Brattleboro firm on Putney Road with a second Brattleboro office and one in Townshend, serving Vermont, New Hampshire and Massachusetts. Takes probate litigation for families who believe a loved one's wishes are not being carried out, and prepares wills, trusts and guardianships alongside long-term care planning. Formerly Costello, Valente & Gentry, P.C.
Probate in Bennington County
Probate Court Record
Bennington County Superior Court - Probate Division
Bennington County
Phone
Hours
Monday-Friday 8:00 AM-4:30 PM
Office
207 South Street, Bennington, VT 05201
Website
E-filing
Filing in person
Walk-ins accepted
Self-represented filing
Allowed
Self-help forms
How to file probate in Bennington County →
Verified October 16, 2026 · Source
Do I need a lawyer for probate in Bennington County? →Settling an estate in Bennington County →
Estate Law Firms Serving Bennington County
Main Street, Brattleboro firm in practice since 1934 and the oldest continually operating family-owned law firm in Brattleboro, now in its fourth generation of Crispe lawyers. Handles probate matters, including ancillary estates, and prepares wills and trusts, with a paralegal who has ten years of probate and estate experience. Initial consultations are free.
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.
Windham County firm with offices on Main Street in Brattleboro and on Route 100 in West Dover, serving the area for more than 45 years. Its attorneys, Robert M. Fisher and Kristen Swartwout, take estates through the probate process when someone dies and prepare wills, trusts, living wills, powers of attorney and health care proxies, beside a practice centered on real estate.
Brattleboro firm in the same High Street building since the 1950s, the oldest continuously operating law association in the Brattleboro area. Handles probate and estate administration, prepares wills, powers of attorney and revocable and irrevocable trusts, and advises on asset protection and long-term nursing care. Takes new matters by phone only, not by email.
Downtown Brattleboro firm practicing estate planning, elder law, probate and trust administration, and guardianships. After a death it represents executors and administrators in probate court, from opening the estate through inventories, property sale licenses, creditor claims and decrees, and serves as counsel to trustees. It also prepares Long Term Care Medicaid applications.
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.
$12/month
Revocable Living Trust
Create a revocable living trust to avoid probate, protect privacy, and control asset distribution.
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Last Will and Testament
In Vermont, a will is signed before 214 V.S.A. § 5Verified Oct 19, 2026View source witnesses, and a self-proving affidavit signed with it lets the court admit it without witness testimony14 V.S.A. § 5Verified Oct 19, 2026View source.
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Healthcare Power of Attorney
Vermont requires 218 V.S.A. § 9719Verified Oct 15, 2026View source witnesses for a healthcare power of attorney; notarization is not required18 V.S.A. § 9719Verified Oct 15, 2026View source.
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Financial Power of Attorney
Vermont treats a power of attorney as durable by default14 V.S.A. §§ 4004, 4005, 4006, 4007, 4009, 4013, 4019, 4020, 4031, 4047, 4051, 4052Verified Oct 21, 2026View source, and it is signed with no witness or notary requirement14 V.S.A. §§ 4004, 4005, 4006, 4007, 4009, 4013, 4019, 4020, 4031, 4047, 4051, 4052Verified Oct 21, 2026View source.
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Free
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.
Trust or Will: Which Costs Less?
In Vermont, a will-based plan pays probate attorney fees of typically 1.7%Modeled estimate under 14 V.S.A. § 1065 (reasonable compensation; no statutory percentage): the hours the statutory fee schedules imply, at the state's surveyed hourly rateVerified Sep 9, 2026View source to 2.7%Modeled estimate under 14 V.S.A. § 1065 (reasonable compensation; no statutory percentage): the hours the statutory fee schedules imply, at the state's surveyed hourly rateVerified Sep 9, 2026View source of the estate; a funded revocable trust keeps those assets out of probate and off that fee.
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Do I Need a Revocable Trust?
Probate in Vermont takes 6 months to 9 months for a simple estate and charges attorney fees of typically 1.7%Modeled estimate under 14 V.S.A. § 1065 (reasonable compensation; no statutory percentage): the hours the statutory fee schedules imply, at the state's surveyed hourly rateVerified Sep 9, 2026View source to 2.7%Modeled estimate under 14 V.S.A. § 1065 (reasonable compensation; no statutory percentage): the hours the statutory fee schedules imply, at the state's surveyed hourly rateVerified Sep 9, 2026View source of the estate; assets held in a revocable trust skip both.
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How Much Does Probate Cost?
Probate on a $500,000 estate in Vermont costs an estimated $24,56114 V.S.A. § 1065 (reasonable compensation; no statutory percentage)Verified Sep 9, 2026View source. Attorney fees run 1.7%Modeled estimate under 14 V.S.A. § 1065 (reasonable compensation; no statutory percentage): the hours the statutory fee schedules imply, at the state's surveyed hourly rateVerified Sep 9, 2026View source to 2.7%Modeled estimate under 14 V.S.A. § 1065 (reasonable compensation; no statutory percentage): the hours the statutory fee schedules imply, at the state's surveyed hourly rateVerified Sep 9, 2026View source of the estate under a reasonable-compensation standard.
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What Are the Estate Laws in My State?
Probate on a $500,000 estate in Vermont costs an estimated $24,56114 V.S.A. § 1065 (reasonable compensation; no statutory percentage)Verified Sep 9, 2026View source and takes 6 months to 9 months for a simple estate, with attorney fees of typically 1.7%Modeled estimate under 14 V.S.A. § 1065 (reasonable compensation; no statutory percentage): the hours the statutory fee schedules imply, at the state's surveyed hourly rateVerified Sep 9, 2026View source to 2.7%Modeled estimate under 14 V.S.A. § 1065 (reasonable compensation; no statutory percentage): the hours the statutory fee schedules imply, at the state's surveyed hourly rateVerified Sep 9, 2026View source of the estate. Estates under $45,00014 V.S.A. § 1901Verified Sep 9, 2026View source can use a small-estate procedure instead.
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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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What Does Estate Planning Actually Cost?
An attorney-prepared revocable trust in Vermont runs $2,400Estimate: 10 hours at $240, Clio's Vermont Trusts rate; Compare Lawyer Rates, 2025 dataVerified Oct 15, 2026View source to $3,600Estimate: 15 hours at $240, Clio's Vermont Trusts rate; Compare Lawyer Rates, 2025 dataVerified Oct 15, 2026View source and a simple will $891Estimate: 3 hours at $297, Clio's Vermont Wills and Estates rate; Compare Lawyer Rates, 2025 dataVerified Oct 15, 2026View source to $1,782Estimate: 6 hours at $297, Clio's Vermont 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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