Probate in Berkshire County

Probate Court Record

Berkshire County Probate and Family Court

Berkshire County

Hours

Monday-Friday 8:30 AM-4:00 PM

Office

44 Bank Row, Pittsfield, MA 01201

E-filing

Filing in person

Walk-ins accepted

Self-represented filing

Allowed

Self-help forms

How to file probate in Berkshire County →

Verified October 16, 2026 · Source

Do I need a lawyer for probate in Berkshire County? →Settling an estate in Berkshire County →

Special Needs Planning Firms Serving Berkshire County

Serves Massachusetts from Waltham, concentrating on Greater Boston, with offices in New Hampshire and Florida. Guides executors, administrators and trustees through probate court proceedings, trust administration and distribution, and estate and fiduciary tax returns, and handles guardianship and conservatorship petitions. Founder David M. Beliveau is also a Certified Public Accountant.

Serves the whole stateEstate PlanningTrust AdministrationProbateElder LawTax Planning+6

Serves Bristol, Norfolk, Plymouth and Barnstable counties and families throughout Massachusetts from Fall River. Handles probate of wills, administration of estates, voluntary administration of small estates, guardianship and conservatorship petitions, and MassHealth long-term care planning with irrevocable trusts. Most planning is handled by phone and video, with in-person signings.

Since 2005Serves the whole stateFree consultationVirtual consultationsEstate PlanningProbateConservatorshipGuardianshipSpecial Needs Planning+2

Serves Essex, Middlesex and Suffolk counties from Wakefield, meeting clients in person or by telephone or Zoom. Handles probate and estate administration, trust administration, conservatorships and guardianships, and MassHealth applications and fair hearing appeals. Attorneys Patrick Curley and Lucy Budman are both Certified Elder Law Attorneys.

Serves the whole stateVirtual consultationsEstate PlanningTrust AdministrationProbateElder LawTax Planning+6

Serves Massachusetts clients from Waltham and offices in Braintree, Hyannis, Westborough, Woburn and Longmeadow. Represents executors, trustees, conservators and beneficiaries in probate and estate administration, trust administration, estate tax returns, will contests and breach of fiduciary duty claims. Leo J. Cushing, Esq., CPA, founded the firm in Boston in 1984.

Since 1984Serves the whole stateFree consultationEstate PlanningTrust AdministrationProbateProbate LitigationTrust Litigation+10

Serves clients across Massachusetts from Worcester, meeting both virtually and in person. Handles probate and estate administration for families after a death and guides successor trustees through trust administration. Attorney Polly Tatum and her associates also handle elder law, MassHealth and nursing-home planning, and the firm has practiced since 1997.

Since 1997Serves the whole stateVirtual consultationsEstate PlanningTrust AdministrationProbateElder LawSpecial Needs PlanningMedicaid Planning

Serves clients throughout Massachusetts from offices in Holliston and Hyannis. Guides executors through probate and estate administration and handles trust administration, guardianship, and MassHealth applications. Founding attorney Jay Marsden spent more than 16 years as an investment advisor at Fidelity Investments; initial consultations are free.

Serves the whole stateFree consultationEstate PlanningTrust AdministrationProbateElder LawGuardianship+3

All 12 Massachusetts special needs planning firms serving Berkshire County →

Forms for Planning Your Estate in Massachusetts

Free forms for planning your estate in Massachusetts: will, living trust, pour-over will, powers of attorney and TOD deed. Prepare each form for Massachusetts.

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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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Free

Financial Power of Attorney

Massachusetts requires explicit durability language for a power of attorney to survive incapacityM.G.L. c. 190B §§ 5-501 to 5-507; c. 183 §§ 29, 32Verified Oct 21, 2026View source, and it is signed with no witness or notary requirementM.G.L. c. 190B §§ 5-501 to 5-507; c. 183 §§ 29, 32Verified Oct 21, 2026View source.

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Last Will and Testament

In Massachusetts, a will is signed before 2M.G.L. c. 190B § 2-502Verified Oct 18, 2026View source witnesses, and a self-proving affidavit signed with it lets the court admit it without witness testimonyM.G.L. c. 190B § 2-502Verified Oct 18, 2026View source.

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All Massachusetts forms

Tools for Planning Your Estate in Massachusetts

Free tools for planning your estate in Massachusetts: will and trust costs, trust or TOD deed, and the signing rules. Run each tool for Massachusetts.

How Much Does a Revocable Living Trust Cost?

An attorney-prepared revocable living trust in Massachusetts runs $3,920Estimate: 10 hours at $392, Clio's Massachusetts Trusts rate; Compare Lawyer Rates, 2025 dataVerified Oct 15, 2026View source to $5,880Estimate: 15 hours at $392, Clio's Massachusetts 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 Massachusetts, four years at a public university cost about $117,036NCES 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 6% above the U.S. averageBEA Regional Price Parities, all items, by state, 2024Verified Oct 17, 2026View source; the state levies an estate taxM.G.L. c. 65C § 2A; St. 2023, c. 50; St. 2024, c. 206, § 13; St. 2025, c. 9, § 35Verified Sep 15, 2026View source above $2,000,000M.G.L. c. 65C § 2A; St. 2023, c. 50; St. 2024, c. 206, § 13; St. 2025, c. 9, § 35Verified Sep 15, 2026View source.

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What Does Estate Planning Actually Cost?

An attorney-prepared revocable trust in Massachusetts runs $3,920Estimate: 10 hours at $392, Clio's Massachusetts Trusts rate; Compare Lawyer Rates, 2025 dataVerified Oct 15, 2026View source to $5,880Estimate: 15 hours at $392, Clio's Massachusetts Trusts rate; Compare Lawyer Rates, 2025 dataVerified Oct 15, 2026View source and a simple will $1,161Estimate: 3 hours at $387, Clio's Massachusetts Wills and Estates rate; Compare Lawyer Rates, 2025 dataVerified Oct 15, 2026View source to $2,322Estimate: 6 hours at $387, Clio's Massachusetts 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?

Massachusetts automatically revokes an ex-spouse as beneficiary at divorceM.G.L. c. 190B, § 2-804Verified 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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All Massachusetts tools