Probate Lawyer Serving the North Shore of Massachusetts
You just lost someone. And now the state of Massachusetts needs something from you.
The bills are still coming in. The house is sitting in your loved one’s name. A sibling is asking questions you don’t have answers to. And somewhere in a file cabinet—or maybe not anywhere at all—is a will that may or may not say what everyone thinks it says.
You didn’t plan to become the person managing your loved one’s legal affairs. But here you are.
This is exactly the moment Jordan & White, LLC was built for. We’re a probate attorney firm in Danvers, MA, and we’ve been guiding North Shore families through the Essex County probate process for generations. Our lineage in Danvers goes back to 1938. We know this community. We know this court. And we know how to get your family to the other side of this—without it taking over your life.
Schedule a consultation. There’s no pressure. Just a real conversation with a team that genuinely wants to help.
You Don’t Have to Go Through This Alone
Most people who call us aren’t lawyers. They’re sons and daughters, surviving spouses, siblings named executor in a will they’ve never read before. They’re homeowners in Danvers, retirees in Marblehead, small business owners in Beverly who just lost a parent and suddenly have to figure out what “probate” even means.
Probate is the court-supervised legal process for settling a deceased person’s estate. In Massachusetts, it’s governed by Massachusetts General Laws Chapter 190B—the Massachusetts Uniform Probate Code—and it typically runs through the Essex County Probate and Family Court in Salem, MA. If your loved one lived in Medford or the Middlesex County area, proceedings go through the Middlesex Probate and Family Court in Cambridge.
That means real deadlines. Real court filings. Real legal notices to creditors. And real consequences if something gets missed.
Most families have never done any of this before. And they’re trying to do it while grieving.
That’s the problem. And that’s exactly where we come in.
Jordan & White: Your Guide Through the Essex County Probate Process
Jordan & White, LLC is a Danvers-based estate and probate law firm led by Jonathan White—a Suffolk University Law School graduate, former Massachusetts Assistant Attorney General, and a North Shore attorney with deep roots in this community.
Jonathan’s own grandparents—hardworking people with limited formal education—saved carefully, planned ahead, and left a trust fund for his three sons. That personal experience with legacy, family, and planning is the foundation of everything we do. When Jonathan sits across from a grieving family in Danvers or Beverly or Salem, he isn’t just a lawyer doing paperwork. He’s someone who understands what’s really at stake.
When you hire a probate attorney in Danvers, MA, you deserve someone with that kind of track record—and that kind of personal investment in the outcome.
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What We Do for You, Start to Finish
Here’s what the probate process actually looks like when Jordan & White is in your corner:
We open the estate. We file the petition with the Essex County Probate and Family Court, get you appointed as personal representative, and make sure everything is done correctly from day one. A mistake at this stage can slow everything down by months.
We identify and inventory the assets. Bank accounts, real estate, investment accounts, vehicles, personal property—we help you track it all down and document it properly for the court.
We handle creditor notification. Under Massachusetts General Laws Chapter 190B, creditors must be formally notified and given a window to file claims. We manage this process so nothing slips through.
We protect you from liability. Personal representatives can be held personally responsible for mistakes made during estate administration. Having a probate attorney in Danvers, MA in your corner protects you—not just the estate.
We close the estate and distribute assets. Once debts are resolved and the court approves the final accounting, we help you transfer assets to the rightful heirs and bring the process to a clean close.
If there’s real property involved—a home near Endicott Park, a family lot in Topsfield, a condo in downtown Salem—we handle the deed transfers as part of our estate administration in Massachusetts work. We also coordinate with our probate administration process if a more formal court procedure is required.
A Note on the Essex County Probate Court
The Essex County Probate and Family Court is located at 36 Federal Street in Salem, MA. It handles probate, guardianship, conservatorship, and related matters for all Essex County communities—including Danvers, Beverly, Salem, Gloucester, Marblehead, Ipswich, Newburyport, and more.
Court procedures, filing requirements, and deadlines are specific and unforgiving. Having a probate attorney in Danvers, MA who files there regularly—who knows the clerks, knows the timelines, and knows how to avoid the filing errors that cause delays—is not a luxury. It’s the difference between a process that takes eight months and one that takes two years.
For clients in Medford and surrounding Middlesex County communities, the Middlesex Probate and Family Court in Cambridge handles the same matters. We serve those clients as well from our Medford office.
Frequently Asked Questions
A probate attorney manages the legal process of settling a deceased person’s estate on your behalf. That means filing with the Essex County Probate and Family Court, notifying creditors, inventorying assets, resolving debts, and distributing what remains to heirs. More importantly, a probate attorney protects the personal representative from legal liability and keeps the process moving on schedule. At Jordan & White, we handle every step—so you don’t have to figure it out alone.
Most estates in Massachusetts take six months to a year to close through formal probate. The timeline depends on the size and complexity of the estate, whether any creditor claims are disputed, and whether real estate needs to be transferred or sold. Under Massachusetts General Laws Chapter 190B, there is a mandatory creditor claim period that establishes a floor on the timeline. Working with an experienced probate attorney in Danvers, MA helps you avoid the procedural delays that push straightforward cases well past that window.
No. Assets with named beneficiaries, jointly held property, and assets held inside a properly funded trust all pass outside of probate. Massachusetts also has a simplified voluntary administration process for small estates that don’t meet the threshold for formal probate. During your first conversation with us, we’ll review the estate and tell you honestly whether probate is required—or whether there’s a simpler path.
Massachusetts intestate succession law—found in MGL Chapter 190B—determines how the estate is divided when there’s no will. The rules follow a fixed hierarchy: spouse, children, parents, siblings, and so on. Personal wishes and family dynamics don’t factor in. If you’re dealing with an intestate estate, don’t try to resolve it informally. Assets distributed without proper probate can create title defects, tax exposure, and disputes that are far more expensive to untangle later. We handle probate without a will cases throughout Essex County.
Probate attorney fees in Massachusetts vary by estate complexity—some firms charge hourly, others charge a flat fee. At Jordan & White, we’re transparent about costs from the first call. We’d rather give you a clear picture upfront than have you discover unexpected expenses at the end of a process you’ve already been through emotionally. Call us at (978) 744-2811 and we’ll talk through what your situation actually involves.
Here’s Your Next Step
You don’t have to figure this out alone, and you don’t have to figure it out today. But the sooner you have a probate attorney in Danvers, MA reviewing the situation, the easier it is to protect the estate—and protect yourself. Schedule a consultation with us.
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