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
Solo PracticeSt. Johnsbury, VT
Solo general practice in St. Johnsbury, in Vermont's Northeast Kingdom. Clarke Atwell, a general practice attorney for 29 years, prepares wills, trusts and estate plans alongside small business, real estate, lease, right-of-way, boundary line and municipal law work.
PracticesEstate PlanningBusiness LawReal Estate
Solo PracticeWalden, VT
Walden, Vermont practice run by Deborah T. Bucknam, who has practiced in Vermont since 1979, including in the Probate Division of the Superior Court. The firm prepares and files the court documents for opening, administering and closing estates, represents parties in will contests and other contested probate matters, and handles guardianship proceedings.
PracticesEstate PlanningProbateProbate LitigationGuardianshipFamily Law
Solo PracticeHardwick, VT
Solo general civil practice in Hardwick, Vermont, opened by Kristina I. Michelsen in January 2011. Michelsen prepares wills alongside landlord/tenant, real estate, land use, employment and small business work; after law school she clerked for the judges in the three Northeast Kingdom county courts.
PracticesEstate PlanningBusiness LawReal Estate
FirmBurlington, VT
Five-attorney firm on College Street in downtown Burlington. It represents executors and administrators through Vermont probate, from opening the estate and filing the will through the inventory, creditor claims and the decree of distribution, and advises trustees through final distribution of a trust. It also drafts wills, living trusts and powers of attorney.
PracticesEstate PlanningTrust AdministrationProbate
Solo PracticeSouth Hero, VT
South Hero practice based in Grand Isle County that represents clients in almost every Vermont county. Harry Parker handles probate and trust administration and minor and adult guardianships, and drafts wills, trusts, powers of attorney and special needs plans. The Vermont Supreme Court appointed him in November 2025 to the Advisory Committee on the Rules of Probate Procedure.
PracticesEstate PlanningTrust AdministrationProbateGuardianshipand 2 more
Solo PracticeRutland, VT
Rutland practice on Merchants Row run by Jeffrey P. Guevin, a past president of the Vermont Chapter of the National Academy of Elder Law Attorneys. He prepares wills and trusts, plans for incapacity and long-term care including Medicaid applications and special needs, and represents clients in guardianship proceedings and probate estates. The office makes house calls.
PracticesEstate PlanningProbateElder LawGuardianshipand 4 more
FirmBrattleboro, VT
Six-attorney Brattleboro firm, successor to Phillips, Dunn, Shriver & Carroll, where Alycia M. Sanders and Wendy Janis Malkin focus on estate planning and probate administration. It drafts wills, trusts, Enhanced Life Estate Deeds and powers of attorney, assesses whether a Vermont probate estate must be opened and guides the family through it, and helps trustees distribute trust assets.
PracticesEstate PlanningTrust AdministrationProbateBusiness LawReal Estate
FirmBurlington, VT
Regional firm with Vermont offices in Burlington and Woodstock. Its estate practice takes executors through Vermont probate, from filing the will through the inventory, estate and gift tax returns and distribution, and handles trust administration and accountings. Its litigators handle will contests, removal of trustees or personal representatives and breach of fiduciary duty claims.
PracticesEstate PlanningTrust AdministrationProbateProbate Litigationand 2 more
FirmBurlington, VT
Burlington firm with a White River Junction office whose attorneys handle matters in all fourteen Vermont counties. Its estates and trusts attorneys represent trustees in trust administration and fiduciaries and families in probate court estate and guardianship proceedings. Principal Mark Melendy served on the bar committees that drafted Vermont's trust-decanting and directed-trust acts.
PracticesEstate PlanningTrust AdministrationProbateElder Lawand 4 more
FirmEssex Junction, VT
Essex Junction estate planning and elder law firm handling trust administration for clients throughout Vermont, from Burlington to St. Johnsbury and Newport. After a death it guides successor trustees through transferring trust assets, and it prepares long-term care Medicaid applications and special needs plans. Ellen LaPlante is licensed in Vermont and New York.
PracticesEstate PlanningTrust AdministrationElder LawSpecial Needs Planningand 2 more
FirmBurlington, VT
Chittenden County firm with offices in Burlington and Essex Junction, practicing since 1980. It assists executors and trustees with administering wills, trusts and estates both inside and outside the probate process, and prepares wills, trusts, powers of attorney and Medicaid planning. Initial consultations are free, and evening or weekend appointments are arranged as needed.
PracticesEstate PlanningTrust AdministrationProbateElder Lawand 3 more
Solo PracticeShelburne, VT
Shelburne practice of attorney Adam Bartsch, focused solely on estate planning and related areas since 2004. It assists with all phases of Vermont probate, from filing the will through paying claims and distributing assets, and handles guardianship court proceedings. Initial consultations are free and most services carry a fixed fee.
PracticesEstate PlanningProbateTax PlanningGuardianship
FirmBarre, VT
Barre firm established in 1965 that assists clients throughout Vermont with estate planning and probate. It represents executors, administrators and trustees and also serves in those fiduciary roles itself; its staff prepare estate, guardianship and trust accountings. The firm also handles guardianship establishment, administration and disputes.
PracticesEstate PlanningTrust AdministrationProbateGuardianshipBusiness Law
FirmStowe, VT
Stowe firm with offices in Jeffersonville, Waterbury and Shelburne, representing clients in probate estates and guardianships in all Vermont counties. It works with executors, heirs and beneficiaries on estate settlement and trust administration, coordinates estate tax filings, and can itself serve as executor, administrator or successor trustee.
PracticesEstate PlanningTrust AdministrationProbateTax Planningand 3 more
Solo PracticeStowe, VT
Stowe practice founded in 1980 by attorney Harold Stevens, serving clients in and around Stowe, Morrisville, Hyde Park, Lake Elmore and Johnson. Its estate work is planning: wills and codicils, revocable, irrevocable and credit shelter trusts, advance directives, the choice of executor and estate tax issues. Estate planning sits alongside a civil litigation, real estate and family law practice.
PracticesEstate PlanningTax PlanningBusiness LawFamily LawReal Estate
FirmBarre, VT
Barre firm providing estate planning services to clients throughout Vermont. It guides families through Vermont probate, including estates where the person died without a will or trust, and attorney Christopher Pelkey handles wills, trusts, estates and probate matters. The firm also practices personal injury, real estate and business law.
PracticesEstate PlanningProbateBusiness LawReal Estate
FirmRutland, VT
Rutland general civil practice firm handling probate administration with and without wills, including small estates, estate property sales, ancillary proceedings and accountings. It also takes will challenges, estate disputes, probate appeals and guardianships, and offers trust administration, including limited fiduciary services, and supplemental needs trusts.
PracticesEstate PlanningTrust AdministrationProbateProbate Litigationand 8 more
Solo PracticeMiddlebury, VT
Middlebury solo practice serving clients throughout Vermont, begun by Jennifer Wagner in 2023 after Marsh & Wagner, P.C. dissolved. It guides executors through probating a will in Vermont probate court, from filing the will through paying creditors and taxes and locating beneficiaries, and handles will challenges and probate disputes. The first office visit is half-price.
PracticesEstate PlanningProbateProbate LitigationTax Planningand 2 more
Solo PracticeRutland, VT
Rutland practice Nicole McPhee opened in 1996, serving all 14 Vermont counties; she has appeared before probate courts in every county. Her work includes Vermont probate administration and guardianship matters as well as wills, trusts, special needs trusts and estate tax planning, for a flat fee in three meetings held in person, by Zoom or through an online portal.
PracticesEstate PlanningProbateTax PlanningGuardianshipand 2 more
FirmMiddlebury, VT
Middlebury firm formed in 2020 that practices in all of Vermont's civil, probate and environmental courts. Attorney Amy Menard focuses her litigation practice on trust and estate matters, handles probate and trust administration, and commonly serves as an estate administrator or trustee. Planning work includes wills, trusts, special needs trusts and Medicaid long-term care planning.
PracticesEstate PlanningTrust AdministrationProbateProbate Litigationand 7 more
