Do You Need a Lawyer for Florida's Summary Administration?
For a straightforward Florida estate — one account, no disputes among heirs — filing Summary Administration is a matter of following a statutory process the state already wrote out, not drafting anything from scratch. For a contested or complex estate, a licensed Florida attorney is worth the fee regardless of which mechanism applies. This is informational only and is not legal advice.
Last reviewed
What an attorney typically charges
A probate attorney typically charges $1,500–$4,200+ to handle summary administration in Florida — work that is, in practice, completing Florida's own official form and presenting it to the right asset holder.
What you can typically do yourself
For a straightforward, uncontested estate — comfortably under the $150,000 (non-exempt estate value only, excluding homestead; no cap at all if the decedent has been dead more than 2 years; applies to deaths on or after 2026-07-01 (prior estates remain capped at $75,000)) cap, no disputes among heirs, no unresolved debts — summary administration is a matter of following a process Florida already wrote out, not drafting anything from scratch. Many families complete it themselves.
When the fee is worth it anyway: a contested estate, disputed heirship, unresolved debts beyond what Florida Statutes § 735.201 allows, or real property with a complicated title history. Those are fact-specific questions this kit doesn't answer — for them, consult a licensed Florida attorney regardless of which mechanism applies.
Either way, know before you go
Whether you hire an attorney or file it yourself, the step that trips families up most is the same: an asset holder who's never processed this kind of filing before. See what to say when a bank, DMV, or clerk pushes back.
Whichever way you go, this is the step that actually delays people
Not the filing itself — presenting it to a bank, DMV, or title company that's never processed one before. Free one-pager: what to bring and say before that first visit, emailed now. Then a few short follow-ups over the next few weeks — then we stop.