The Hive Law
Probate Attorney in Atlanta, Georgia
When someone dies in Georgia, probate court takes 9 to 18 months and costs the average family $15,000 in court and attorney fees. The Hive Law helps Georgia families avoid it before it happens.
When Georgia Probate Is Required and What It Costs Your Family
Georgia probate ties up your estate in court for months while your family waits, pays fees, and works through a public legal process they didn't ask for. A probate attorney guides families through administration, inventory, and distribution after a death. If you want to avoid putting your family through this, The Hive Law can build a trust that bypasses Georgia probate entirely.
What Is Probate in Georgia?
Probate is the legal process a Georgia court uses to validate your will, pay your debts, and distribute your assets after you die. It is managed by the probate court in the county where you lived. Every Georgia county has its own probate court with its own docket, timelines, and fees.
The process requires an executor to file your will, notify creditors, publish a public notice, wait for claims, and eventually distribute what is left. Nothing passes to your family until the court signs off. That takes 9 to 18 months in Georgia for a standard estate. Complex estates with rental properties, business interests, blended families, or out-of-state real estate routinely take 30 months or more.
What Does Probate Cost in Georgia?
The average Georgia probate costs about $15,000 in court and attorney fees. Complex estates can run $35,000 or more. These fees are paid from the estate before your family receives anything.
Court filing fees, executor fees, attorney fees, and accounting fees add up quickly. In some cases the fees exceed the value of the assets in the estate. Your family pays those fees from the estate, not from their own pockets, but that still reduces what they receive.
Why a Will Does Not Avoid Probate
Many Georgia families believe a will keeps their estate out of court. It does not. A will is a set of instructions for the probate court. The court reads your will, validates it, and then supervises the distribution. A will directs probate. It does not avoid it.
When your will goes through probate it becomes a public record. Anyone can search the courthouse files and see what you owned, who you left it to, and how much. Creditors, predatory vendors, and estranged relatives can all see this information.
How a Revocable Trust Avoids Probate
A revocable living trust holds your assets during your lifetime and transfers them to your family after you die without going through probate court. When you die, your successor trustee distributes assets directly to your beneficiaries according to the trust terms. There is no court filing. There is no waiting period. There is no public record.
The Hive Law guarantees that every asset placed into your trust avoids probate. If any asset goes through probate because of an error on our part, we handle it at no charge.
What Happens If You Own Property in Multiple States
If you die owning real estate in another state and you only have a will, your family does not open one probate. They open one in Georgia and one in each state where you own property. Each probate requires its own attorney, its own court filings, and its own timeline. Nothing distributes until every probate closes.
One properly funded revocable trust eliminates all of them. Your successor trustee handles every state from a single document.
Avoid Probate Before It Happens
The most effective probate strategy is the one you create before you need it. A revocable living trust keeps your assets out of court and transfers them to your family without a waiting period.
Protect Your Assets While You Are Alive
Incapacity, nursing home costs, and creditor claims can affect your estate before you die. These documents protect your assets and your decision-making authority when you cannot speak for yourself.
Start with a Family Protection Audit
Not sure where you stand? The Family Protection Audit is a 60-minute call with attorney Melissa Breyer. She reviews your assets, identifies your probate exposure, and shows you exactly what you need.
Planning For Your Specific Situation
If you own rental properties or a business, your situation has layers a standard estate plan does not address.
The Difference a Trust Makes
Going Through Probate
- Court filing, creditor notices, waiting periods
- Public record anyone can search for what you owned
- 9 to 18 months before your family receives anything
- $15,000 average cost paid from the estate
- Multiple probates if you own out-of-state property
- Court controls the timeline, not your family
With a Funded Trust
- No court involvement, trust controls distribution
- Private, no public record of your assets or heirs
- Family receives assets in weeks, not months
- No court fees or probate attorney fees at death
- One trust covers all states where you own property
- Your successor trustee follows your exact instructions
How It Works
A 15-Minute Call With Shawn
Tell us what is going on with your family. Shawn walks you through your options and what each one costs. Free.
Melissa Designs Your Plan
She builds your estate plan from scratch based on your specific assets and family. You get an exact quote before you commit to anything.
Review Every Document With Melissa
Before you sign, Melissa walks through every document with you in plain language. No legal jargon. No confusion about what you are signing.
Your Plan Is Complete
Melissa delivers your completed documents and explains exactly what your family needs to do. You leave knowing your plan is in place and your family is protected.
Melissa Breyer
Georgia Estate Planning Attorney
Melissa Breyer is a Georgia estate planning attorney who works exclusively on trust-based estate planning and LLC formation. She personally designs every plan at The Hive Law and handles every client consultation herself. Every plan is built from scratch for your specific family, your specific assets, and your specific wishes.
107+ Five-Star Google Reviews
What Our Clients Say
After my father passed away, my mother had to rely on my father's employer to navigate the estate. It was a disaster. After this experience, I knew I needed a plan. I turned to The Hive Law to set up a trust. I no longer have to worry about my wife and children going through a difficult process if something happens to me. I highly recommend The Hive Law!
My biggest fear was that if I died first, my wife would have no idea how to navigate the estate and legal system. I reached out to The Hive Law and they put my mind at ease immediately. Their process is easy to follow and they took care of everything. The Hive Law is the best decision I've made for my family's future.
Working with Melissa Breyer to set up our Living Trust was a wonderful experience. She and her entire team were knowledgeable, professional, and made the whole process easy to understand. I highly recommend The Hive Law for all your estate planning needs!
We highly recommend Hive Law. They were extremely helpful and professional in guiding us through the process of creating a Revocable Living Trust. Melissa and Shawn were thorough, answered all our questions, and made a potentially confusing process easy to understand.
The Hive Law made the entire estate planning and trust process easy to understand and stress-free. Melissa and Shawn walked us through every step and answered all of our questions. We feel confident that our family is protected. Highly recommend!
My mom chose The Hive firm to help with estate planning after my father passed away. They were very thorough in explaining every step of the process. They made a difficult time much easier to navigate. I highly recommend The Hive Law for anyone needing estate planning services.
I used The Hive Law to help me create a trust for my family. The process was straightforward and Melissa and Shawn made sure I understood each step. They were responsive to all of my questions. I feel much more confident about my family's future now. Highly recommend!
Working with Shawn and Melissa at The Hive Law has been a great experience. They are very knowledgeable and took the time to explain all of our options. They made the process of setting up a trust simple and stress-free. I would highly recommend them to anyone needing estate planning.
The Hive Law Firm, and specifically Melissa, has been wonderful to work with during our estate planning process. She is knowledgeable, patient, and thorough. She answered all of our questions and made the process easy to understand. I highly recommend The Hive Law!
Shawn and Melissa were amazing to work with! My partner and I recently bought a house and wanted to get important things like wills, healthcare directives, etc. set up. They were incredible at answering all our questions and working with us to make sure we felt confident in all of the legal aspects. Having tried to do this online before with one of the DIY tools, it was just an amazing experience to get to talk through what we wanted with a knowledgeable human and have them take care of the details.
Hive Law was awesome to work with! Melissa and Shawn explained everything, kept things stress-free, and were always quick to respond to my questions. They made the whole process simple and smooth from start to finish. Highly recommend if you want a team that's knowledgeable but also easy to work with.
I lost my father in February of this year without any estate planning in place. The process of dealing with the probate court has been overwhelming and expensive. After this experience, I contacted The Hive Law to set up a trust so my children never have to go through what I've been through. Melissa and Shawn were compassionate, knowledgeable, and made the entire process simple. I highly recommend The Hive Law!
I used to know the bare minimum about probate and trust. I first encountered Shawn Breyer on Facebook. He was offering a webinar that I watched. That gave me a better understanding of probate versus trust. I was impressed enough to have him and his wife represent me. I had my initial one on one interview with Melissa Breyer, it went smoothly and she made everything clear. We are now proceeding with getting a revocable trust in place.
The Hive Law has been amazing throughout the process of setting up our trust. Every detail is considered and no stone is left unturned. They have been easy and enjoyable to work with. I would absolutely recommend them! Don't let your estate be turned over to Probate!!
Stop carrying this around.
A conversation with Shawn. You'll walk away knowing what your family needs and what it costs. That's it.
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