Serves Ohio County from Main Street in Wheeling and practices across Hancock, Brooke, Marshall, Wetzel, Tyler, Monongalia and Harrison counties. Guides executors and administrators through West Virginia probate, from filing the will and appointment through inventory, debts and distribution, and handles will contests, executor disputes and trust litigation. Founded in Wheeling in 1925.
Probate in Hancock County
Probate Court Record
Hancock County Circuit Court
Hancock County · First Judicial Circuit
Phone
Hours
Monday-Friday 8:30 AM-4:30 PM
Office
Hancock County Courthouse, 102 Court Street, New Cumberland, WV 26047
Website
Filing in person
Appointment required
Self-represented filing
Allowed
How to file probate in Hancock County →
Verified October 15, 2026 · Source
Do I need a lawyer for probate in Hancock County? →Settling an estate in Hancock County →
Trust Litigation Firms Serving Hancock County
Serves Monongalia County from Morgantown, with additional offices in Charleston and Wheeling. Guides executors and trustees through probate filings, trust administration and distribution, and represents fiduciaries and beneficiaries in will contests, trust disputes and breach of fiduciary duty claims. Counsel Richard R. Marsh focuses on trust and estate planning, administration and litigation.
Serves Ohio County from Main Street in Wheeling, where David R. Croft, co-chair of the firm's Wills, Estates & Trusts group, runs the office. Handles the probate of decedents' estates and the administration of trusts, represents beneficiaries and fiduciaries in estate and trust litigation, and plans estate and gift tax.
Serves Kanawha County and clients statewide from Charleston. Guides executors and trustees through probating a will, notifying creditors and distributing assets, drafts wills, trusts and transfer-on-death deeds, and represents clients in will contests and fiduciary-duty disputes. Managing member Christopher J. Winton was appointed Chair of the West Virginia State Bar Probate Committee in 2019.
Serves Kanawha County from Charleston, with offices in Beckley and Lewisburg. Drafts wills and trusts, guides trustees and families through trust administration, and litigates will contests, trust contests, fiduciary-duty claims and probate and trust accountings. Represents both beneficiaries and fiduciaries in estate disputes.
All 6 West Virginia trust litigation firms serving Hancock County →
Forms for Planning and Settling an Estate in West Virginia
Free West Virginia forms to plan or settle an estate: a will, trust, powers of attorney, TOD deed and the probate forms. Prepare each form for West Virginia.
Tools for Planning and Settling an Estate in West Virginia
Free calculators and checklists to plan or settle an estate in West Virginia: will and trust costs, probate, executor pay and taxes. Run each tool.
How Do I Settle a Trust?
Settling a trust in West Virginia happens outside court: the trustee acts under the state's Uniform Trust CodeW. Va. Code § 44D-1-101 et seq.Verified Oct 17, 2026View source, notifies the beneficiaries, then pays the debts and distributes under the trust's terms.
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What's Fair Trustee Compensation?
In West Virginia, trustee compensation follows "reasonable compensation" (UTC § 708 or equivalent)W. Va. Code § 44D-7-708Verified Sep 18, 2026View source unless the trust instrument sets a different amount.
Calculate the Fee
How Do I Settle an Estate?
Settling an estate in West Virginia: the personal representative files the estate inventory within 90 daysW. Va. Code § 44-1-14Verified Sep 15, 2026View source of appointment; creditors have 2 monthsW. Va. Code §§ 44-1-14a, 44-2-4, 44-2-21, 44-2-26Verified Oct 19, 2026View source to present claims; a simple estate closes in 6 months to 9 months.
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