runs $4,320Estimate: 10 hours at $432, Clio's Florida Trusts rate; Compare Lawyer Rates, 2025 dataVerified Oct 15, 2026View source to $6,480Estimate: 15 hours at $432, Clio's Florida Trusts rate; Compare Lawyer Rates, 2025 dataVerified Oct 15, 2026View source and a simple will $1,320Estimate: 3 hours at $440, Clio's Florida Wills and Estates rate; Compare Lawyer Rates, 2025 dataVerified Oct 15, 2026View source to $2,640Estimate: 6 hours at $440, Clio's Florida 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.
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Are My Beneficiary Designations Protected?
Florida automatically revokes an ex-spouse as beneficiary at divorceFla. Stat. § 732.703Verified Sep 15, 2026View source; employer plans under ERISA follow federal rules either way, so a 401(k) beneficiary changes only by a new designation.
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