Probate representation grounded in over 40 years of work on behalf of clients in Colorado.

If you have been named to settle a loved one’s estate in Colorado, the role brings a set of legal responsibilities that few people are prepared for. Our Colorado probate lawyer at W.B. Moore Law guides personal representatives, executors, and families through the probate process from the first filing to the final distribution. Contact our office to start the conversation.

Probate Lawyer Colorado

Probate is the court-supervised process of settling a deceased person’s estate. It confirms the validity of a will if one exists, appoints someone to manage the estate, sees that debts and taxes are paid, and oversees the distribution of what remains. In Colorado, probate is generally required when the decedent owned assets in their own name alone, without a beneficiary designation or joint owner to transfer title automatically.

Not every asset triggers probate. A life insurance policy with a named beneficiary passes outside probate. A bank account held jointly with a right of survivorship does too. But a house titled only in the decedent’s name, or a solely held investment account, typically has to go through the process. Sorting out which category each asset falls into is one of the first things a personal representative needs to understand, and a Colorado probate attorney helps families do exactly that before the work begins.

The state allows probate to proceed informally or formally. Informal probate is the more common path, requiring less court contact and moving more quickly. Formal probate becomes necessary when a will is contested, heirs disagree, or the circumstances call for closer court supervision.

Types of Probate Cases We Handle in Colorado

W.B. Moore Law works with clients across the full range of probate matters. The services we provide include the following.

Informal probate. When the estate is straightforward and the heirs agree, informal probate lets the personal representative act without court hearings. We prepare the filings, help the representative meet their obligations, and keep the timeline on track. Our post on how to file probate covers the starting point.
Formal probate. Some estates require court involvement throughout. That includes contested wills, disputed debts, and disagreements among beneficiaries over the distribution of assets. We handle contesting a will and represent clients through formal proceedings.
Small estate administration. Colorado allows certain estates to skip full probate through an affidavit procedure, as long as the estate falls under specific value thresholds and includes no real property. For families who qualify, it saves considerable time and cost. We help families determine whether the option is available to them.
Intestate estates. When someone dies without a will, state law decides who inherits and in what shares. We guide representatives through probate without a will and explain how the rules of intestate succession apply to a given family’s circumstances.
Creditor claims and estate debts. A personal representative has duties around notifying creditors and paying valid claims before distributing anything. Errors here create personal liability. We help executors work through handling creditor claims carefully.
Will contests and disputes. Family disagreements sometimes escalate into formal challenges over the validity of a will or the conduct of a personal representative. We represent clients on both sides of will contests and work to resolve estate disputes as efficiently as the circumstances allow.

Why Choose W.B. Moore Law as My Probate Attorney in Colorado?

Four Decades of Practice Across the State

Probate has a way of pulling in every other area of law at once, and attorney W.B. Moore has worked across all of them. Since beginning practice in 1982, he has handled estate planning, probate, tax, and business law, drawing on a J.D. from UCLA School of Law and bar admissions in Colorado (2002) and New York (1984). A single estate can raise tax questions, creditor disputes, and family conflict in the same week, and that range is what the work demands.

Earlier in his career he taught Legal Issues in Entrepreneurship at the University of Illinois as a law professor, and he has since advised other Colorado law firms on probate and estate matters. He is a member of the Colorado Bar Association.

The firm also handles the planning side. As an estate planning lawyer in Colorado, we help families build the documents that keep future estates out of lengthy probate in the first place.

Support That Personal Representatives Actually Need

Serving as a personal representative is a legal role with real obligations, and most people take it on with no prior experience and little warning. The work arrives at a difficult moment and comes with court deadlines, creditor notices, and tax filings that have to be handled correctly.

We work with representatives from the outset, explaining the role, flagging where liability tends to arise, and handling the legal work so they can attend to the parts that genuinely require them. A personal representative who distributes assets before settling valid creditor claims, for example, can end up personally responsible for the shortfall. That includes clarifying what assets go through probate versus what passes outside it, and what to do when assets appear to be missing. The early steps set the tone for everything that follows.

Colorado Probate Infographic

Understanding Probate Cases

The Probate Process and Key Concepts

Colorado probate is governed by Title 15 of the Colorado Revised Statutes. The core steps a personal representative works through are:

Opening the estate. The personal representative files a petition with the district court in the county where the decedent lived. The court then appoints the representative and admits the will to probate if one exists.
Inventory and valuation. The representative identifies all probate assets (real estate, accounts, investments, personal property, and business interests) and determines their value as of the date of death.
Creditor notification. The representative notifies known creditors and publishes notice in a local newspaper. Creditors then have a limited window to file claims against the estate.
Payment of debts and taxes. Valid claims, final income taxes, and any estate taxes must be settled before assets are distributed.
Distribution and closing. Assets pass to beneficiaries under the will, or to heirs under intestacy law, and the representative then files closing documents with the court.

What Are Important Aspects of a Probate Case?

A handful of factors consistently shape how a probate case unfolds.

Whether a valid will exists is the first. How major assets are titled is the second. Outstanding debts or litigation against the estate complicate matters considerably. So does friction among heirs, which can turn a straightforward administration into a contested proceeding that runs for years and drains the estate of value that should have gone to beneficiaries. A representative who grasps these variables early is in a far stronger position than one who stumbles into them midway through.

What Is the Probate Case Timeline?

Informal probate of a simple estate usually runs four to six months in Colorado. Formal proceedings, contested matters, and estates with out-of-state property take longer. A general timeline looks like:

Filing and opening the estate with the district court
Appointment of the personal representative
Asset inventory completed within three months of appointment
The creditor notification period, during which claims may be filed
Payment of valid debts and tax obligations
Distribution to beneficiaries and filing of closing documents

What Should You Bring to Your Probate Consultation?

Most representatives have never settled an estate before, and the first meeting covers a lot of ground quickly. Coming prepared shortens that conversation. Plan to bring:

The original will, if one exists, or confirmation that none has been found
A certified death certificate
A general list of known assets and liabilities
Contact information for known heirs, beneficiaries, and creditors
Any prior court correspondence or documents related to the estate

What Are Important Colorado Legal Resources for Probate Cases?

Probate in Colorado is governed by Title 15 of the Colorado Revised Statutes. Families anywhere in the state can use these resources to understand the framework before or during the process.

The Colorado General Assembly publishes the full Colorado Revised Statutes, where Title 15 sets out the rules for probate, trusts, and fiduciaries.
Step-by-step guidance on opening a probate case, along with the necessary court forms, is available from the Colorado Judicial Branch.
Title 15, Article 12 on Justia translates the probate and administration provisions into more accessible language.
Anyone wanting to confirm an attorney’s license can check with the Colorado Bar Association.

Reach Out to W.B. Moore Law to Schedule a Consultation

Probate runs on court-imposed deadlines, and missing them as a personal representative creates problems that are difficult to reverse. W.B. Moore Law works with executors and families across Colorado to keep the process on track, manage creditor and tax issues before they escalate, and resolve disputes without leaving the representative personally exposed. Contact us to set up a consultation.