Essex Junction firm on Pearl Street in Chittenden County. Represents executors, administrators, trustees and beneficiaries in estate and trust administration, from probate petitions, estate tax returns and accountings to trust and probate litigation, and handles adult and minor guardianship. Most estate planning work is billed on a flat fee.
Shelburne is in Chittenden County.
More Trust Administration Firms in Chittenden County
Burlington firm on Battery Street, opened in 1917, whose estate group handles estates of all sizes. It guides families through estate administration and distribution, including probate court, property transfers and federal and state estate tax returns, and administers and interprets trusts, charitable trusts and private foundations. Probate and trust litigation is supported by the firm's litigation group.
Burlington firm on Main Street with Vermont offices in Montpelier, St. Johnsbury and Brattleboro and one in Lebanon, New Hampshire. Its trusts and estates team handles probating wills, trust administration, gift and estate tax returns, and probate and trust dispute resolution, alongside planning for U.S. and non-U.S. citizens. The group is chaired by Willemien Dingemans Miller, an ACTEC Fellow since 2000.
Burlington firm on St. Paul Street, traced to the practice Clarke A. Gravel opened in 1955 after serving as Chittenden probate judge. It handles all phases of probate, estate and trust administration for estates from modest to multi-million-dollar, including probate court filings, appraisals, estate and fiduciary income tax returns and post-mortem tax planning. Its litigators take on will and trust contests, creditor claims, fiduciary accountings and removal of trustees and administrators.
Solo practice on Carmichael Street in Essex Junction, Chittenden County, run by Holly Lemieux, who is licensed in Vermont and Massachusetts. She guides executors and administrators through Vermont probate from the petition to open the estate onward, and advises trustees on trust administration, alongside Medicaid and long-term care planning and special needs trusts. Estate planning consultations are free; elder law, probate and trust administration consultations carry a fee.
Burlington firm on Shelburne Road. Administers decedents' trusts and estates, advising executors, personal representatives and trustees or serving in those roles directly, and handles probate administration and litigation, co-counseling contested probate matters with its litigation group. Also helps clients qualify for long-term care Medicaid.
Probate in Chittenden County
Probate Court Record
Chittenden County Superior Court - Probate Division
Chittenden County
Phone
Hours
Monday-Friday 8:00 AM-4:30 PM
Office
175 Main Street, Burlington, VT 05401
Website
E-filing
Filing in person
Walk-ins accepted
Self-represented filing
Allowed
Self-help forms
How to file probate in Chittenden County →
Verified October 16, 2026 · Source
Do I need a lawyer for probate in Chittenden County? →Settling an estate in Chittenden County →
Forms for Planning and Settling an Estate in Vermont
Free Vermont forms to plan or settle an estate: a will, trust, powers of attorney, TOD deed and the probate forms. Prepare each form for Vermont.
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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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Pour-Over Will
In Vermont, a pour-over will is signed before 214 V.S.A. § 5Verified Oct 19, 2026View source witnesses and moves anything left outside the trust into it through probate.
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Tools for Planning and Settling an Estate in Vermont
Free calculators and checklists to plan or settle an estate in Vermont: will and trust costs, probate, executor pay and taxes. Run each tool for Vermont.
How Do I Settle a Trust?
Settling a trust in Vermont happens outside court: the trustee acts under the state's Uniform Trust Code14A V.S.A. § 101 et seq.Verified Oct 17, 2026View source, notifies the beneficiaries within 60 days14A V.S.A. § 813Verified Sep 15, 2026View source, then pays the debts and distributes under the trust's terms.
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What's Fair Trustee Compensation?
In Vermont, trustee compensation follows "reasonable compensation" (UTC § 708 or equivalent)14A V.S.A. § 708Verified Sep 18, 2026View source unless the trust instrument sets a different amount.
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How Do I Settle an Estate?
Settling an estate in Vermont: the personal representative files the estate inventory within 60 days14 V.S.A. §§ 1051-1053Verified Sep 15, 2026View source of appointment; creditors have 4 months14 V.S.A. §§ 1201-1207Verified Oct 19, 2026View source to present claims; a simple estate closes in 6 months to 9 months.
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Do I Have to File Tax Returns for Someone Who Died?
Vermont requires a final state income tax return for the decedent alongside the federal Form 104032 V.S.A. § 5822Verified Sep 20, 2026View source; a federal estate tax return (Form 706) is required only for estates above $15,000,00026 USC 2001(c), 2010; P.L. 119-21 §70106Verified Sep 15, 2026View source.
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How Does Step-Up in Basis Work?
Inherited assets in Vermont take a basis reset to fair market value on the date of death26 USC § 1014Verified Sep 15, 2026View source, and the gain on a later sale faces ordinary income tax at the state's regular rates, after the first $5,000 of gain is excluded32 V.S.A. § 5811(21)(B)(ii) (capital gains exclusion — individuals) and § 5811(28)(B)(ii) (the SAME exclusion, verbatim, for an estate or a trust)Verified Sep 15, 2026View source.
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