Estate Planning Attorney in New Haven, CT

Most New Haven homeowners benefit from a revocable living trust because it avoids the New Haven Probate Court process, keeps the estate private, and lets you control timing. Renters with simple finances may be fine with a well-drafted will. The right answer depends on your assets, your family, and your goals, which is exactly what your free consultation is for.

New Haven estates are filed with the New Haven Probate Court, part of Connecticut's probate district system. The executor files the will, the court oversees creditor claims and asset distribution, and the estate closes once everything is settled. Most cases take 9 to 12 months. If you have been named an executor, our Connecticut probate attorney page covers next steps.

Most uncontested Connecticut estates close in 9 to 12 months. Complex or contested estates, especially those with real estate to sell or a family business to wind down, can run 18 months or longer. Clear wills, organized records, and a responsive executor are the three biggest accelerators.

Connecticut intestacy law decides who inherits. The split between a spouse and children is set by statute, which often surprises blended families and second marriages. The court also appoints an administrator and, if you have minor children, decides who raises them. None of that is private and none of it is fast.

Yes. Connecticut has its own state estate tax with an exemption that tracks the federal exemption (in the multi-million range as of 2026). The state filing rules are separate from the federal ones, which matters for Yale-area professionals, shoreline homeowners with appreciated property, and any family business owner.

A basic Connecticut will package typically runs a few hundred dollars. A full revocable trust plan generally runs in the low thousands, depending on complexity. We work on flat fees, scoped during your free consultation, so you know the price before you commit. Most clients spend far less on their plan than their estate would spend on probate.

You can, but DIY plans fail in predictable places. The most common failures: the trust never gets funded, the will misses Connecticut-specific witness rules, and the plan ignores state estate tax. A short consultation with a CT-licensed attorney will catch most of these before they become a problem.

Yes. We serve all of New Haven County, including West Haven, East Haven, Hamden, North Haven, Branford, Orange, Woodbridge, and Cheshire, from our primary Milford office and North Haven satellite. We offer in-person and video meetings, and Bryan is dual-licensed in CT and NY for cross-state clients.