Guiding New York Families Through Probate
Most people who reach out to us have never been through probate before. They simply know something important has happened — and they're not sure what comes next.
If that's where you are today, you're in good company, and you've done nothing wrong by not knowing.
Probate is a process almost nobody learns until life requires it. Our job is to make it understandable, keep it moving, and carry the procedural weight so your family can focus on each other.
How We Help Families
- Probate of a will.
When a loved one leaves a will, we prepare and file the petition with the Surrogate's Court in the borough or county where they lived, handle the required family notifications, and see the will through to admission — so the executor receives legal authority quickly and cleanly. - Estate administration without a will.
When there is no will, New York law provides a clear path and a clear formula for who inherits. We guide the appointed administrator through the same steps with the same care. - Executor and administrator guidance.
Being named executor is an honor and a serious responsibility. We advise executors through every stage — marshaling assets, the estate account, creditor windows, records, taxes, and final distribution — so the role is done well and the executor is protected. Start with our complete Executor's Guide. - Real estate in the estate.
Houses, condos, and New York's very particular co-ops. We handle estate sales, transfers to beneficiaries, and family buyouts, including the date-of-death valuations that protect everyone. See What Happens to a House During Probate? - Cross-border and immigrant-family estates.
A decedent who wasn't a U.S. citizen. Heirs living overseas. An apartment in Manhattan and a family home in another country. These estates need probate counsel that also understands immigration and international paperwork — and that is precisely what our practice was built to be. - Small estates.
Not every estate needs full probate. Where New York's simplified small-estate process fits, we'll tell you so — and if you may not need us at all, we'll tell you that too.
What the Process Looks Like
Probate follows a rhythm, and knowing the rhythm makes the waiting easier:
- File the will and petition with Surrogate's Court
- Notify the closest family members, as New York requires
- Appointment — the court issues Letters Testamentary to the executor
- Administer — gather assets, pay debts and taxes, keep records
- Distribute and close — beneficiaries receive what the will directs
A straightforward, uncontested estate commonly takes nine to twelve months, with the executor's authority arriving in the first several weeks. We explain the timeline honestly at the start — here's the realistic month-by-month version — and we keep you informed at every stage, because in our experience steady communication is what keeps probate calm.
Our Probate Process
Why Families Trust This Firm
- Probate begins with people, not procedures. Danny Grace came to New York as an immigrant himself — born in Limerick, Ireland, educated at the University of Limerick School of Law, admitted to the New York bar in 2011, and founder of this firm in 2012. He grew up in a culture that has always understood that a death in the family is not merely a legal event. It is a family event. A gathering. A remembering. That perspective shapes how this firm practices probate: stories before statutes, clarity before paperwork, people before process.
- Deep procedural experience. Douglas Mace, our Managing Attorney and lead probate and estate administration practitioner, spent eight years inside the New York court system as a law clerk in Kings County Civil Court before entering private practice. He has seen how courts actually process files — what makes a matter move and what makes it sit — and he builds our filings accordingly.
- A practice stack no pure probate firm has. Because Danny Grace PLLC also practices immigration, real estate, employment, and business law, we handle the estates other firms refer out: the non-citizen decedent, the heirs on two continents, the estate that includes a family restaurant with a liquor license and staff on work visas. One firm, one conversation, the whole picture.
- Recognized work. Danny Grace has been selected to Super Lawyers each year from 2022 through 2026. Our office at 225 Broadway stands two blocks from the courthouse district in Lower Manhattan, and we appear in Surrogate's Court matters across all five boroughs.
Why This Practice Is Different
Stories Before Statutes
We begin with your family and the person you lost, not with a checklist of filings.
Court-Tested Filings
Prepared by an attorney who spent eight years inside the New York court system.
Honest Timelines
A realistic month-by-month picture at the start, not an optimistic one.
Estates Other Firms Refer Out
Non-citizen decedents, heirs on two continents, a family business with a license and staff on visas.
We'll Tell You If You Don't Need Us
Where New York's simplified small-estate process fits, you'll hear that first.
Why Families Trust This Practice
Probate in Plain English
More paperwork than drama, explained without the vocabulary that makes it feel worse than it is.
All Five Boroughs
We appear in Surrogate's Court matters across New York City, from an office two blocks from the courts.
Executors Protected
Being named executor is a real responsibility. We advise you through it so the role is done well.
One Firm, Whole Picture
Property, business interests, and immigration questions inside an estate, handled under one roof.
A New York probate practice built on patience and precision.
At Danny Grace PLLC, a death in the family is not merely a legal event. We carry the procedural weight of Surrogate's Court — the petition, the notifications, the creditor window, the accounting — so your family can spend these months on each other rather than on paperwork.
Our Mission
To administer every estate with the same care we would demand for our own family.
Our Standard
Court-ready filings, steady communication, and an estate that closes cleanly and on time.
Carrying New York Families Through Probate With Calm, Clear, Patient Direction
People Before Process
A death in the family is a family event, and we treat it that way.
Steady Communication
Regular updates are what keeps a probate calm. We keep them coming.
Cross-Border Estates
Assets and heirs in more than one country, coordinated by a firm built for exactly that.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is probate, in plain English?
Probate is the court process that confirms a will is valid and gives the executor legal authority to carry it out. In New York it takes place in Surrogate's Court, and for most families it is more paperwork than drama. Full plain-English guide here.
What court handles probate in New York City?
The Surrogate's Court in the borough where the person lived — each of the five boroughs has its own. We handle matters in all of them.
How long does probate take in New York?
Roughly 9 to 12 months for a straightforward, uncontested estate. The executor usually receives authority within the first 4 to 8 weeks; New York's seven-month creditor window sets much of the remaining pace. The timeline, month by month.
How much does probate cost?
Court filing fees are capped at $1,250 even for large estates, plus professional fees and the executor's statutory commission — all paid from the estate, never out of a family member's pocket. Honest breakdown here.
Does every estate have to go through probate?
No. Jointly owned property, life insurance and retirement accounts with named beneficiaries, and trust assets pass outside probate entirely. Estates with under $50,000 in solo-owned personal property may qualify for a simplified proceeding. How to tell.
What does an executor actually do?
Files the will, gathers assets, pays debts and taxes, keeps records, and distributes the estate — typically over about a year, with the right to professional help paid by the estate. The complete guide.
What happens if someone dies without a will?
The estate goes through administration rather than probate. New York's intestacy formula decides who inherits, beginning with the spouse and children, and the court appoints an administrator to do what an executor would.
What happens to the house during probate?
The executor maintains and insures it, and — with proper authority — can transfer or sell it during the process. Jointly owned homes usually skip probate altogether. Details here.
Can you handle an estate with property or family in another country?
Yes — this is one of our signature strengths. Cross-border estates generally mean parallel proceedings in each country, coordinated rather than combined, and we regularly guide estates with assets or heirs overseas, including between New York and Ireland.
Do I need a probate lawyer at all?
Not legally. But the court expects precise paperwork, mistakes cost months, and an executor carries personal responsibilities worth protecting. Most families find that good counsel pays for itself in time, taxes, and calm. If your estate is simple enough not to need us, we'll say so.
How Can We Help?
