Probate in Virginia Beach City

Probate Court Record

Virginia Beach City Circuit Court

Virginia Beach City · 2nd Judicial Circuit

Hours

8:30 AM-4:00 PM

Office

2425 Nimmo Parkway, Virginia Beach, VA 23456

Files probate

Probate/Wills Division

Filing in person

Appointment required

Self-represented filing

Allowed

Self-help forms

How to file probate in Virginia Beach City →

Verified October 16, 2026 · Source

Do I need a lawyer for probate in Virginia Beach City? →Settling an estate in Virginia Beach City →

Estate Law Firms Serving Virginia Beach City

Chesapeake firm serving the Hampton Roads cities, handling probate and estate administration for families settling estates. Drafts wills and trusts, nominates guardians and executors, and provides elder-law services including Medicaid planning, durable powers of attorney, and advance directives. Solo practice with nearly three decades of experience.

Solo PracticeSince 2007Serves 5 countiesEstate PlanningProbateElder LawWills Trusts

Chesapeake firm serving the Hampton Roads cities — Chesapeake, Virginia Beach, Norfolk, Portsmouth, and Suffolk. Estate-side work covers wills, powers of attorney, guardianships, and conservatorships, alongside a family-law and criminal-defense practice. Attorney Kristen M. Shannon is a former state prosecutor.

Serves 6 countiesEstate PlanningConservatorshipGuardianshipPowers Of AttorneyWills Trusts

Downtown Norfolk firm serving South Hampton Roads, with offices in McLean and Richmond. Its trusts and estates lawyers serve as fiduciaries and as counsel to executors, administrators, and trustees, handling estate and trust administration alongside probate and estate tax work. Takes the estates that get complicated — closely held family businesses, executive compensation, and charitable gifts.

Serves 6 countiesEstate PlanningTrust AdministrationProbateTax PlanningCharitable PlanningWills Trusts

Williamsburg-anchored estate firm serving the Historic Triangle and central Virginia, with offices in Richmond and satellite locations including Glen Allen and Charlottesville. Handles probate, estate and trust administration, will and trust updates, powers of attorney, and inheritance matters for estates large and small. Offers a free consultation and an ongoing plan-maintenance service.

Since 2009Serves the whole stateFree consultationEstate PlanningTrust AdministrationProbateAsset ProtectionPowers Of AttorneyWills Trusts

Charlottesville firm with a statewide Virginia practice and a second office in Harrisonburg, serving Central Virginia and the Shenandoah Valley. Handles probate and estate administration — locating assets, paying creditors and taxes, and distributing to heirs — plus trust and estate litigation, guardianship, and Medicaid planning. Offers a free consultation and will meet clients at home.

Serves the whole stateFree consultationEstate PlanningProbateElder LawMedical DirectivesPowers Of AttorneyWills Trusts

All 14 Virginia estate law firms serving Virginia Beach City →

Forms for Planning and Settling an Estate in Virginia

Free Virginia forms to plan or settle an estate: a will, trust, powers of attorney, TOD deed and the probate forms. Prepare each form for Virginia.

$12/month

Revocable Living Trust

Create a revocable living trust to avoid probate, protect privacy, and control asset distribution.

Get Started
Free

Last Will and Testament

In Virginia, a will is signed before 2Va. Code § 64.2-403Verified Oct 19, 2026View source witnesses, and a self-proving affidavit signed with it lets the court admit it without witness testimonyVa. Code § 64.2-403Verified Oct 19, 2026View source.

Get Started
Free

Healthcare Power of Attorney

Virginia requires 2Va. Code Ann. § 54.1-2984Verified Oct 15, 2026View source witnesses for a healthcare power of attorney; notarization is not requiredVa. Code Ann. § 54.1-2984Verified Oct 15, 2026View source.

Get Started
Free

Financial Power of Attorney

Virginia treats a power of attorney as durable by defaultVa. Code §§ 64.2-1600 through 64.2-1642Verified Oct 21, 2026View source, and it is signed with no witness or notary requirementVa. Code §§ 64.2-1600 through 64.2-1642Verified Oct 21, 2026View source.

Get Started
Free

Pour-Over Will

In Virginia, a pour-over will is signed before 2Va. Code § 64.2-403Verified Oct 19, 2026View source witnesses and moves anything left outside the trust into it through probate.

Get Started
Free

Transfer on Death Deed

In Virginia, a transfer on death deed is signed before a notaryVa. Code 64.2-621 to 64.2-638Verified Oct 19, 2026View source, then recorded with the county before the owner's deathVa. Code 64.2-621 to 64.2-638Verified Oct 19, 2026View source. Virginia does not recognize a Lady Bird deed.

Get Started

All Virginia forms

Tools for Planning and Settling an Estate in Virginia

Free calculators and checklists to plan or settle an estate in Virginia: will and trust costs, probate, executor pay and taxes. Run each tool for Virginia.

Trust or Will: Which Costs Less?

In Virginia, a will-based plan pays probate attorney fees of typically 2.5%Modeled estimate under Va. Code §§ 64.2-105(B)(12) (fiduciary employs and compensates counsel), 64.2-1208(A) (commissioner of accounts allows reasonable expenses; no statutory percentage): the hours the statutory fee schedules imply, at the state's surveyed hourly rateVerified Sep 9, 2026View source to 3.9%Modeled estimate under Va. Code §§ 64.2-105(B)(12) (fiduciary employs and compensates counsel), 64.2-1208(A) (commissioner of accounts allows reasonable expenses; 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.

Calculate Costs

Do I Need a Revocable Trust?

Probate in Virginia takes 6 months to 9 months for a simple estate and charges attorney fees of typically 2.5%Modeled estimate under Va. Code §§ 64.2-105(B)(12) (fiduciary employs and compensates counsel), 64.2-1208(A) (commissioner of accounts allows reasonable expenses; no statutory percentage): the hours the statutory fee schedules imply, at the state's surveyed hourly rateVerified Sep 9, 2026View source to 3.9%Modeled estimate under Va. Code §§ 64.2-105(B)(12) (fiduciary employs and compensates counsel), 64.2-1208(A) (commissioner of accounts allows reasonable expenses; 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.

Get the Answer

How Much Does Probate Cost?

Probate on a $500,000 estate in Virginia costs an estimated $29,411Va. Code §§ 64.2-105(B)(12) (fiduciary employs and compensates counsel), 64.2-1208(A) (commissioner of accounts allows reasonable expenses; no statutory percentage)Verified Sep 9, 2026View source. Attorney fees run 2.5%Modeled estimate under Va. Code §§ 64.2-105(B)(12) (fiduciary employs and compensates counsel), 64.2-1208(A) (commissioner of accounts allows reasonable expenses; no statutory percentage): the hours the statutory fee schedules imply, at the state's surveyed hourly rateVerified Sep 9, 2026View source to 3.9%Modeled estimate under Va. Code §§ 64.2-105(B)(12) (fiduciary employs and compensates counsel), 64.2-1208(A) (commissioner of accounts allows reasonable expenses; 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.

Calculate Costs

What Are the Estate Laws in My State?

Probate on a $500,000 estate in Virginia costs an estimated $29,411Va. Code §§ 64.2-105(B)(12) (fiduciary employs and compensates counsel), 64.2-1208(A) (commissioner of accounts allows reasonable expenses; no statutory percentage)Verified Sep 9, 2026View source and takes 6 months to 9 months for a simple estate, with attorney fees of typically 2.5%Modeled estimate under Va. Code §§ 64.2-105(B)(12) (fiduciary employs and compensates counsel), 64.2-1208(A) (commissioner of accounts allows reasonable expenses; no statutory percentage): the hours the statutory fee schedules imply, at the state's surveyed hourly rateVerified Sep 9, 2026View source to 3.9%Modeled estimate under Va. Code §§ 64.2-105(B)(12) (fiduciary employs and compensates counsel), 64.2-1208(A) (commissioner of accounts allows reasonable expenses; 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 $75,000Va. Code § 64.2-600Verified Sep 9, 2026View source can use a small-estate procedure instead.

Check the Rules

How Do I Settle an Estate?

Settling an estate in Virginia: the personal representative files the estate inventory within 120 daysVa. Code § 64.2-1300Verified Sep 15, 2026View source of appointment; creditors have 6 monthsVa. Code §§ 64.2-508.1, 64.2-528, 64.2-529, 64.2-550, 64.2-552, 64.2-556Verified Oct 19, 2026View source to present claims; a simple estate closes in 6 months to 9 months.

See the Steps

What Does Estate Planning Actually Cost?

An attorney-prepared revocable trust in Virginia runs $3,770Estimate: 10 hours at $377, Clio's Virginia Trusts rate; Compare Lawyer Rates, 2025 dataVerified Oct 15, 2026View source to $5,655Estimate: 15 hours at $377, Clio's Virginia Trusts rate; Compare Lawyer Rates, 2025 dataVerified Oct 15, 2026View source and a simple will $1,311Estimate: 3 hours at $437, Clio's Virginia Wills and Estates rate; Compare Lawyer Rates, 2025 dataVerified Oct 15, 2026View source to $2,622Estimate: 6 hours at $437, Clio's Virginia 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.

Calculate Costs

All Virginia tools