Probate Attorney’s Fees and Costs

Everyone involved in Florida probate cases wants to know about the fees and costs in probate. Here is the manner in which probate attorney James W. Martin charges attorney’s fees in probate cases.

Hourly Rate

St. Petersburg probate attorney James W. Martin charges probate attorney’s fees at an hourly rate, not a percentage of the value of the estate. This results in a reasonable probate attorney’s fee for his probate clients.

No Percentage Attorney Fee

St. Petersburg probate attorney James W. Martin does not charge an attorney’s fee based on the size of the estate, even though the Florida Probate Code would allow him to do so. He charges fees only based on his hourly rate times the number of hours he spends on the case.

Costs

The Clerk of Court charges a filing fee to open a formal probate proceeding, and other costs are incurred in probate, such as bond premiums, filing fees, recording fees, publication fees, title search fees, FedEx, couriers, copies, postage, process server fees, private investigator fees, deposition fees, etc. These costs are paid by the client in addition to attorney’s fees.