Special Needs Planning Attorneys in South Dakota

10 special needs planning firms in South 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.

10 firms

Solo PracticeRapid City, SD

Aspen Legacy Planning

Serves Rapid City and western South Dakota from Sheridan Lake Road. Handles estate administration and probate for executors, trust administration for trustees, conservatorships and guardianships, and estate and fiduciary litigation such as will interpretation, undue influence, trustee-beneficiary disputes, and fiduciary removal. Consultations are offered in person, by phone, or by video.

PracticesEstate PlanningTrust AdministrationProbateProbate Litigationand 10 more

Office: 770 Sheridan Lake RoadRapid City, SD 57702
Phone: (605) 610-4016

Virtual consultations

FirmSioux Falls, SD

Boyce Law Firm, L.L.P.

Since 1878 · Serves the whole state

Serves Sioux Falls and southeast South Dakota from its downtown Sioux Falls office. Handles probate and estate administration, trust administration, guardianships and conservatorships, contested estate matters, and special-needs and charitable planning. Founded in Sioux Falls by Frank L. Boyce in 1878.

PracticesEstate PlanningTrust AdministrationProbateProbate Litigationand 5 more

Office: 300 S. Main AvenueSioux Falls, SD 57104
Phone: (605) 336-2424

Virtual consultations

FirmSioux Falls, SD

Estate Planning Solutions Law Firm, Prof. LLC

Serves families from its office on S Bur Oak Place in Sioux Falls. Handles probate and trust administration, representing fiduciaries and beneficiaries, drafting family settlement agreements, modifying or terminating trusts, and preparing estate tax returns and audits. Also plans farm and business successions and high-net-worth estate tax strategies.

PracticesEstate PlanningTrust AdministrationProbateTax Planningand 4 more

Office: 5027 S Bur Oak PlaceSioux Falls, SD 57108
Phone: (605) 906-8118

FirmAberdeen, SD

Gellhaus & Gellhaus, P.C.

Serves Aberdeen and northeastern South Dakota from one office. Handles probate, wills, living wills and health directives, durable powers of attorney, revocable, irrevocable and special-needs trusts, and guardianships and conservatorships. Plans for farm and ranch families whose land values have changed.

PracticesEstate PlanningProbateConservatorshipGuardianshipand 4 more

Office: 120 South Lincoln StreetAberdeen, SD 57401
Phone: (605) 225-6522

Solo PracticeSioux Falls, SD

Harris Law & Co.

Serves South Dakota clients from a Sioux Falls office, and clients elsewhere virtually. Guides personal representatives and beneficiaries through probate, estate and trust administration, and handles wills, trusts, Medicaid and special-needs planning, asset protection, and business succession. Attorney Lindsay M. Harris works with a probate and trust administration coordinator.

PracticesEstate PlanningTrust AdministrationProbateElder Lawand 6 more

Office: 601 E Tan Tara CircleSioux Falls, SD 57108
Phone: (605) 777-1772

Virtual consultations

FirmSioux Falls, SD

Legacy Law Firm, P.C.

Serves South Dakota, Iowa, Minnesota, Nebraska, and North Dakota from Sioux Falls. Its probate attorney works only on probate, estate and trust administration for personal representatives and successor trustees, alongside Medicaid, special-needs and asset-protection planning. Has South Dakota's first Board Certified Elder Law Attorney certified by the National Elder Law Foundation.

PracticesEstate PlanningTrust AdministrationProbateElder Lawand 6 more

Office: 7404 S. Bitterroot PlaceSioux Falls, SD 57108
Phone: (605) 275-5665

Free consultationVirtual consultations

FirmSioux Falls, SD

Plan Wise Legal

Serves clients across South Dakota from Sioux Falls, with partners also licensed in Iowa, Nebraska, Minnesota, and Colorado. Handles probate, small-estate and trust administration, guardianships, and Medicaid planning, along with wills, trusts, and farm succession planning. Offers a free 20 to 30 minute initial consultation and meets clients by video call.

PracticesEstate PlanningTrust AdministrationProbateElder Lawand 7 more

Office: 2571 S. Westlake Drive, Suite 210Sioux Falls, SD 57106
Phone: (605) 291-1448

Free consultationVirtual consultations

Solo PracticeSioux Falls, SD

Prosperity Law Firm, PLLC

Serves Sioux Falls and clients throughout South Dakota and Minnesota from an office on S. Grand Arbor Court. Handles probate and estate administration, guardianship and conservatorship petitions, and disputes over wills, trusts, and estate administration, including fiduciary misconduct claims. Offers a free consultation for estate administration and probate matters.

PracticesEstate PlanningProbateProbate LitigationTrust Litigationand 4 more

Office: 7520 S. Grand Arbor Court, Suite 140Sioux Falls, SD 57108
Phone: (605) 401-6257

Free consultation

FirmSioux Falls, SD

Thompson Law, PLLC

Since 2003 · Serves the whole state

Serves families, farmers and ranchers throughout South Dakota from Sioux Falls, with a second office in Grand Forks, North Dakota since a July 2026 merger. Takes executors and trustees through probate and trust administration, from notices to heirs and creditors to tax returns and retitling deeds. Also drafts living trusts, wills and Medicaid plans, licensed in five states.

PracticesEstate PlanningTrust AdministrationProbateElder Lawand 8 more

Office: 5027 S. Western AvenueSioux Falls, SD 57108
Phone: (605) 362-9100

Solo PracticeSioux Falls, SD

Wilson Legal Planning

Serves Sioux Falls from a solo office on South Crossing Place. Takes families through probate and trust administration and guardianship and conservatorship petitions, and drafts wills, trusts, special needs trusts and Medicaid long-term care plans. Attorney Rebecca Wilson founded it after 18 years in estate planning and elder law and belongs to the National Association of Elder Law Attorneys.

PracticesEstate PlanningTrust AdministrationProbateElder Lawand 5 more

Office: 5117 S Crossing Place, Suite 3Sioux Falls, SD 57108
Phone: (605) 215-1467

Estate planning attorneys in South Dakota average $311 an hour for wills and estates work. A flat-fee package runs $933 to $1,866 for a simple individual will and $3,580 to $5,370 for a basic revocable trust. An online service prices the same documents in the tens to low hundreds of dollars; the South Dakota will cost calculator sets the two side by side.

In South Dakota, estates valued at $100,000 or less skip probate with the Small Estate Affidavit, 30 days after death. That route is a form rather than a court case, and most families handle it without an attorney. Above the line, formal probate generally benefits from counsel for the procedural work, even when nothing is contested. The South Dakota probate calculator estimates the cost by estate value.

In South Dakota, the situations where counsel is typically worth the cost are: a blended family with children from a prior relationship; a business, rental property or significant investment assets; a dependent with special needs, who needs a special-needs trust to keep benefits; substantial property in more than one state. Where none of these apply, an online or self-help document is often enough.

South Dakota splits the two: probate attorney fees of typically 1.8% to 2.8% of the estate, but the executor's compensation follows a statutory schedule, about $12,585 on a $500,000 estate. That makes the executor's share predictable, which helps when a family member serves and is unsure what to charge.

Filter the directory by county and by the practice area you need, and look for experience with your situation; a board certification in estate planning, trust or probate law is a strong signal. Most South Dakota estate planning attorneys offer an initial consultation, some free and some for a flat fee. Ask up front whether the firm bills by the hour or by package, and what your situation is expected to cost.

Special Needs Planning Attorneys in South Dakota

South Dakota attorneys average $311 an hour for wills and estates work. A basic will from an attorney runs $933–$1,866; online services cost $30–$300.

South Dakota sets executor compensation by statute — about $12,585 on a $500,000 estate, roughly 2.5%, even though the attorney's fee isn't fixed. That's the predictable cost component on probate here.

Worth knowing: estates under $100,000 can use South Dakota's simplified affidavit instead of formal probate. If your situation is straightforward and the estate fits, you may not need an attorney at all.

SimplyTrust Editorial·Updated October 15, 2026

Legal Sources

Data sourced from South Dakota statutes and official state code. How we research.

Forms for Planning Your Estate in South Dakota

Free forms for planning your estate in South Dakota: a will, living trust, pour-over will, both powers of attorney, living will, and TOD deed.

$12/month

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

South Dakota requires explicit durability language for a power of attorney to survive incapacity, and it is signed before a notary.

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Free

Last Will and Testament

In South Dakota, a will is signed before 2 witnesses, and a self-proving affidavit signed with it lets the court admit it without witness testimony.

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All South Dakota forms

Tools for Planning Your Estate in South Dakota

Free tools for planning your estate in South Dakota: what a will or trust costs, whether you need a trust or TOD deed, and how documents are signed.

How Much Does a Revocable Living Trust Cost?

An attorney-prepared revocable living trust in South Dakota runs $3,580 to $5,370 for an individual, against $0 to $549 up front plus a subscription with an online service.

Compare Costs

How Much Life Insurance Do I Need?

In South Dakota, four years at a public university cost about $69,440 and the cost of living is 11% below the U.S. average; no state estate or inheritance tax applies.

Use Calculator

What Does Estate Planning Actually Cost?

An attorney-prepared revocable trust in South Dakota runs $3,580 to $5,370 and a simple will $933 to $1,866, against $0 to $549 up front plus a subscription with an online service.

Compare Costs

Are My Beneficiary Designations Protected?

South Dakota automatically revokes an ex-spouse as beneficiary at divorce; 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 South Dakota tools