Boca Raton and West Palm Beach Probate Attorney

Palm Beach County runs some 45 miles along the coast, and the families we hear from here are just as varied. A retired couple in Boca Raton wants a trust that keeps their condo out of probate. A son in Jupiter has just been named personal representative for his mother's estate. A seasonal resident in Palm Beach Gardens wants to know whether Florida or their home state will control their estate. Each question has a local answer, and this page sets out the parts that are specific to Palm Beach County.

Communities we serve in Palm Beach County

• West Palm Beach
• Boca Raton
• Delray Beach
• Boynton Beach
• Palm Beach Gardens
• Jupiter
• Wellington

One circuit, three probate courthouses

The Fifteenth Judicial Circuit serves Palm Beach County and no other county. Its Probate Division handles wills, trusts and guardianship, and it operates from three courthouses:

A family does not simply pick the courthouse nearest to them. The Clerk generally assigns a probate case to a courthouse by the ZIP code of the filing attorney's office, or by the address of the person who died when no attorney is involved. Once a case is assigned, original documents such as the will, any codicils and the death certificate go to the courthouse where the case is pending.

What changes when an estate is opened here

The Fifteenth Circuit has suspended its ex parte probate docket. In many Florida counties an attorney can walk simple orders in front of a judge. In Palm Beach County, proposed orders are submitted electronically, and originals are mailed or sent by overnight delivery to the assigned courthouse. That is one reason Palm Beach estates move more smoothly when the paperwork is complete the first time.

To help with that, the circuit publishes approved checklists for the most common filings, including:

• Formal administration, with a will and without one.
• Summary administration, with a will and without one.
• Ancillary administration, for someone who lived in another state but owned Palm Beach County property.
• Determining homestead status of real property.
• A petition to sell real property, and the petition for discharge that closes the estate.

Several of these checklists were updated in June 2026, so a list printed a year ago may be out of date. We work from the circuit's current versions. Summary administration is generally available when the non exempt estate is $150,000 or less, a limit raised from $75,000 by chapter 2026-57 effective July 1, 2026, or when the person died more than two years ago. Our Florida probate administration page explains how formal and summary administration differ.

If you hold the original will

Under section 732.901, Florida Statutes, whoever has the original will of a person who has died must deposit it with the clerk within 10 days after learning of the death. In Palm Beach County, the Clerk's published guidance is that a will can be filed in person at any of the three courthouses or by mail, there is no fee to deposit it, and the original paper will cannot be e-filed. Bring or include a certified copy of the death certificate. An attorney is not required just to deposit a will.

Planning for a Palm Beach County home

For most families the home is the center of the plan, and three different offices touch it:

• Homestead rules. The Florida Constitution protects a primary residence from most creditors and restricts how it can be left by will when you are survived by a spouse or minor child. Our Florida homestead planning page explains those limits.
• The Property Appraiser. The homestead property tax exemption is applied for through the Palm Beach County Property Appraiser by March 1 (section 196.011). The Property Appraiser accepts applications online, at its service centers or by mail, and states that missing the deadline waives the exemption for that year. If your home is held in a revocable living trust, its published guidance accepts a certificate of trust in place of the full trust agreement.
• The Clerk's Official Records. A deed into your trust, or an enhanced life estate deed, is recorded with the Clerk. The Clerk offers a free Property Fraud Alert that emails you when a document is recorded under a name, address or parcel you choose, which is a sensible step once your new deed is on record.

Documents most Palm Beach families consider

Most plans are built from the same core documents, adjusted for your family and property:

1. A Florida will naming beneficiaries, a personal representative and a guardian for minor children, signed at the end before two witnesses.
2. A revocable living trust so assets titled in the trust pass without probate, with a pour over will for anything left outside it.
3. A durable power of attorney, signed before two witnesses and a notary, so someone you trust can manage your finances.
4. A health care surrogate designation and a living will, each signed before two adult witnesses.

If you signed documents in another state before moving here, they may still be valid, but the people you named may not qualify to serve in Florida and your power of attorney may not meet Florida's signing rules. A review settles those questions.

How we work with Palm Beach County clients

Palm Beach County clients can meet with an attorney at our Fort Lauderdale office, about a half hour south of Boca Raton, or by phone or video from home. Your first consultation is free. We explain which documents fit, prepare them in plain language and supervise the signing with the witnesses and notary Florida requires. If you are settling an estate, we tell you which administration applies, prepare the filings to the circuit's checklists and guide you to the discharge. Because the firm limits its caseload, you work directly with an attorney throughout. If you live farther south, our Broward County page covers the local steps there. Contact us to get started.