You've been putting off making a will. Or you have one from 1998 and your kids are now adults and you got remarried and the house is paid off. Or your mom just passed and you've been named executor and you have no idea what Erie County Surrogate's Court actually wants from you. Estate planning in Buffalo runs the full spectrum from a $1,200 basic will-and-POA package to a multi-million-dollar trust plan accounting for NY's separate estate tax (which kicks in at $7.16M, well below the federal level). Below are vetted Buffalo firms.
Most people only think about estate planning at three moments: a milestone (marriage, baby, home purchase, divorce, remarriage), a scare (a hospital visit, a peer's sudden death, a diagnosis), or a parent's death (sometimes you become the executor before you have your own will done). Any of those is the right reason to call. Buffalo estate planning is largely flat-fee work, so the cost is predictable and the timeline is short — most plans are drafted, reviewed, signed, and witnessed within 4 to 8 weeks of the first meeting.
Call a Buffalo estate planning lawyer if any of the following describes where you are.
A standard Buffalo estate-planning package for an individual or couple includes five documents. A last will and testament — names executor, distributes assets, names guardian for minor children. A NY durable statutory power of attorney — names an agent to handle finances if you are incapacitated. A healthcare proxy — names an agent to make medical decisions. A HIPAA release — lets your agents talk to your providers. A living will — your end-of-life wishes. A revocable living trust gets added when you want to avoid probate or have property in multiple states. An irrevocable trust gets added for tax planning, Medicaid planning, or asset protection.
Most Buffalo estate planning is flat-fee. A basic plan with will, POA, healthcare proxy, HIPAA release, and living will runs $750 to $1,500 for an individual; couples are $1,200 to $2,500. Adding a revocable living trust pushes the range to $2,500 to $7,500. Complex high-net-worth plans with irrevocable trusts, gifting strategies, and NY estate-tax cliff planning can run $5,000 to $25,000 or more. Probate fees in Erie County Surrogate's Court typically run $3,500 to $9,000 for a routine estate; contested matters scale with conflict.
Major Buffalo firm with a dedicated Estates, Wills, and Trusts group. Recognized by U.S. News in Trusts & Estates Law, Elder Law, and Litigation-Trusts & Estates. Strong fit when the plan needs sophisticated estate-tax work, business-succession integration, charitable planning, or a long-term elder-law strategy that interacts with the NY Medicaid 5-year look-back.
Buffalo estate planning practice with roots back to 1955. Builds flat-fee packages around living trusts, wills, statutory POAs, healthcare proxies, and charitable planning instruments. Good first-call option for individuals and couples who want a transparent flat-fee quote at the consult and a finite signing date — no open-ended hourly billing.
Estate planning practice with offices in Buffalo, Batavia, Hamburg, Cheektowaga, and Niagara Falls. Multi-attorney shop covering wills, trusts, probate, elder law, and Medicaid asset protection. Good fit for clients in the suburbs and outer Erie / Niagara / Genesee counties who want a local office for the signing meeting rather than a downtown trip.
Buffalo firm with more than 90 years of practice in wills, trusts, and probate. Handles estate plans, post-death administration in Erie County Surrogate's Court, and will contests. Good fit when the estate touches multiple practice areas — a business interest that needs succession planning, a family law angle from a prior divorce, or a personal injury settlement structuring into a special needs trust.
Williamsville-based boutique focused on family estate planning, probate, probate litigation, and Buffalo-area commercial real estate. Practice covers Buffalo, Williamsville, Amherst, Clarence and surrounding suburbs. Good fit for the northern Erie County crowd who want a small-firm relationship and a single attorney handling both the plan now and the administration later when it's needed.
Tell us briefly what you need. We route a confidential request to the best-fit Buffalo firm in this directory.