Estate & Probate Attorney in Jefferson County
Protecting What You’ve Built for the People You Love
Whether you’re planning ahead or settling a loved one’s estate, our estate & probate attorneys in Jefferson County, Colorado, guide you with care, clarity, and confidence.
Grief Is Hard Enough Without the Paperwork
Full-Service Support
We guide you from the first filing through the final distribution, all under one roof.
Options Explained
Know what your options actually mean before you ever have to decide anything.
No Judgment
Whatever your family situation looks like, you can tell us everything without feeling judged.
Reviews From Colorado Families
Probate & Estate Administration in Jefferson County
Estate Planning attorney
Estate planning isn't just paperwork; it's making sure your family knows exactly what to do if something happens to you. Our estate planning attorney services include wills, living trusts, and powers of attorney, built around your actual assets and relationships rather than a generic template. Michael Suchowski leads this side of the practice, with more than 25 years of legal experience helping families protect what matters most.
Probate for Large Estates
When an estate includes multiple properties, investment accounts, or a business, small mistakes get expensive fast. Hiring the right probate lawyer for large estates means they'll handle your high-value and out-of-state assets, coordinate with accountants and financial advisors so nothing gets missed or mishandled. We slow down exactly where the stakes are highest, while still moving the case forward.
Probate Administration
Once a probate case is open, someone has to manage it day-to-day - notifying creditors, inventorying property, keeping records straight, and reporting back to the court. Our probate administration attorney service takes that ongoing workload off your plate, so the personal representative isn't learning court procedure from scratch while also grieving.
Probate Services
Not sure exactly what your situation needs yet? Our probate services start with a real conversation about what actually happened, what you're now responsible for, and what your realistic options are, before anything gets filed with the court. Most people who call us aren't sure where to start, and that's exactly where we begin, together.
Estate Administration
Settling someone's affairs after they pass involves more than just the probate court, from closing accounts to handling a trust that never needed probate at all. Our estate administration attorney covers the full picture, so you have one point of contact instead of juggling banks, insurers, and courthouses on your own.
Informal Probate
Most Colorado estates qualify for the simpler, faster track, allowing families to leverage an informal probate lawyer when there's a valid will (or a clear line of heirs) and no one is disputing it. We handle the informal probate filings and keep everything moving with minimal court appearances, so a straightforward estate can stay that way.
Why us?
Families Helped Across Colorado
Years Combined legal experience
Locations: Wheat ridge & Fort collins
you dont have
to figure this out alone
Most people who call us are exhausted, grieving, and holding a stack of paperwork nobody ever prepared them for. We're here to help, every step of the way.
How the Probate Process Works with Us
free call
Tell us what's going on and we'll explain your options in plain language.
clear plan
We map out exactly what needs to happen and who's responsible for each part.
we handle it
We manage the filings and deadlines while you focus on your family.
Meet The People Behind Your Plan
The August & Suchowski Difference
FAQs
It depends on the estate. Colorado allows some smaller or very simple estates to skip formal probate, but most cases involving real estate, disputes, or out-of-state property benefit from an attorney's guidance. A quick consultation can tell you which situation you're actually in before you decide.
Colorado law requires probate to stay open for a minimum of about six months, and most straightforward, uncontested cases wrap up within six to twelve months. Larger estates, contested wills, or out-of-state property can extend that timeline. We can give you a realistic estimate once we know your situation.
When someone dies without a will, Colorado's intestacy laws decide who inherits, which may not match what the person would have actually wanted. The estate still generally has to go through probate, and the court appoints a personal representative to manage it. We can walk you through what that looks like for your family specifically.
No. Estate planning matters for anyone who wants a say in who raises their children, who makes medical decisions if they can't, and who avoids a complicated probate process later. Larger or more complex estates need more planning, but a basic plan protects families at every asset level.
A will takes effect after you pass and generally has to go through probate court. A living trust can hold assets while you're alive and let them pass to your beneficiaries without probate at all. Many people use both, since a will still covers anything left outside the trust.
Early Answers Cost Less Than Late Fixes
Areas Served
Proudly serving Wheat Ridge and the surrounding Jefferson County area, including Lakewood, Arvada, Golden, Westminster, and Edgewater.
Estate Planning & Probate Attorneys in Wheat Ridge, Colorado
We're on Kipling Street just north of West 41st Avenue, a few minutes from the Kipling exit off I-70. Free parking is available on-site, and the suite is on the second floor with elevator access from the lobby. We also keep a second office in Fort Collins for clients in Northern Colorado.