A Ballantyne solo practice in Charlotte serving Mecklenburg County, led by Janice L. Davies, an NC Board Certified Specialist in Estate Planning and Probate Law. She takes personal representatives and trustees through estate and trust administration, prepares estate and income tax returns, and resolves will and trust conflicts through settlement agreements and caveats.
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 →
Special Needs Planning Firms Serving Wake County
Serves Durham County and the Triangle from an office between Durham and Chapel Hill. Four attorneys and three estates paralegals handle estate and trust administration: probating the will, filing estate and fiduciary income tax returns, and post-mortem disclaimers and family settlement agreements. The firm has NC Board Certified Specialists in Estate Planning and Probate Law.
Serves Lee, Chatham, Harnett, and Moore counties from Sanford, with a second by-appointment office in Pittsboro. W. Woods Doster, a board-certified specialist in estate planning and probate law for 25 years, and partner J. Grant Brown handle estate administration, guardianship petitions, and special-needs trusts. The firm serves as Public Administrator for Lee and Chatham counties.
A Durham firm founded in 1997 and focused on estate planning and its related disciplines. Attorneys advise executors and beneficiaries through probate court filings, asset transfer and tax returns, and assist trustees with trust administration and modifying or decanting outdated trusts. Each partner is a North Carolina State Bar Board Certified Specialist in Estate Planning and Probate Law.
All 10 North Carolina special needs planning firms serving Wake County →
Forms for Planning Your Estate in North Carolina
Free forms for planning your estate in North Carolina: will, living trust, pour-over will, powers of attorney and TOD deed. Prepare each form.
$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
North Carolina treats a power of attorney as durable by defaultN.C.G.S. § 32C-1-105Verified Sep 18, 2026View source, and it is signed before a notaryN.C.G.S. § 32C-1-105Verified Sep 18, 2026View source.
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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 Your Estate in North Carolina
Free tools for planning your estate in North Carolina: will and trust costs, trust or TOD deed, and the signing rules. Run each tool for North Carolina.
How Much Does a Revocable Living Trust Cost?
An attorney-prepared revocable living trust in North Carolina runs $4,330Estimate: 10 hours at $433, Clio's North Carolina Trusts rate; Compare Lawyer Rates, 2025 dataVerified Oct 15, 2026View source to $6,495Estimate: 15 hours at $433, Clio's North Carolina 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 North Carolina, four years at a public university cost about $75,440NCES 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% below 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. The estate tax (Chapter 105, Article 1A — G.S. 105-32.1 through 105-32.8) was repealed outright by S.L. 2013-316, s. 7(a) (HB 998), effective January 1, 2013 for decedents dying on or after that date; the inheritance tax (G.S. 105-2 through 105-32) was repealed by S.L. 1998-212, s. 29A.2(a), effective January 1, 1999.Verified Sep 15, 2026View source.
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What Does Estate Planning Actually Cost?
An attorney-prepared revocable trust in North Carolina runs $4,330Estimate: 10 hours at $433, Clio's North Carolina Trusts rate; Compare Lawyer Rates, 2025 dataVerified Oct 15, 2026View source to $6,495Estimate: 15 hours at $433, Clio's North Carolina Trusts rate; Compare Lawyer Rates, 2025 dataVerified Oct 15, 2026View source and a simple will $1,047Estimate: 3 hours at $349, Clio's North Carolina Wills and Estates rate; Compare Lawyer Rates, 2025 dataVerified Oct 15, 2026View source to $2,094Estimate: 6 hours at $349, Clio's North 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.
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Are My Beneficiary Designations Protected?
North Carolina does not revoke an ex-spouse as beneficiary at divorceN.C.G.S. § 31-5.4; § 36C-6-606Verified 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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