Where are you starting from?

Most people call us the week after a funeral, expecting a year in court. Usually that isn’t what’s ahead of them. Pick the closest one, and we’ll tell you what is.

Renata Calder, founding partner

After a death what usually happens

You may not be headed to court at all.

About half the families who call us in this spot finish without a full probate. The first job is finding out what already passes on its own.

See what passes outside probate. Life insurance, retirement accounts with a named beneficiary, joint accounts, transfer-on-death deeds and anything in a trust usually go straight to the named person.
Look at what’s left in their name alone. If that’s modest and there’s no real estate, a small-estate affidavit may be all it takes. Smaller estates can also use Oklahoma’s shorter summary process.
Then decide on probate. Full probate is for larger estates, real estate with no plan, or families who can’t agree. If you need it, we’ll give you a written estimate before you pay anything.

Bring to the first meeting

A few copies of the death certificate
The will, if there is one (even handwritten)
Recent bank and retirement statements
Any deeds, vehicle titles or the shoebox they were kept in

What it costs

Small-estate affidavit: $750
Summary probate, uncontested: $3,800
Full probate: Written estimate

You’ll talk to Maren or Owen. Maren takes most of these first calls.

Free 20-minute call (405) 555-0148

General information, not legal advice for your situation. The fine print is short.

Four lawyers. One of us picks up.

Since 2016 we’ve done one thing: wills, trusts, probate and guardianship for families north of the river. No call center, no intake form. Gail puts you through.

Owen Pell, Renata Calder, Maren Rusk and Theo Marsh standing together in their office lobby — Owen PellGuardianship, trust administration Renata CalderWills, trusts, second marriages Maren RuskProbate, small estates, executors Theo MarshYoung families, business owners

What it costs

Flat fees for the work most families need, published since the day we opened. The price here is the price on the invoice; court and filing costs are the only thing we can’t set.

The first 20-minute call is free, and so is the first planning meeting.

Planning

Will packageWill, durable power of attorney, health care directive: $1,150 · couples $1,650
Revocable trust packageTrust, pour-over will, POA, directives, deed into the trust: $2,900 · couples $3,600
Transfer-on-death deed$250 when added to a package: $350
Power of attorney + health care directive only: $450
Review of an existing planCredited if you update with us: $300

After a death

Small-estate affidavit: $750
Summary probate, uncontested: $3,800
Full probatePartner $260/hr, associate $210/hr, billed monthly: Written estimate first
Trust administration: Flat fee after inventory

Caring for a parent

Adult guardianship, uncontestedPlus court costs: From $3,200

How it goes, once you’ve called

Maren Rusk reading through a client's paperwork across the table — 1 **Bring the shoebox.** Whatever papers you have, in whatever order. We’ve seen worse, and sorting them is our job, not yours.

Maren showing a client the page that needs his signature — 2 **A plan in writing.** What we’ll do, in what order, and the fee, before you sign anything.

A client signing at the conference table with Maren and Owen — 3 **One blue binder.** Originals stay in our vault; you leave with copies of everything and a scan in your inbox the same day.

The lawyers

Renata Calder

Founding partner Wills, trusts, second marriages

Renata drafted her first will for her own grandmother, at a kitchen table in Guthrie, and still plans every estate as if it were going to be read aloud at one. She handles most of the trust work and every blended-family plan.

Maren Rusk

Founding partner Probate, small estates, executors

Maren spent six years at a downtown firm untangling estates nobody had planned. Now she is usually the first person a family talks to after a death, and the one most likely to tell them they don’t need probate.

Owen Pell

Associate Guardianship, trust administration

Owen handles the cases where a parent can’t manage on their own anymore. He is patient on the phone and quick in the courthouse, and he’ll explain a guardianship hearing before you’re standing in one.

Theo Marsh

Associate Young families, business owners

Theo is the one who’ll talk you through naming a guardian for a two-year-old, or what happens to the shop if something happens to you. He runs the Tuesday evening signings.

In their words

“My dad passed in March and I was sure we were headed to court for a year. Maren went through his papers in one meeting and told us an affidavit would cover it. We were done by May.”

Dana W., Edmond

“We put off our wills for nine years because we assumed it would cost a fortune. The price on the website was the price on the invoice, and Theo stayed late on a Tuesday so we didn’t have to take off work.”

Marcus & Jen T., Deer Creek

“Owen walked my sister and me through Mom’s guardianship without once making us feel like we’d let her down. He explained the hearing so well that it felt like the second time.”

Lori P., Yukon

Questions we hear every week

Does every estate in Oklahoma have to go through probate?

No. Anything with a named beneficiary, a joint owner, a transfer-on-death deed or a trust usually passes outside it. Smaller estates may only need an affidavit or the shorter summary process. The free call is the quickest way to find out which applies.

Is a trust better than a will?

Not always. A trust keeps things out of probate and private, which matters if you own land in more than one state or have a complicated family. Plenty of families are well served by a will and a transfer-on-death deed, and we’ll tell you if that’s you.

We found a handwritten will. Does it count?

It might. Oklahoma can accept a will written entirely in the person’s own handwriting, dated and signed. Bring the original (please don’t staple or unstaple it) and we’ll look at it with you.

Do you handle will contests?

No. If family members are disputing a will in court, you need a litigator, and we’ll refer you to one we trust. We’d rather say that on the first call than take a case we don’t do every day.

Can we meet by video?

Yes, for everything except the signing. Signing takes two witnesses and a notary, all provided at our office. If someone can’t travel, we can bring the signing to them.

What happens on the free 20-minute call?

Gail puts you through to whichever of us fits your situation. We’ll ask a few questions, tell you honestly whether you need a lawyer, and if you do, what it will cost before you book anything.

Twenty minutes, free, and an honest answer about whether you need us.

(405) 555-0148

Or write to hello@calderrusk.example. Please keep details general until we’ve spoken.

Phones: Mon–Thu 8:00–5:30, Fri 8:00–4:00
Evening signings: Tuesdays until 7, by appointment
Office: Edmond, ground floor, free parking at the door
Counties: Oklahoma, Logan, Canadian and Cleveland