This site is published by Morgan Legal Group, the New York estate and probate practice of attorney Russel Morgan, to explain how probate actually works across New York State’s 62 county Surrogate’s Courts. Our focus is the substance and procedure of New York estate law — the EPTL and SCPA — written accurately enough to be useful to families, executors, and beneficiaries no matter which county their case lands in.
We built this resource around a simple observation: most “New York probate” content quietly assumes Manhattan and ignores the fact that the right court depends entirely on where the decedent lived. We start from the venue rule (SCPA 205-206) and build outward.
About attorney Russel Morgan
Russel Morgan is the founding attorney of Morgan Legal Group, a New York firm concentrating on estate planning, probate, estate administration, elder law, and estate litigation. He is admitted to practice law in New York and advises clients on wills, trusts, incapacity planning, estate tax, and contested Surrogate’s Court matters across the state. (Bar admission and credential details should be verified against the firm’s official profile.)
Our approach to New York estates
Estate law in New York is procedural and county-specific, and small missteps — wrong venue, defective citations, an outdated power-of-attorney form — cause real delay and cost. We approach each matter by first fixing the fundamentals: confirming domicile and the correct county Surrogate’s Court, then mapping the assets (co-op shares behave differently from a deeded home), then the statute that governs each step. The goal of this site is to give you that same orientation before you ever pick up the phone.
Why trust this information
- New York focus. We do not write generic, fifty-state filler. Every page is grounded in New York’s EPTL and SCPA and the realities of its county courts.
- Statute-cited. We name the governing sections — EPTL 3-2.1, EPTL 4-1.1, SCPA 1402, SCPA 2307, Tax Law Art. 26 — and explain them in plain English.
- Accuracy over precision-by-guess. Where a figure changes annually (estate-tax exemption, certain fees), we tell you to verify the current number rather than risk a stale one.
Statewide service area
Morgan Legal Group advises on estate and probate matters throughout New York State — from the five NYC boroughs and Long Island’s Nassau and Suffolk County Surrogate’s Courts to the Hudson Valley, the Capital Region, and Western New York. Wherever the decedent was domiciled, that county’s Surrogate’s Court controls, and we orient our guidance accordingly. See the statewide estate guide.
Editorial standard
The content on this site is intended as general legal information, not legal advice, and is reviewed for consistency with current New York estate and procedure law by a New York–licensed attorney. Reading these pages does not create an attorney-client relationship. For advice on your specific situation, speak with a lawyer.
Connect
Learn how to reach the firm on the contact page, or book directly: a 30-minute consultation with Russel Morgan at calendly.com/russel-morgan/30min.