Palm City Probate Lawyer
We handle the entire Florida probate, so your family can handle everything else.
Filing the petition, the court, the creditors, the accounting, the final distribution. Most of our clients never set foot in a courthouse.
- Board certified in Wills, Trusts and Estates since 2005. Fewer than 2% of Florida attorneys hold a board certification.
- 300+ five star reviews and six straight years on the Law Firm 500 list.
- Live out of state? We regularly represent personal representatives in New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Ohio and beyond. You do not need to fly down.
Palm City and Stuart offices. Monday to Friday, 8:30 am to 5:00 pm.
Talk to a probate attorney
Free 15 minute assessment. Tell us what you are dealing with and we will tell you exactly which Florida probate process applies and what it will take.
Someone from our office will reach out shortly. If you would rather not wait, call (772) 324-9050 and ask for the probate team.
Start here
Do you actually need probate?
Not every Florida estate goes through full probate, and the rules changed on July 1, 2026. Four questions, about thirty seconds, and you will know which path you are on.
Florida probate path finder
Updated for the 2026 summary administration limit
Did your loved one have a living trust?
A revocable living trust, not just a will.
Are there assets in their name alone?
Things with no co-owner and no named beneficiary. A bank account, a car title, a brokerage account, a piece of property. Skip the homestead for now.
Roughly what are those assets worth?
Add up only the assets from the last question. Do not count the homestead.
When did they pass away?
Florida treats estates differently once two years have gone by.
This tool gives general information about Florida probate, not legal advice about your situation. Real estates have wrinkles: homestead, elective share, ancillary property, contested wills. A fifteen minute call sorts it out properly.
Why this gets hard fast
Probate has deadlines that start running before anyone tells you
Nobody hands you a checklist at the funeral. Here is what is already in motion.
The will has to be deposited
Whoever has the original will must file it with the clerk in the county where your loved one lived within ten days of learning of the death. Most families have no idea this rule exists.
Creditors get a window
Once notice to creditors is published, claims can come in for three months. Handle the notice wrong and that window can stay open far longer, which delays every distribution behind it.
The personal representative is on the hook
Pay the wrong person, sell an asset early, or miss a tax filing, and the personal representative can be held responsible for it. That is usually a grieving spouse or an adult child doing their best.
What we actually do
You sign a few things. We do the rest.
Some firms hand you a to do list and bill you for the privilege. We take the file and run it. Here is what comes off your plate the day you hire us.
- Depositing the will and filing the petition for administration
- Getting Letters of Administration so you can legally act
- Publishing notice to creditors and reviewing every claim that comes in
- Filing the inventory, notices to beneficiaries, and court accountings
- Homestead determination, so the house is protected the way Florida law intends
- Coordinating with the CPA on the final return and any estate tax filings
- Distributing to beneficiaries and closing the estate with the court
- Answering the phone when a sibling asks why it is taking so long
What happens next
From your first call to a closed estate
Formal administration in Martin County usually runs six to twelve months. Summary administration is often done in a fraction of that. Here is the shape of it.
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1
Day one
A free fifteen minute assessment
Tell us what happened and what you have. We tell you which process applies, roughly what it costs, and what to do this week. No pressure, no jargon.
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2
First two weeks
We open the case
We gather the death certificate and the original will, prepare the petition, and file with the Martin County clerk. You sign a few documents. That is your part.
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3
Months one to four
Notice, claims, and inventory
Notice to creditors is published, known creditors are served, and we review anything that gets filed. Meanwhile we inventory the assets and file it with the court.
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4
Months four to twelve
Distribution and closing
Valid debts and taxes get paid, assets go to the right people, and we file the documents that close the estate. You get a final accounting and it is done.
The question everyone is afraid to ask
What does probate cost, and who pays for it?
It usually comes out of the estate
In most Florida probates, attorney fees and court costs are paid from estate assets, not from your own bank account. Families are often surprised by this. It is the single biggest reason people wait too long to call.
Florida sets a reference point
Section 733.6171 of the Florida Statutes treats a fee of 3% of the estate value as presumptively reasonable for estates up to $1 million. We will walk you through what your estate would look like under that framework before you commit to anything.
Not in Florida?
You do not have to fly down to settle a Florida estate
A parent retired to the Treasure Coast. Now you are named personal representative and you live eight states away, with a job and kids and a return flight you cannot really afford.
We handle Florida probate for out of state families constantly. Documents get signed and notarized where you are. Court appearances are almost always unnecessary. We deal with the Florida side: the clerk, the property, the local realtor, the bank that will not talk to you on the phone.
The same applies to ancillary administration, which is what happens when a non resident owned Florida property. That is a narrow specialty and it is one we run all the time.
Talk to us about a Florida estateI live in Pennsylvania, and I needed an attorney to handle probate for my mother's time-share property in Florida. I was referred to John by my accountant, who lives in the area, and I was very happy with his services. John clearly explained the process and completed the work at a very reasonable cost. I highly recommend him.
Bill SelbyOut of state probate client
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Who you will be working with
John J. Mangan, Jr.
Founding attorney, Beacon Legacy Law
John has practiced Florida estate and probate law since 2005 and has been board certified in Wills, Trusts and Estates by The Florida Bar for that entire stretch. Board certification is not a marketing badge. It requires peer review, a written exam, and a documented track record in the field, and fewer than 2% of Florida attorneys hold one in any specialty.
- Florida Bar Board Certified, Wills, Trusts and Estates
- Juris Doctor and MBA, Emory University
- Florida Bar Real Property, Probate and Trust Law Section
- Martin County Estate Planning Council
What clients say
300+ five star reviews from Treasure Coast families
I cannot recommend John Mangan enough for his work. He was extremely thorough, very patient, and forward-thinking in bringing up scenarios that never would have occurred to me.
Neil M.Palm City
One of the most professional law firms I have had the pleasure to work with, and I know I made the right decision in selecting Beacon Legacy Law.
Robert BurkeEstate planning client
John Mangan was extremely helpful to our family when we needed it the most. His knowledge and genuine compassion about our situation is why I would recommend him to anyone that is searching for an honest and caring attorney.
Verified client reviewGoogle
Reviews reflect the experience of individual clients. Every estate is different and prior results do not guarantee a similar outcome.
Straight answers
Questions we get every week
How long does probate take in Martin County?
Formal administration typically runs six to twelve months, because the three month creditor claim period has to run before the estate can close. Summary administration, which applies to smaller estates, often finishes in a matter of weeks once the petition is filed. Contested estates or ones with real property to sell take longer.
Do I need a lawyer for Florida probate?
In most formal administrations, yes. Florida Probate Rule 5.030 requires the personal representative to be represented by an attorney unless the representative is the sole interested person or the estate qualifies for a limited exception. Summary administration has narrower rules but still involves petitions, orders, and creditor handling that go wrong easily.
What changed with the $150,000 limit in 2026?
As of July 1, 2026, Florida raised the summary administration threshold from $75,000 to $150,000 in non-exempt assets. That moves a lot of estates out of the long formal process and into the fast track. If someone told you a year ago that your estate did not qualify, it may qualify now.
Does the house have to go through probate?
Florida homestead property gets special treatment. In many cases it passes to heirs outside the reach of most creditors, but you still usually need a court order determining homestead status before a title company will insure a sale. That order is part of what we handle.
Can we avoid probate entirely?
Sometimes. If everything was held jointly, in a funded revocable trust, or with named beneficiaries, there may be nothing left to probate. That is exactly what the path finder above is checking for. It is worth fifteen minutes to confirm before you assume either way.
What if the will is missing, or there is no will?
An estate with no will is administered under Florida's intestacy statutes, which set out who inherits and in what shares. A missing original will can sometimes be established with a copy and supporting testimony, though it is a harder road. Either situation is workable. Call before anyone starts moving assets around.
My siblings and I disagree about the estate. Can you help?
We can represent the personal representative and work to keep the administration on track. If the disagreement escalates into a will contest or a removal action, we will tell you plainly what you are looking at. A lot of family conflict comes from silence and delay, and both get better once someone is actually running the file.
What should I bring to the first call?
Nothing, honestly. If you happen to have the death certificate, the original will, and a rough sense of what your loved one owned, that speeds things up. If you have none of it yet, the call is still worth having. Most people call us before they have any of that gathered.
Take the first step
One conversation and you will know where you stand
Fifteen minutes with a board certified probate attorney. We will tell you which Florida process applies, what the timeline looks like, and what it is likely to cost. If it turns out you do not need us, we will tell you that too.
Monday to Friday, 8:30 am to 5:00 pm Eastern
Palm City
901 SW Martin Downs Blvd, Ste 205, Palm City, FL 34990
Stuart
515 SW Camden Ave, Ste A, Stuart, FL 34994 (by appointment)
Request your free assessment
Tell us a little about the estate. We will get back to you with real answers, not a sales pitch.
Someone from our office will reach out shortly. If you would rather not wait, call (772) 324-9050.
Not ready to talk to anyone yet?
Read the Top 5 Probate Pitfalls first. Short, plain English, and it covers the mistakes that cost Florida families the most money and the most time.