An estate plan in St. Louis is one document set you cannot afford to leave to chance, and the cost is small relative to what a defective plan creates in probate court.
A St. Louis estate plan typically includes a will, durable financial power of attorney, healthcare power of attorney (advance directive), and a revocable living trust where probate avoidance matters. Missouri probate is supervised by the Circuit Court Probate Division; independent administration is available with consent or directing will. Standard probate runs 6-12 months. The federal estate-tax exemption is approximately $13.99M per individual in 2026; Missouri has no state estate or inheritance tax. The 10 firms below are recognized Missouri trusts-and-estates practitioners, including multiple Best Lawyers and Missouri Super Lawyers honorees.
How we picked these 10: We cross-referenced Super Lawyers Missouri, Best Lawyers, Avvo, Justia, Martindale-Hubbell, and the Missouri State Bar. Firms had to appear in at least two independent peer rankings, have verifiable Missouri bar standing, and an active estate planning practice. More on our methodology →
Practice focus: Estate planning, trusts and estates, probate, business succession
Clayton-based full-service firm with a dedicated estate-planning practice. Handles federal estate, gift, and generation-skipping-tax planning alongside basic wills and trusts.
Why they made the list: Right pick when your estate is large enough that federal estate tax, GST, or business succession matters.
Request Free Consultation →Practice focus: Estate planning, wills, revocable and irrevocable trusts, long-term-care planning
St. Louis metro estate-planning firm. Helps individuals and families build wills, revocable living trusts, and long-term-care plans.
Why they made the list: Right pick when you want a transparent flat fee for a basic to mid-complexity plan.
Request Free Consultation →Practice focus: Estate planning, probate administration, elder law
Boutique probate and estate-administration firm in the St. Louis area. Works with clients of all ages on plans and administering existing estates.
Why they made the list: Right pick when probate administration after a death is the immediate need, not just planning.
Request Free Consultation →Practice focus: Estate planning, living trusts, probate, elder law, veterans benefits
Chesterfield, Missouri estate-planning attorney serving families and veterans. Handles living trusts, probate avoidance, and elder-law planning.
Why they made the list: Right pick when you are a veteran or have elder-law concerns (Medicaid planning, long-term care).
Request Free Consultation →Practice focus: Estate planning, business succession, tax planning, fiduciary litigation
Clayton, Missouri firm with dedicated estate-planning and tax groups. Multiple attorneys recognized by Best Lawyers in Trusts and Estates.
Why they made the list: Right pick when your plan ties to a closely-held business or has fiduciary-litigation risk.
Request Free Consultation →Practice focus: Estate planning, trust administration, tax, fiduciary litigation, charitable planning
Long-established St. Louis full-service firm. Trusts and estates group handles high-net-worth planning, fiduciary administration, and charitable-giving structures.
Why they made the list: Right pick when your plan involves multiple generations, charitable trusts, or significant tax-planning needs.
Request Free Consultation →Practice focus: Estate planning, probate, trust litigation, business succession
Clayton-based full-service firm with seasoned estate-planning practice. Attorneys recognized by Missouri Super Lawyers in trusts and estates.
Why they made the list: Right pick when you want a mid-size firm balancing planning and trust-administration capability.
Request Free Consultation →Practice focus: Estate planning, wills, trusts, powers of attorney, healthcare directives
St. Louis estate-planning boutique with focused wills-and-trusts practice. Builds basic to mid-complexity plans with flat-fee pricing.
Why they made the list: Right pick when you want straightforward flat-fee pricing for a basic family plan.
Request Free Consultation →Practice focus: Estate planning, probate, business succession, fiduciary services
One of the oldest St. Louis firms (founded in the 1880s). Trusts and estates group handles planning, administration, and probate matters.
Why they made the list: Right pick when you want a long-tenured firm with multi-generational client experience.
Request Free Consultation →Practice focus: Estate planning, wealth transfer, fiduciary litigation, business succession
St. Louis-headquartered AmLaw 200 firm. Private client services group handles high-net-worth wealth-transfer planning and complex trust administration.
Why they made the list: Right pick when your plan involves substantial wealth, business succession, or cross-border planning that needs AmLaw-level resources.
Request Free Consultation →Tell us about your situation and we will match you with vetted estate planning attorneys in St. Louis. Free, confidential, no obligation.
Request Free Consultation →First step: a planning consultation, where the lawyer maps your family, your assets, your beneficiary intentions, and your tax exposure. The firm proposes a plan, most commonly a will and powers of attorney for simpler estates, a revocable living trust package for moderate to complex estates. After your approval, drafting takes 2-4 weeks. You meet again to sign with witnesses and a notary. The lawyer then funds the trust (retitling deeds and accounts), a step many DIY plans miss. Total time from consultation to fully executed plan: 4-8 weeks.
Most St. Louis estate-planning firms price by package or by hour. A simple will + powers of attorney: $750-$1,800. A revocable living trust package (will, trust, POAs, deed funding): $2,500-$5,000. A high-net-worth plan with irrevocable trusts, GRATs, or business succession: $7,500-$50,000+. Trust administration after a death is billed separately at $250-$500 per hour. Hourly rates for complex tax planning: $400-$750.
All ten firms above are competent practitioners. The right pick depends on the shape of your matter, not on which firm has the biggest billboard. The patterns we see:
Pick a boutique when your case is narrow in scope, you want a senior attorney doing the actual work, and you are willing to trade brand recognition for senior attention. Boutiques typically have lower overhead and run senior-led from start to finish. The risk: if the firm gets conflicted out or busy, your case may stall.
Pick a mid-size firm when your matter has multiple moving parts, or when you need a steady team with a bench behind it. Mid-size firms in St. Louis are the natural fit for most estate planning matters with any complexity.
Pick a large firm when the matter is genuinely large in dollars at stake, complex in legal issues, multi-jurisdictional, or institutionally sensitive. Large firms charge accordingly but bring depth across practice areas. The risk: junior attorneys do most of the day-to-day work unless you push for senior involvement.
Missouri estate planning is governed by the Missouri Probate Code (R.S.Mo. Chapter 472-475) and Missouri's adoption of the Uniform Trust Code (R.S.Mo. Chapter 456). Missouri requires wills to be in writing, signed by the testator, and witnessed by two disinterested witnesses. Holographic (handwritten unwitnessed) wills are not valid in Missouri. Independent administration of probate is available with consent or a directing will. Small-estate affidavits are available for estates with personal property under $40,000.
Missouri has no state estate or inheritance tax. Federal estate tax only above the federal exemption ($13.99M individual / $27.98M married in 2026).
Most firms in St. Louis are competent. A few are problematic. The patterns to avoid:
Guaranteed outcomes. No ethical attorney can guarantee a result. If a firm promises a specific recovery, dismissal, custody outcome, or settlement number, walk away. Ethics rules in every U.S. state prohibit guarantees.
The disappearing partner. You meet a senior partner at intake, then never speak to them again. The case is handled by an unsupervised junior or a paralegal. Ask in writing who will be your day-to-day attorney, how often you will hear from them, and what happens when they are unavailable.
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 sign of a volume mill rather than a careful practice.
No verifiable track record. The firm should be able to point to verdicts, settlements, peer rankings, or bar association recognition. Specific numbers, named cases, and third-party rankings are evidence.
Vague fee terms. "Do not worry about cost" is a red flag. Every legitimate St. Louis 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.
Most firms on this list offer a free or low-cost initial consultation. Use it. Bring a list of questions and write down the answers. Compare across at least two firms before you sign.
Tell us about your situation. We will forward your details to the firms on this list (or others nearby) best fit for your matter. No fees to you. Confidential.
Standard package: a Last Will and Testament, a durable financial Power of Attorney, a Healthcare Power of Attorney (advance directive), and often a revocable living trust to avoid probate. Most Missouri firms offer this as a flat-fee package of $1,500-$5,000 depending on complexity.
Wills go through probate, which is public, takes 6-12+ months in Missouri, and costs the estate court fees and attorney fees. Revocable living trusts avoid probate entirely if properly funded. Use a will-only plan when your estate is straightforward, all major assets are jointly owned or have beneficiaries, and probate is acceptable. Use a trust when you own real estate in multiple states, want privacy, or want to control distributions over time.
Simple will + powers of attorney: $750-$1,800. Revocable living trust package (will, trust, POAs, deed funding): $2,500-$5,000. High-net-worth plans (irrevocable trusts, GRATs, dynasty trusts, business succession): $7,500-$50,000+. Trust administration after a death is billed separately at $250-$500 per hour.
In Missouri, probate is supervised by the Circuit Court Probate Division in the county where the decedent lived. Independent administration (no court supervision of routine acts) is available with consent or a directing will. Estates with personal property under $40,000 may qualify for a simplified small-estate affidavit. Standard probate takes 6-12 months.
For 2026, the federal estate-tax exemption is approximately $13.99M per individual. Most St. Louis families do not face federal estate tax. Neither Missouri nor North Carolina has a state estate or inheritance tax. If your estate is approaching the federal exemption or you anticipate exemption sunset, talk to a planner with formal tax training.
Re-review every 3-5 years and whenever you have a major life event: marriage, divorce, birth or adoption, the death of a named beneficiary, a substantial inheritance, a move to a different state, or a change to Missouri or federal law that affects your structure.
Legally, yes, but the failure rate of DIY wills is high. Missouri-specific witnessing rules, residuary clauses, and fiduciary appointments are routinely wrong in self-drafted wills. The cost of a competent flat-fee plan ($1,500-$3,000) is small compared to the litigation cost when a defective will fails.
A pour-over will is used alongside a revocable living trust. It directs that any property not already transferred to the trust at death "pours over" into the trust through probate. The pour-over will is the safety net for assets that were never retitled into the trust.
One last thing. Choosing a lawyer is personal. Read the reviews. Call two or three firms before you sign. Ask each one: How many estate planning matters like mine have you handled in the last three years, and how many went to trial? The answer tells you what kind of lawyer you are actually hiring. — The LawFirmSquare team