People are not required to have a lawyer to represent them, but in most cases, it is advisable to have a lawyer.
The Clerks of the Probate Court may not serve as your legal advisors, and you should not expect them to perform legal or clerical services for you. They work for and at the direction of the Probate Judge. It is their responsibility to process the volume of paperwork filed in the office and to attend to the administrative aspects of the operation of this office. They are here to serve you, and they will want to do so to the best of their abilities. However, they are not allowed to complete any paperwork for you, nor can they make a legal determination or advise you on which proceeding is most appropriate or advisable.
The information on this web page and the Probate Court Standard Forms are designed to help you perform simple filings on your own; however, if you find that the filing is more complex than you expected, you should seek the assistance of an attorney.
When deciding whether or not to hire an attorney, you may want to consider how important the outcome of the case is to you. For example, in a guardianship case, you are advised that an attorney will be appointed who will vigorously represent the Ward and who will oppose the guardianship if that is what the Ward wishes.