Short answer: good probate lawyer website design is built for an executor who has just lost someone and has been handed a job nobody explained. That means a probate section kept apart from estate planning, a plain step-by-step page describing how administration works in your courts, and a first conversation that feels like help with a process rather than a sales pitch.
Most probate pages on law firm sites are an afterthought. They sit as a paragraph at the bottom of the estate planning page, or as a single page that lists “probate and estate administration” among a dozen services. That suits the firm’s org chart, not the person who found the will in a kitchen drawer last week.
Who lands on a probate page, and what they are carrying
The typical probate visitor did not plan to need you. They are usually an adult child, a surviving spouse, or a sibling named as executor years ago in a document they barely remember. They are grieving and handling the funeral, the house and the paperwork at the same time. Many live out of state and wonder whether they must travel to court.
Their searches reflect that confusion. They type things like “what does an executor have to do”, “do I need a lawyer for probate”, “mom died without a will what now”, “how long does probate take”, or the name of the county followed by “probate court”. Some search because a bank refused to release an account without “letters”.
Three fears sit under almost every one of those searches. The first is personal liability: they have heard that an executor can be on the hook for mistakes, and they do not know what a mistake looks like. The second is cost: they assume a lawyer will eat into the inheritance or come out of their own pocket. The third is family conflict: they want to do this without starting a fight, or they are already in one. A probate site that speaks to those three fears directly will outperform one that lists services.
Split administration away from the estate planning page
Estate planning and estate administration are taught together and often practiced by the same attorneys, which is why firms bundle them. Online they are two different businesses with two different buyers.
The estate planning visitor is usually healthy, unhurried and comparing options: will or trust, which documents, what it costs. They respond to education and to the reassurance of getting things in order. The probate visitor is reacting to an event. Lectures about planning ahead are useless to them now. Mixing the two on one page forces both readers to scroll past content that is not about them, and it sends search engines a muddled signal about what the page answers.
The fix is structural. Keep your estate planning pages focused on planning, and build a separate probate hub with its own navigation entry, its own intake path and its own phone call to action. Cross-link them once, in context: the planning page can mention that the firm also guides families through administration, and the probate page can note, briefly and near the end, that many executors decide to put their own plans in place after going through the process.
The process page is the cornerstone
If you build only one probate page well, make it the walkthrough of the process. Executors want a map. A page that lays out the stages in order answers the searches that bring people in, lowers anxiety, and shows the firm knows the local court.
The broad stages are similar in most states, though names, forms and timing differ. Someone locates the original will, if there is one. A petition is filed with the probate court to admit the will and appoint a personal representative, or to appoint an administrator where there is no will. The court issues a document giving that person authority to act, often called letters testamentary or letters of administration. Notice goes to heirs, beneficiaries and creditors. The representative gathers and values the assets, pays valid debts, expenses and any taxes, accounts for what was done, and distributes what remains. Then the estate is closed.
Write that sequence for your jurisdiction, not a generic one. Which court handles it in each county you serve? Does your state offer a simplified or small estate procedure, and in plain terms who tends to qualify? Can an out-of-state executor serve, and are there extra steps when they do? Avoid putting firm timeframes or dollar thresholds on the page unless the attorney has confirmed them for your state and is willing to keep them updated, because these change and a wrong number on a process page is worse than no number.
Each stage can link to a deeper page. “Executor duties” becomes its own page. “What if there is no will” becomes its own page. “Selling the house during probate” becomes its own page. That is how a probate section grows into something that ranks for the long tail of executor questions instead of competing for one head term. Our guide to practice area pages covers how to build that hub and spoke layout without thin, duplicate pages.
A probate section, page by page
Here is a practical set of pages for a firm that handles administration regularly. Build only the ones that match work you take.
| Page | Who it is for | Call to action on that page |
|---|---|---|
| How probate works in your county | Any new executor trying to understand the road ahead | Book a call to walk through your specific estate |
| Executor and personal representative duties | Named executors worried about doing it wrong | Ask what you are responsible for, and what you are not |
| Administration when there is no will | Family members of someone who died intestate | Find out who can be appointed and who inherits |
| Small estates and simplified procedures | Families with modest estates hoping to avoid full probate | Check whether a shorter route might apply |
| Trust administration | Successor trustees, who often think they need probate | Learn what a trustee has to do without court |
| Will contests and estate disputes | Beneficiaries or executors facing a disagreement | Talk confidentially about your options |
| Executors who live out of state | Representatives managing an estate from a distance | Schedule a phone or video consultation |
| Real estate in an estate | Executors deciding whether to sell, keep or transfer a house | Ask how property is handled during administration |
The trust administration page is worth highlighting. Successor trustees often search for probate because they do not know the difference, and a page that explains, gently, that their situation may not involve court at all earns trust fast.
Talking about fees when the visitor expects the worst
Cost anxiety in probate is specific. Executors fear that hiring a lawyer means paying personally, or that fees will swallow the estate and anger the other heirs. A page that never mentions money leaves that fear in place.
You do not need to publish a price to address it. Explain how the firm bills for administration: hourly, flat fees for certain uncontested matters, or another structure. Explain, accurately for your state, where fees are usually paid from, since in many situations reasonable administration costs come out of the estate rather than the executor’s own funds. Note that a few states regulate probate attorney compensation by statute, and say clearly whether yours does. ABA Model Rule 1.5 requires fees to be reasonable and the basis of the fee to be communicated, preferably in writing, so the website should preview the same conversation the engagement letter will have.
Ethics issues that are particular to probate
The first is the question of who the client is. In most administrations the firm represents the personal representative in that fiduciary role, not the beneficiaries. Yet beneficiaries call, read the site and sometimes assume the estate’s lawyer is their lawyer. Your probate pages and intake scripts should say plainly whom the firm represents and suggest that beneficiaries with their own concerns may want separate advice. That protects against conflicts under Rule 1.7 and against misunderstandings that later become complaints.
The second is confidentiality. Intake forms on probate pages tend to collect family history, asset details and descriptions of disputes. Rule 1.6 does not switch off because a form is on a website. Keep online forms short, ask only what intake needs to route the call, and make sure whoever receives those submissions, including any outside answering or marketing vendor, is supervised in line with Rule 5.3.
The third is outreach. Some firms consider writing to families named in obituaries or probate filings. Targeted solicitation is governed by Rule 7.3 and by state versions of it that differ in labeling, timing and content requirements, and live person to person solicitation of a grieving family is a line you should not cross. Claims such as “avoid probate” or “probate specialist” also raise Rule 7.1 and certification questions. Rules vary by state, so check yours through our attorney advertising rules by state hub. This is not legal advice; check your state bar’s rules before publishing.
Calls to action that respect the moment
“Act now” and countdown language do not belong on a probate page. The person reading it is already overwhelmed. What converts is an invitation that removes uncertainty: “Talk through what happens next with an attorney.” Then explain the mechanics. Who picks up the phone? Is the first conversation free or paid, and how long does it run? What is useful to have nearby, such as the death certificate, a copy of the will if one has been found, and a rough list of accounts and property? Can the whole thing be handled by phone and video for someone four states away?
Put that block on every probate page, not only the contact page. A short written summary of next steps after the first call also helps, because executors forget most of what they hear in that conversation.
Where executors click instead of you
The competition for a probate click is not mostly other law firms. Court self-help pages and state judicial sites rank well for form names and procedural questions, and they should. Online document services sell probate packets to people who hope to do it alone. Legal directories hold the “probate lawyer near me” results in many markets. Property investors buy ads around probate real estate searches.
You will not beat the court on “where do I file the petition”, and you do not need to. You can win “do I need a lawyer for probate in” your county, “executor duties” in your state, and the dispute and trust questions, because those need judgment, not a form. Referred executors, sent by a CPA or funeral director, check the site before calling too, and a clear process page confirms the referral. For the content side of this, our law firm website content guide goes deeper on writing pages that answer real questions.
Frequently asked questions
Should probate have its own section on a law firm website?
Yes, if the firm handles administration regularly. Executors and planning clients search differently and need different calls to action, so a separate probate hub with its own pages and intake path serves both audiences better than one combined estates page.
What is the most important page in a probate section?
The step-by-step process page for your jurisdiction. It answers the questions that bring executors to search in the first place, lowers their anxiety, and links out to deeper pages on duties, intestate estates, trusts and disputes.
Should a probate website list fees?
It should explain how fees work even if it does not publish prices: the billing structure, where fees are generally paid from in your state, and whether your state regulates probate compensation. Silence on cost leaves the executor’s biggest worry unanswered.
How should a probate site handle calls from beneficiaries?
State clearly on the site and in intake whom the firm represents, usually the personal representative in their fiduciary role. Beneficiaries with their own concerns can be told they may want independent advice, which helps avoid conflicts and later misunderstandings.
Can a firm market to families after a death?
Targeted outreach is regulated by Rule 7.3 and state equivalents, which vary in labeling and timing requirements, and live solicitation of grieving families is off limits. Check your state bar’s rules before sending anything, and lean on search and referrals instead.
The short version
Build probate as its own section, written for an executor who is grieving and unsure. Lead with a plain process page for your courts, branch out into duties, intestate estates, trusts, disputes and property, explain how fees work without hiding from the question, say whom the firm represents, and make the first call feel like guidance. The planning page and the probate page should point to each other once, and otherwise stay out of each other’s way.
If you want to see how your current estates pages are structured and what executors in your area are actually searching for, start with a free law firm SEO audit. When you are ready to rebuild, our website packages lay out what each level includes.
