The $4000 retainer they ask for upfront does not go very far. Blew through over $4000 in less than a month just to communicate with a few people about the estate of my minor son's deceased father. Not only do they charge for speaking with the main lawyer that you are appointed, but you also get charged for their team at the same time. When I found out that my retainer had been blown through and owed more money, they pretty much said that they couldn't help me any further unless I put another $4000 in the retainer. After I told them that I was not going to spend any more money (when all I was able to get was trinkets for my son after a back and forth with my sons fathers evil widow) they sent me another bill for two hours of emails between the widow and myself regarding my sons personal and sentimental belongings and his fathers ashes. They also charged me for the lawyers simply communicating to their front desk regarding me having a family member pick up my son's deceased father's cremations That the widow Wife sent there instead of sending to me directly. Anyway, I experiences will be different, but if you choose this law firm, beware when you were on the phone with them, because they will talk...really...slow, not sure if this is to try to charge more or trying to make sure that I hear every word, but it was painful. Also, I'm not sure how long it takes people to read simple emails and respond, but this place definitely overcharges for every simple little thing. I have dealt with other lawyers and this was an experience and spent more money with them in such a short amount of time than I have with other lawyers. Positive note: They are pretty knowledgeable and respond quickly. They helped make sure that my son retrieved some of his personal belongings that were at his father's residence, a few items that his father left him, and some of his fathers ashes. That's it though. They were going to help me apply for YEARS support for my child and figure out what to do about the estate of my ex husband/father of my child, but I would probably end up spending more money than it's worth. I appreciate the little bit that they did for my son, but do your research on lawyers. Try to keep your phone calls and email short and simple. Google, research, talk to other people, and write down exactly what you are hoping to get done. Personal note for everyone: make sure you have a very thorough Will! do not leave your family with a mess or leave things in the hands of others (evil step parents, untrustworthy family members or so-called friends, etc.). No one likes dealing with lawyers, sometimes they are necessary. just be careful whom you hire. read more

**1 Star** I would not recommend this firm based on my experience\. I initially sent my paperwork to Destiny to explain my case, and we agreed to a $4,000 retainer\. After signing the agreement, I spoke with the attorney for approximately 1 hour and 30 minutes\. I was charged $397 for reviewing three pieces of paperwork and approximately $1,800 for the phone consultation\. The very next day, I received a bill requesting that I replenish the retainer\. What concerned me most was that after I had already signed the agreement, I was told that my case had been changed to something different and that I would need to pay an additional $3,500 for representation\. I was then asked to sign another agreement, close out the original $4,000 retainer, receive only $1,800 back, and enter into another agreement requiring a $7,500 retainer\. This was very different from what I understood when I originally retained the firm\. I was extremely disappointed by the unexpected changes in how my case was being handled and the additional fees being requested\. I strongly recommend that anyone considering this firm ask very detailed questions about the retainer, hourly charges, what services are included, and what happens if the firm later changes how it classifies your case\. Make sure you understand everything in writing before signing\. Based on my experience, I would not hire this firm again\. read more

GPLG is an interesting choice of "NAMES"... IN GEORGIA, it is the Georgia Probate Law group. However, In Tennessee, it is the GUARDIAN Probate Law Group ... (a one man office) My sister died in TN. I live in Florida. I filed an "unclaimed property" claim for my deceased sister who lived in TN. GPLG showed up on google and I called them. If I could give them less than ONE STAR...I would I spent about an hour on a phone conference with them and ONE man (David I believe) was remarkable but omitted PERTINENT FACTS ABOUT THE FIRM... They wanted a $3000 retainer which I paid. This was in August, 2024. I received bills from them monthly where I had to "replenish" the retainer and the bills ranged upwards from $600 to over $2000 per month. So... what's wrong here?.... 1. After months of paying them and not getting anything done I called and found out (in Feb, 2025) and from the "paralegal" that She didn't have critical documents I sent to her and sHE asked me where I sent them. I told her i sent them to their address in Brentwood TN (all of this time I was thinking Brentwood may have been a suburb in Shelby County, TN where my sister died)...only to FIND OUT NOW that GPLG wasn't even located in TN..... "no...you should have sent them to the GA office. WHAT? 2. Turns out that the Atty I had been talkinng to (not David, but Bryan) was in TN and the rest of the MAIN FIRM was in GA. I'm guessing they run a 1 or 2 person office substation in TN. 3. I had NEVER at any point been told that this jerk of an atty was not even located in the county where my sister lived and died. NOR was I told that his "paralegal" was in another STATE and at this point I was putting all of their fees/costs on credit cards. My credit has been ruined. 4. I asked them what would happen if I couldn't pay them anymore (I am 75, my husband is blind and we live in FL on SS only) and the paralegal said I guess you will have to find another atty. 5. At this point they had scared me too much to dismiss them. They were initially supposed to open 2 probates, one for my sister and one for her son...Turns out that after 6 months the probate they tried to open on my nephew had already had a probate opened in his name. 6. They filed once in the wrong district, they charged me unreasonable fees for work done on a probate of my nephew that couldn't be opened and omitted critical facts regarding their "law practcice". 7. I FIRED THEM 8. I hired another attorney who is outstanding, experienced in probate, a mediator expert, and lived in the city, county and state where my sister died and where probate needed to be opened. 9. Thanks to GPLG (GA and TN) my credit is ruined... I have spent thousands of dollars on absolutely NOTHING. 10. FAIR WARNING. This firm whether in GA or TN is a SCAM as far as I am concerned and all they want is MONEY. They don't give a darn about anything else. BEWARE OF THE CHARGES. I called the attorney one time by mistake and the attorney charged me for making a "wrong call". and THEN the atty told his paralegal about my calling the wrong number and SHE CHARGED ME FOR HIM TELLING HER ABOUT IT. Do your homework. Find someone else to go to. read more

Run. Run as fast as you can away from this place. My mothers husband passed away June 2025. My mother reached out to this firm to handle the probate process in July 2025. Our attorney assigned to our case has left the firm however she could not be bothered by our questions etc. As of today May 2026 our new attorney has told us they have not sent out the beneficiaries letters. My mom has paid them over $20,000 and they have gone to the courts to get the process started. It has taken forever for them to send our file to our new attorney. Our new attorney has told us so many things that should have been handled already. Very expensive with no results. Run,Run,Run away! read more

Disappointed with Georgia Probate Law Group -- Expensive and Unproductive Experience: I hired Georgia Probate Law Group (GPLG) to help with the removal of trustees. After paying approximately $9,400, no documents had been filed with the court and there was no meaningful progress on my case. My assigned attorney, Kimberly Mowbray, appeared unfamiliar with key probate procedures such as the applicable statute of limitations and which court filings were required. Despite being billed at over $400 per hour, much of the invoicing reflected "research time" and lengthy recap emails -- even after I requested that those not be sent. I ultimately filed a grievance with the State Bar of Georgia, but they determined there wasn't sufficient evidence of a legal ethics violation. While that was disappointing, I later hired a different attorney who resolved the same matter for roughly half the cost and far greater results. Based on my experience, I would encourage anyone considering GPLG to carefully review other clients' feedback, request detailed billing updates early on, and make sure you understand what actions are actually being taken on your case. This firm is a SCAM, BEWARE! read more

My lawyers don't do probate so I was recommended to Georgia Probate Law Firm. Andrew Craig Desautel is on my son case and has been silent since January 2025 after our meeting to get things squared away. He has taken payment from my son settlement from our lawyers to get this case resolved with the courts. But, yet nothing has been done and also, he has not return any calls or emails. To the point my lawyers next steps is to sue so we can get my son money back! This is not okay! I do not recommend this law firm to anyone. I should not have to go through this or my lawyers. No return emails, or calls. The front desk is not much help either. RUN AWAY FROM THEM! I just want my son money back and rather start the process over with a better probate lawyer. read more

This warning goes out to other widows like myself. My sweet hubby, Randy, passed away without a will. As a 62 year old professional woman, I wasnt prepared legally or emotionally. The first phone call with them was warm and fuzzy, gosh they even sent me the cutest book. Then what unfolded was horrific. After paying my 4k retainer my lawyer ghosted me for 3 months. Guess what, I still received monthly retainer requests. This is what my grieving heart discovered abouts estates. Time is money, so I am walking away from a home and vehicles, everything we built together after the delay. Sis, my advice is to go to a solid law firm to take care of your business, skip these folks. read more

When My sister passed away without a will we contacted GPLG to help with probate. After the phone consultation I had my reservations. a call that should have been 30 to 40 minutes was 1.5 hours. there were many times I felt a basic question was met with an I don't know response. I did not have a feeling of confidence at calls end. After Thinking it over I decided to not use GPLG. I had given a $3,000 retainer and despite 0 correspondence GPLG somehow managed to use all $3000+ of the retainer go figure. I believe I probably paid around $250 Durning the 1 phone call for all the times the attorney said "umm" My experience tracks with those of so many others. do not use them they are in my opinion shysters. read more

Unfortunately I chose this law firm for help when my husband died on May 5 2025. To date 12/3/2025 I am still waiting for documents for year end support. Without these documents I can't close out bank accounts with positive balances & I need the money. Not only is this dragging on & costing me. I have paid the law firm thousands of dollars for making mistakes. read more

The response is completely empty words. I did call and spoke with the owner directly. He could not be bothered with me or my concerns. His attitude toward me in that I even took my concerns to him, after attempting resolution with 2 different office managers, a paralegal, and the accounting manager, was terrible. We went back and forth for nearly 40 minutes just to tell me that he really didn't care if I remained a client or not. And the fact that my husband's estate was 'not a simple one' and was disputed, has nothing to do with the lack of professionalism, that one of the assigned attorneys was under the influence while talking to me and 'attempting' to provide consultation, and that I had 4 different attorneys assigned to me because of their turnover rate. They have yet to pick up the phone to speak to me and discuss my concerns. Although based on the last conversation, I really don't expect anything out of them anyway. They got their money and most of it was from 'padding' the time clock. Save yourselves and go somewhere else. And if I could post pictures of my proof, I would in a heart beat. read more

Dave Dupree was supposed to be my lawyer. At first everything was great, he told me what steps he was taking and how he would handle certain situations. All of a sudden, I no longer received updates about my case. One day I get a letter in the mail that judgements made a final decision on my case. I called the office everyday for two weeks. There was always an excuse as to why I could not get in contact with him. Finally, I demanded to speak with him and was not taking no for an answer. I was met with a nasty attitude, like I was bothering him. I asked how could a verdict be rendered and nothing was done on his end? He told me in a nasty tone that he could not keep up with all of his cases and it was not his fault. All the time his company was still charging for every little piece of paper they stapled. I demanded my my case closed with his firm since there was nothing left for them to do. I asked for my retainer back. The process was for him to sign off on closing my case, it took him three weeks for his signature. Once the signature was obtained, the billing clerk Magdalena could not get my information correct. She sent me a check and case file from another client. I told her what happened and she told me that was not correct and she wouldn't have made that mistake. I read part of the file to her and she finally had to admit she indeed made the mistake. She told me to shred the file and tear up the check. I cannot speak for the entire firm but these two made me discredit the entire firm. They were very unprofessional and did not value their clients privacy. I would not recommend this firm based on those two employees alone. I hope this helps anyone considering this firm for you legal purposes. read more

Feeding the $3000 monthly retainer was more important to GPLG than moving the case forward. Assigned attorney produced unprofessional documents: drafts with grammatical mistakes and typos that resulted in additional billing to make them ready to mail. Had to ask him very direct questions to get clear answers. I got more traction on my case by dealing directly with the court than by having GPLG representation, and I requested the client/attorney relationship be dissolved. Disengagement was approved March 6. I did not receive my retainer balance from GPLG until April 16. The firm is much prompter in billing, sending monthly statements like clockwork with just 14 days to pay. I do not recommend their services. Costs too much for too little. read more

Only after money. I paid $17,000 in a short 6 months with nothing to show for it. Buyer beware. Find someone else to help you in your difficult time in your life. They are in it for the wrong reason. They don't care about you or your loss. Run don't walk to find someone else. read more

Georgia Probate Law Group - Wills, Trusts, & Probates Near Me - Marietta, Georgia

We hired this group to do a simple probate for a property title. We paid $4,000 retainer. They used the ENTIRE retainer the first 3 weeks, and did nothing. They billed us for talking to each other. After the first bill we fired the firm, then they sent us another bill for $1,000. After looking at the other reviews it seems that we got out light. DO NOT hire these people. They are unethical and only interested it taking your money. read more

First off, Georgia Probate Law Group put me with a " Rookie" attorney. Things moved slow, obviously. He couldn't decide how to present the case. Secondly, One year and $21k later, after several botched filings, my attorney quits. The new attorney steps in. I explained my complaint... and the " attitude" begins. Bla-Bla-Bla. She wants a$10,000 Retainer fees, another $6500 for monthly fees to bring her up to speed. In short, GPLG charged $21k and did NOTHING. They now want more money. I have a simple probate case, yet these CLOWNS wasted a full year. Yes, I plan on complaining, and file charges against GPLG with all authorities. DO NOT USE GPLG read more

Not even worth a star! They constantly bill us for "free" monthly updates( when we even get them) and our reviews that THEY ask for they don't take seriously, since they do not want to follow/make right in THEIR signed contract with us! As professionals, they are a disgrace and THE WORST LAW FIRM I have ever dealt with! I say this as an average middle class hard working American; Don't waste your money on them, no matter what they or their brochures may lead you to believe! read more

The law group is working on my mom's probate. My concern is the billing! Last month my brother and I had an hour meeting but was charged for 4 hours. We didn't call to question it, because we would be billed for calling. read more

I needed to add to this review to make certain any person who retains this firm demands the right to visually meet your attorney. My attorney lived in another state and was 10 hours away. I was not told that until someone made a mistake and told me. He was a gentleman but believed the other attorney's information first. The opposing counsel was almost always wrong or exaggerated information. My attorney made mistakes before checking with me to validate the information. No one told me my attorney would never be present, and the three times he changed paralegals became an issue. Please try to find another firm. I have just signed a contract with a very prominent firm whose fees are half of what I was charged at GPLG. I felt I had to email to make certain someone was still working on my case. The first 5 months with office was promising, but the remaining 2 year experience was a disaster. read more

What a rip-off. My issue: needed to change my name to replace my fathers name who passed years ago. GPLG went through my entire $3000 retainer with very little to show for. Then tell me for another $3000 retainer, it may be completed. The documents needed were all available in public records. The only problem was the land was never surveyed after a small portion was separated. It took me one phone call to the county to figure that out. GPLG was set on locating a deed that never existed. Everything they needed was right there the entire time. There are plenty of probate lawyers that will do this entire process for you between $1500 and $2500 flat rate. Don't waste your money. read more

Run, don't walk, as fast as you can from this group. It has been over 3 years since my mother passed away and I hired GPLG to probate her will. Over $20,000 later, it's still unfinished and they are still dragging, always asking for more money. They don't respond to emails at all. The only time I hear from anyone is at the 11th hour and even then they always want more money. My mother's estate was not large, and the only 2 inheritors are my sister and myself, along with a small bequest to the son of a family friend. The first group of lawyers on the case spent over a year looking in the wrong state for this man! I got a whopping $500 credit. This is a joke of a law group, and my next stop is the Better business Bureau. read more

If one or two reviews are negative you can assume disgruntled clients. When 8 of 9 reviews are given the lowest possible score something is definitely wrong. Believe the reviews. Do not hire this firm. My earlier postings were accurate. After that posting and Eric Broel's response I received and responded to an email from Maggie O'Neil. Her email was indicative of the spin they can put on matters. I have documentation to confirm that the information in my initial review was accurate. Eric stated the matter was closed in June 2022. A complete statement would be that they were terminated in June 2022 after two years of failures. Excuses cited were from emails sent by David Dupee. The shoddy documents filed are a matter of record with the court. I believe they pad their time by attorney requests for the same information 3-4 times, by not answering questions or explaining procedures requiring multiple emails. Phone calls are problematic. You need everything in writing. After a call, I sent my notes to Mr. Dupee and asked if he agreed that they were accurate. His response "reasonable so". Mr. Broel seems to have selective memory regarding a call with him. Their responses change like the wind. The assertion that the issue was stylistic differences and that they were not aware that I was not happy with their handling of the situation is ridiculous. I repeatedly sent emails stating that I was disappointed, surprised, astonished and felt that he was not working for me. After the failure to follow the court's procedure in filing Mr. Dupee was told to stop immediately. When he acknowledged another of his mistakes as being "regrettable", I sent an email that it was more than regrettable. It was an embarrassment. It is true that I did not request to work with another attorney, however, that was discussed with Mr. Dupee and he assured me that he would "do better". He didn't. I hope that my detailed reviews will prevent someone else from duplicating my mistake. If no one speaks then everything will continue the same. I now agree with those reviews and with the descriptive words used: Disgrace, worst, rookie, slow, attitude, nothing, clowns, mistakes, disaster, unavailable, omission, excuses, etc. Additionally, spinner, exploiter, opportunist and avaricious might be accurate. Beware of wolves in sheep's clothing. If you need an attorney, look elsewhere. Do not hire this firm. read more

This is the worst law firm I have ever worked with. They are all about taking your money. They charge you for everything. If they have to reach you by email and ask a question your charged. They say they have entered forms in your file and haven't but will charge you for it. The lawyers are not friendly at all and they make sure they spend down your retainer money so you have to keep filling it. They are not truthful which has caused my father's condo to be in foreclosure. Lack of follow up caused this issue but they charged me for it. I went into the office to to complain about my bill and was charged for walking in the office. PLEASE DO NOT USE THIS FIRM. I don't want anyone else to go thru what I am going thru. read more

I tried to do some family planning with this company today and chatted with Marie on their web page. I asked some general questions and was queried as to if my parent was deceased and if they owned property in Georgia. I said my elderly father wasn't deceased and did own property. I asked a few questions and got zero answers and then Marie terminated the chat before I was done communicating. My gut tells me that Brooke B's review from Aug '20 is spot-on accurate. read more

I agree with all the other reviews on this law firm. They only take your money. I was charged for everything, and I mean everything. Even when the mistake was the attorney's mistake, I was charged for the correction. They spend down the retainer. this is done by sending emails which cover the same concerns that were addressed previously. The things covered in my initial call were overlooked. Often times I would talk to the attorney and she seemed a bit confused. I wasted a lot of time and a lot of money with this law firm. Wish I'd read the reviews prior to engaging them. I wish there was a way I could recover some of my money. I urge you to not use this law firm. I had so questions/concerns and would not contact the attorney because i could not afford to contact the attorney. It is only about the money, during the worst time of your life. read more

This law firm does not have the clients best interest, they are concerned only with taking your money. They gave me excuses like the other parties lawyer was mean and a B-t-h! and because of this they really couldn't do anything. They did "Discovery Work" for places my father had never been or had any business with and charged me thousands of dollars for that one thing even though it had nothing to do with my case. They also set me up with an experienced Lawyer at the beginning and then once we were in the middle of everything they switched us to a brand new lawyer that just graduated that couldn't do anything with consulting the previous lawyer and we were charged for every single conversation she had with the previous lawyer even though they told us at the beginning of our contract that the paralegal would handle most of the work to keep cost down - we never got work done by our paralegal. When we reached out to the managing partner to discuss this we got no response. Please find a different legal firm to go to, these people don't have your best interest in mind. I was foolish enough to spend almost $30,000.00 with This firm and all they did was draw out the pain of losing my father and drain my bank account!!! read more

I have read some of these reviews and I'm little astonished about what people are in shock over. Look, hiring an attorney is not a cheap process. If it were easy you would do it yourself. As you can file for yourself in the state of GA. People have no idea the amount of work and time it takes to take on someone else's emotional burden and handle it legally. If you are shocked about the hourly rate, do a little research. The average decent attorney is between $400-500+ an hour. I read one review that said they bill .6 of the hour. This is standard. Everywhere. If you're going to be appalled by that, don't hire an attorney. I personally would like to say thank you to this firm. I took over my father's estate when he passed because no one else would/could do it. I did my own initial filings using google and other research sites for reference. I soon realized the value of a law degree that I did not possess. Lol. I needed help. The burden of this estate hung over me daily. Haunted by the disappointment I didn't really know what to do next on my own. It literally broke me. The stress, the anxiety, the reemergence of going through the grieving process every time I touched a piece of paper related the estate. I almost lost my mind in this process. Then I told myself it had to be done but knew deep down I could not handle it myself so I called this law firm. My only, ONLY regret...is that I wish I had called them sooner. I avoided the estate for so long I probably wasted more time than I should have avoiding it. I explained all this in my initial consultation, the intake paralegal was so patient with me. So calm while I explained my pain, grief and personal trauma related to this matter. I felt heard for the first time in a very long time. I can not express the gratitude I have for someone to listen and truly understand what I felt. I explained I can't really communicate much about this bc it is still so painful to me. Still. They took my burden and made it their own. They took my pain and have handled my case with so much compassion and grace that I can actually sleep again at night. Still a painful process but I don't feel as haunted by it as I used to. My communication is limited by choice as I still have breakdowns when having to discuss. I can not express how appreciative I am of that respect. They have listened to me ugly cry and never lost their patience with me. I get updates when needed and that is literally all I ask for. I have so much respect for this law group. Losing a loved one isn't easy. Not everyone had ideal family situations and having to bring up past trauma is not easy. I assure you, they hear you, they understand and will treat you with true compassion. My matter is not an easy one and has multiple components that make it slightly complicated. I could not ask for a better team. I know there is a light at the end of this estate tunnel and one day will get to put this all behind me. Yes, all attorney's initial billings will feel a little expensive as there is a lot of work and research that has to be done to take over someone's legal struggles. I had even heard attorney's are not fond of matters filed pro se but they never judged me for attempting to handle this by myself first, even if I didn't do it correctly. I can not express my infinite gratitude for their assistance. I am not rich, I am a single person household and I live paycheck to paycheck and this is still the best investment I have ever made. Again, my only regret is not calling them sooner. I can't put a price on the peace I have gained from knowing they are handling my very painful, emotional matter. I highly recommend this law group. read more