Free Vermont forms for planning an estate or settling one: a will, trust, powers of attorney, TOD deed, and the probate forms an executor files.
Create a revocable living trust to avoid probate, protect privacy, and control asset distribution.
In Vermont, a will is signed before 214 V.S.A. § 5Verified Sep 16, 2026View source witnesses, and a self-proving affidavit signed with it lets the court admit it without witness testimony14 V.S.A. § 5Verified Sep 16, 2026View source.
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.
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 Sep 20, 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 Sep 20, 2026View source.
In Vermont, a pour-over will is signed before 214 V.S.A. § 5Verified Sep 16, 2026View source witnesses and moves anything left outside the trust into it through probate.
Free calculators and checklists for planning or settling an estate in Vermont: will and trust costs, probate, executor pay, and inheritance taxes.
In Vermont, a will-based plan pays probate attorney fees of typically 1.7%14 V.S.A. § 1065 (reasonable compensation; no statutory percentage)Verified Sep 9, 2026View source to 2.7%14 V.S.A. § 1065 (reasonable compensation; no statutory percentage)Verified Sep 9, 2026View source of the estate; a funded revocable trust keeps those assets out of probate and off that fee.
Probate in Vermont takes 6 months to 9 months for a simple estate and charges attorney fees of typically 1.7%14 V.S.A. § 1065 (reasonable compensation; no statutory percentage)Verified Sep 9, 2026View source to 2.7%14 V.S.A. § 1065 (reasonable compensation; no statutory percentage)Verified Sep 9, 2026View source of the estate; assets held in a revocable trust skip both.
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%14 V.S.A. § 1065 (reasonable compensation; no statutory percentage)Verified Sep 9, 2026View source to 2.7%14 V.S.A. § 1065 (reasonable compensation; no statutory percentage)Verified Sep 9, 2026View source of the estate under a reasonable-compensation standard.
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%14 V.S.A. § 1065 (reasonable compensation; no statutory percentage)Verified Sep 9, 2026View source to 2.7%14 V.S.A. § 1065 (reasonable compensation; no statutory percentage)Verified 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.
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 Sep 15, 2026View source to present claims; a simple estate closes in 6 months to 9 months.
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.
65 estate planning firms in Vermont: probate, trust administration, and estate planning, by county and practice area.
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.
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65 firms
FirmMiddlebury, VT
Middlebury firm at 64 Court Street serving clients throughout Vermont, including Rutland, Addison and Chittenden Counties. Its attorneys handle estate planning and estate administration alongside real estate, municipal and business work, and Kathleen M. Boe represents individuals in estate and tax planning matters.
PracticesEstate PlanningProbateTax PlanningBusiness Lawand 2 more
FirmBurlington, VT
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.
PracticesEstate PlanningTrust AdministrationProbateProbate Litigationand 4 more
FirmBrattleboro, VT
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.
PracticesEstate PlanningProbateBusiness LawPersonal InjuryWorkers Compensation
FirmMiddlebury, VT
General practice firm at 2 Park Street in Middlebury, Addison County. Benj and Lesley Deppman handle probate matters and trust and estate administration, and represent beneficiaries and fiduciaries in estate and trust disputes, including will and trust contests and claims that an executor or trustee mismanaged assets.
PracticesEstate PlanningTrust AdministrationProbateProbate Litigationand 5 more
Solo PracticeVergennes, VT
Solo practice of Anthony R. Duprey in the Kennedy Brothers Building in Vergennes, Addison County; he opened his first Vergennes office in 1996. Represents executors and trustees in Probate Court cases and trust administration, and prepares wills, revocable trusts and Lady Bird Johnson deeds, with Medicaid long-term care planning for older clients.
PracticesEstate PlanningTrust AdministrationProbateElder Lawand 3 more
FirmRutland, VT
Rutland firm on Allen Street, founded in May 1984, serving clients in Vermont, New Hampshire and Massachusetts. Its estate planning group assists executors and trustees in administering decedents' assets, handles estate probate and guardianship proceedings, and has handled international estate matters and foreign ancillary estates.
PracticesEstate PlanningTrust AdministrationProbateElder Lawand 5 more
FirmMiddlebury, VT
Firm with offices in Middlebury and Burlington. Assists executors, administrators, trustees and beneficiaries in administering estates and trusts whether or not the assets pass through probate, and its estate litigators bring and defend will, trust and administration challenges in Probate Court, Superior Court and the Vermont Supreme Court.
PracticesEstate PlanningTrust AdministrationProbateProbate Litigationand 3 more
FirmRutland, VT
Downtown Rutland firm on Grove Street whose attorneys appear in Rutland Probate Court. Administers testate and intestate estates from the petition for appointment through the inventory, accountings and final distribution, handles ancillary proceedings for nonresidents' Vermont real estate, and represents guardians and families in guardianship proceedings.
PracticesEstate PlanningProbateProbate LitigationGuardianshipand 4 more
FirmBennington, VT
Bennington firm on Main Street, next to the Bennington Free Library, in practice since 1981. Partner Michael Munson handles estate planning and probate, including business succession and estate tax planning, beside the firm's personal injury, criminal defense and family law work.
PracticesEstate PlanningProbateTax PlanningCriminal Defenseand 2 more
FirmBrattleboro, VT
Firm with offices in Brattleboro, Pittsford, Randolph and Chester, covering Windham, Rutland, Orange and Windsor Counties and serving clients throughout Vermont. Prepares wills, trusts, life estate and Lady Bird deeds, and financial and medical powers of attorney. Clients can meet at any of the four offices, by phone, by email or by video conference.
PracticesEstate PlanningProbateCriminal DefenseFamily Lawand 2 more
FirmBrattleboro, VT
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.
PracticesEstate PlanningProbate LitigationElder LawGuardianshipand 4 more
Solo PracticeBennington, VT
Bennington solo practice serving all of Vermont, mainly Bennington, Windham, Rutland and Windsor Counties, with offices in Albany, New York and Athol, Massachusetts. Advises executors or serves as personal representative from opening the estate through the inventory, estate tax returns and closing, and litigates will and trust contests. Free 30-minute strategy session in person or by phone.
PracticesEstate PlanningProbateProbate LitigationTrust Litigationand 5 more
FirmBrattleboro, VT
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.
PracticesEstate PlanningProbateCommercial LawLitigationReal Estate
Solo PracticeBrattleboro, VT
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.
PracticesEstate PlanningProbateElder LawTax Planningand 4 more
Solo PracticeWhite River Junction, VT
Small Hartford firm (White River Junction mailing address) established in 2004, serving clients in Eastern Vermont and Western New Hampshire. Brooke Hague Trottier drafts wills and codicils, powers of attorney, advance directives and health care proxies, and handles estate administration alongside a real estate and business formation practice.
PracticesEstate PlanningProbateReal Estate
FirmSpringfield, VT
Springfield office opened by John Marchica in 2003; its Ludlow office was damaged in the 2023 flooding, and clients are served from Springfield until it is rebuilt. The firm offers estate planning within a general practice whose primary focus is real estate sales, purchases and family transfers, land development and land use. Its attorneys are John Marchica and Charles Peel.
PracticesEstate PlanningBusiness LawReal Estate
FirmNorwich, VT
Norwich practice serving the Upper Valley of Vermont and New Hampshire, started by Dan Grossman in 1982 and now managed by Markell Ripps. It prepares wills, trusts and powers of attorney, and takes executors and administrators of non-taxable estates through probate in both states, including ancillary estates for out-of-state fiduciaries.
PracticesEstate PlanningProbateReal Estate
FirmWhite River Junction, VT
Four-attorney Upper Valley firm with offices in White River Junction and Woodstock, taking matters in Vermont and New Hampshire. Todd Steadman, a Vermont Bar member since 1996 whose practice centers on family law, also handles estate planning and probate matters; the firm lists probate among the matters it takes through negotiation, mediation, litigation, trials and appeals.
PracticesEstate PlanningProbateFamily LawReal Estate
Solo PracticeSt. Johnsbury, VT
St. Johnsbury general practice in Vermont's Northeast Kingdom, opened by Jay C. Abramson in 1995. Abramson, a Certified Elder Law Attorney through the National Elder Law Foundation since 2005, prepares wills, revocable trusts and powers of attorney, plans for Medicaid coverage of long-term care, and represents families in guardianship proceedings.
PracticesEstate PlanningElder LawGuardianshipSpecial Needs PlanningMedicaid Planning
FirmSt. Johnsbury, VT
St. Johnsbury firm serving Caledonia, Essex, Washington and Orleans counties and clients statewide, with attorneys Carolyn Greaves and Hanne Anderson Trudeau. It drafts wills, codicils, living wills and powers of attorney, and takes executors through Vermont probate: filing the will, moving assets into the estate, paying taxes and debts, and locating beneficiaries.
PracticesEstate PlanningProbateBusiness LawReal Estate
