Oregon's estate tax kicks in at $1 million — far lower than the federal exemption.
Oregon's estate tax starts at $1 million — one of the lowest exemptions in the country. That makes Portland estate planning critical for many middle-class homeowners whose house alone may push the estate over the threshold. The right plan uses credit-shelter trusts, lifetime gifting, and life-insurance trusts to manage Oregon estate tax exposure while keeping the rest of the plan simple.
These ten Portland estate planning firms were selected based on Best Lawyers and Super Lawyers recognition, Oregon State Bar Estate Planning Section involvement, U.S. News & World Report Best Law Firms tier listings, and consistent surfacing on Avvo, Justia, and Expertise.com. We do not accept payment for placement.
How we picked these 10: We do not accept payment for placement, and we do not write sponsored reviews. More on our methodology → | How to compare firms →
Practice focus: Estate planning, trust administration, business succession, Oregon estate tax
One of Portland's oldest firms; deep estate planning bench including Best Lawyers-recognized practitioners.
Full-service Pacific Northwest firm with substantial private-client capability. Strong fit for high-net-worth planning, charitable structures, and business succession.
Practice focus: Estate planning, trust administration, tax, family office
AmLaw 200 firm headquartered in Portland; substantial private-client and tax practice.
BigLaw resources, regional roots. Strong fit for taxable estates, multi-state planning, and family-office-level structuring.
Practice focus: Estate planning, trust administration, fiduciary litigation
Portland firm with a long-standing trusts and estates practice; attorneys regularly recognized in Best Lawyers.
Strong fit for complex Oregon estate tax planning and matters that may overlap with fiduciary litigation.
Practice focus: Estate planning, business succession, probate
Portland firm with substantial estate planning and business succession practice; offices in Lake Oswego.
Strong fit when the estate plan needs to coordinate with a closely held business or professional practice.
Practice focus: Estate planning, probate, trust administration, fiduciary
Portland firm with focus on estate planning, probate, and fiduciary work for individual and family clients.
Strong fit when you want a Portland-rooted, individual-client-focused practice — not a corporate firm that also does estates.
Practice focus: Estate planning, trusts, business succession
Portland firm with a long-running estate planning practice covering Oregon and Pacific Northwest clients.
Strong fit for executives, professionals, and business owners whose plan needs to coordinate with operating-business considerations.
Practice focus: Estate planning, probate, fiduciary litigation, business
Portland firm with substantial private-client and fiduciary litigation practice.
Strong fit when planning needs to anticipate possible litigation — blended families, disinherited heirs, contested capacity issues.
Practice focus: Estate planning, wills, trusts, probate, asset protection
Portland flat-fee estate planning boutique focused on individuals and families.
Strong fit for a clear, flat-fee will or revocable trust package — pricing certainty for a straightforward middle-class estate.
Practice focus: Wills, trusts, trust administration, probate, durable POA
Portland practice specializing in wills, trusts, trust administration, and durable powers of attorney.
Strong fit when you want a process-focused boutique that explains the plan in plain English.
Practice focus: Wills, trusts, probate, estate planning
Portland-metro estate planning practice highly reviewed on Avvo for plain-language client communication.
Strong fit for first-time planners. Process is structured to walk clients through the package step by step.
Tell us about your situation and we will match you with vetted estate planning attorneys in Portland. Free, confidential, no obligation.
Request Free Consultation →Ten firms is a lot to evaluate. Three filters will get you to a short list of two or three in an afternoon.
Fit your situation, not just the practice area. A estate planning firm that does mostly executive-level matters is a different fit from one that does mostly hourly-worker matters. Call the firm and ask: "What does a typical client look like for you? What does a typical case look like?" If the answer is your situation, you are in the right place.
Ask who actually handles the case. Many firms market on the senior partner and route the day-to-day work to a junior associate. That is not automatically bad — junior associates can be excellent — but you should know who you are working with. Ask: "Who will I be talking to day-to-day? How often does the senior partner sit in?"
Compare quotes side by side. Most Portland firms on this list offer a free or low-cost initial consultation. Use two of them. Compare fee structure, retainer, and the answers to the same set of questions across firms.
Portland estate planning attorneys generally charge $275-$525/hour at the boutique level and $400-$800/hour at the BigLaw level. A simple will package (will, durable POA, advance directive) runs $600-$1,800 flat. A revocable trust package with pour-over will and ancillary documents runs $2,200-$5,500 flat. Complex Oregon estate tax planning involving credit-shelter trusts, life insurance trusts (ILITs), or family limited partnerships runs $6,500-$20,000+. Probate in Multnomah County is statutory plus reasonable attorney fees — typically 2-5% of estate value depending on complexity.
A typical revocable trust package signs in 4-6 weeks from intake. Probate in Multnomah County Circuit Court takes 9-14 months in uncontested matters. Trust administration after death typically takes 6-12 months. Oregon estate tax returns (Form OR-706) are due 12 months after death. Federal Form 706 (for taxable estates) is due 9 months after death.
Portland probate matters are heard in Multnomah County Circuit Court Probate Department. Trust contests, conservatorships, and guardianships also go through this court. Out-of-state real property requires ancillary probate in the state where the property sits — another reason a funded revocable trust is widely recommended for Portland homeowners with vacation property.
Oregon estate planning has distinct features that surprise people from other states.
Oregon estate tax kicks in at $1M. Oregon's estate tax exemption is $1,000,000 — far below the federal $13.6M. A married Portland couple with a paid-off house and a 401(k) can easily cross the threshold. Credit-shelter trusts and disclaimer planning preserve both spouses' exemptions.
No portability of Oregon exemption. Unlike the federal exemption, Oregon does not allow a surviving spouse to use the deceased spouse's unused exemption. This makes the credit-shelter trust structure especially valuable in Oregon.
Oregon has a Small Estate Affidavit. Estates under $275,000 ($75,000 personal property + $200,000 real property) can be administered via small-estate affidavit instead of full probate — faster and cheaper.
Inherited basis rules favor non-probate transfers. Assets passing through a revocable trust still get a step-up in basis at death, like assets passing through probate. The trust avoids the cost and delay without sacrificing the tax benefit.
The first hundred Google results for "estate planning lawyer Portland" include thousands of firms. Most are competent. A handful are problems. The patterns to walk away from:
Guaranteed outcomes. No ethical attorney can guarantee a result. If a firm promises a specific recovery or dismissal, leave.
The vanishing partner. You meet a senior name at intake, then never speak to them again. Ask in writing who handles your case from day to day.
Pressure to sign immediately. Reputable firms give you the retainer in writing, time to read it, and the option to take it home. High-pressure intake is almost always a volume mill.
No verifiable track record. The firm should be able to point to published verdicts, settlements, peer rankings, or bar association recognition. "We have helped thousands of clients" is marketing. Specific cases, numbers, and third-party rankings are evidence.
Vague fee terms. Every legitimate Portland lawyer will give you a written engagement letter with the fee structure, what is covered, what triggers extra charges, and what happens if you fire them. If the firm cannot put that in writing, walk away.
We will connect you with vetted estate planning attorneys in Portland. No fee to use this service.
The free consultation is short — usually 30 to 45 minutes. The lawyer cannot give you a serious case assessment without the documents. Bring the file. Most consultations turn into useful guidance only after the attorney has seen the paper trail.
The paper trail. Every email, text, and letter that touches the matter. Print or PDF the threads in chronological order. If you have a contract or written agreement, bring the signed version and any drafts that show what was negotiated. For court matters, bring every filed document and any orders that have issued.
A written timeline. One page. Bullet points. Date on the left, what happened on the right. Lawyers think in chronology — a timeline is the single most useful artifact you can prepare.
Names and contact information. Everyone involved on the other side, anyone who witnessed the events, your prior attorneys (if any), the relevant insurance carriers or institutions. A lawyer needs to run a conflict check before taking the case; a short list saves time.
Your goals, in writing. What does a good outcome look like? What does an acceptable outcome look like? What is non-negotiable? A lawyer who knows your goals can tell you whether the case is worth the cost.
Most Portland estate planning firms on this list offer a free or low-cost initial consultation. Use it. Bring a list of questions, write down the answers, and compare across two firms before you sign.
Yes — Oregon's estate tax starts at $1 million, with rates from 10% to 16%. The federal exemption is roughly $13.6M in 2026. Many middle-class Portland homeowners are over the Oregon threshold without realizing it.
Most Portland homeowners benefit from a revocable trust because it avoids probate, manages incapacity, and supports Oregon estate tax planning. If you rent and have modest assets, a will is often enough.
A trust structure that lets a married couple preserve both spouses' Oregon estate tax exemptions ($1M each). Critical in Oregon because the state does not allow portability between spouses.
Oregon does not have a statutory percentage attorney fee for probate; attorneys charge reasonable fees, typically 2-5% of estate value. A $750,000 estate might cost $15,000-$30,000 to probate depending on complexity.
A simplified procedure for estates under $275,000 (combined). Avoids full probate. Filed in Circuit Court 30 days after death.
Every 3-5 years and after life events (marriage, divorce, birth, death of a beneficiary, large asset change, move into or out of Oregon).
An Irrevocable Life Insurance Trust. Holds life insurance outside the taxable estate. Useful in Oregon planning to keep large policies out of the $1M Oregon estate tax calculation.
No. Unlike the federal exemption, Oregon does not allow portability. This is why credit-shelter trusts are so common in Oregon estate planning.
One last thing. Choosing a lawyer is personal. Read the reviews. Call two or three firms before you sign. Ask each one: How many cases like mine have you taken to verdict in the last three years? The answer tells you what you need to know. — The LawFirmSquare team