Frequently Asked Questions

The Hood Law Firm is an estate planning and probate law firm in Jonesboro, Arkansas. We help families with wills, revocable living trusts, powers of attorney, probate and estate administration, guardianships and conservatorships, and long-term care planning. Attorney Jimmylee "Jimmy" J. Hood is licensed in Arkansas, Missouri, and Tennessee.

Our office is at 2700 Southwest Square, Jonesboro, AR 72401. We serve Jonesboro, Craighead County, and all of Northeast Arkansas, and we meet with clients in person or by Zoom. Call 870-558-6856 or email info@hood-lawyer.com.

Yes. Your first consultation is free and is held with Amy Hood, our estate planning and probate specialist, either in our Jonesboro office or by Zoom. Amy learns about your family and goals, explains your options, and then schedules your planning meeting with attorney Jimmy Hood.

Within one business day. Calls and emails received during the week are returned within 24 hours; messages left over the weekend are returned the next business day.

Yes. Jimmy Hood is licensed in Arkansas, Missouri, and Tennessee, so we regularly help clients across the tri-state area, including families in the Memphis metro and the Missouri Bootheel, and out-of-state heirs handling an Arkansas probate.

Most estate planning and uncontested probate work is done for a flat fee quoted in advance. Contested matters are billed hourly ($300 attorney / $150 paralegal) against a retainer. For flat-fee work we usually collect half at signing and half when the documents are complete.

We focus exclusively on estate planning and probate, so you get a specialist rather than a general practitioner. Every client works with the same small team: Amy Hood handles your free consultation and stays your point of contact, and attorney Jimmy Hood, a Marine Corps veteran and Jonesboro native, drafts and signs your plan. We also host free community estate-planning seminars throughout Northeast Arkansas.

Call 870-558-6856, email info@hood-lawyer.com, or use the contact form on this site. You will hear back within one business day to schedule your free consultation, in person at 2700 Southwest Square in Jonesboro or by Zoom.

Yes, almost everyone does. If you die without a will in Arkansas, state intestacy law decides who inherits, and a surviving spouse does not automatically receive everything, especially when there are children or the marriage is shorter than three years. A will lets you choose your heirs, name a guardian for minor children, and pick who settles your estate.

A will takes effect only after death and must go through probate court; a revocable living trust takes effect immediately, avoids probate, and keeps your affairs private. A trust also lets a successor trustee manage your assets if you become incapacitated. Most of our Jonesboro clients who own a home choose a trust-based plan for that reason.

At The Hood Law Firm, trust-based estate plans are flat-fee. An individual revocable living trust package starts around $2,000, and a couple's trust package is $2,950 all-in, including the trust, pour-over wills, and financial and healthcare powers of attorney. Simple will packages and standalone powers of attorney are quoted as a flat fee at your free consultation, so there are no hourly surprises.

Trust amendments at The Hood Law Firm typically run from about $450 for a simple change (such as updating a successor trustee) up to roughly $895 for a more extensive restatement. The final fee is confirmed after Jimmy reviews your existing trust.

A complete Arkansas estate plan usually includes a will (or a revocable living trust with a pour-over will), a durable financial power of attorney, a healthcare power of attorney, a living will (advance directive), and, where useful, a beneficiary deed for real estate and updated beneficiary designations on retirement accounts and life insurance.

A beneficiary deed (Ark. Code § 18-12-608) lets you name who receives your Arkansas real estate at your death without probate. You keep full ownership and control during your lifetime, and the property transfers automatically when you pass. It is a simple, low-cost tool we often pair with a will or trust.

No. Arkansas has no state estate tax and no inheritance tax. Only the federal estate tax applies, and in 2026 it affects estates above roughly $15 million per person, so the vast majority of Arkansas families owe no estate tax at all. Planning is still important to avoid probate, protect heirs, and plan for incapacity.

Long-term care planning protects your home and savings from the cost of nursing home or assisted living care while positioning you to qualify for benefits such as Medicaid or VA pension. Because Medicaid reviews the previous five years of financial transfers, the best time to start is at least five years before care is likely to be needed, though we can still help families already facing a nursing home stay.

Probate is the court-supervised process of proving a will, paying a deceased person's debts, and transferring what remains to the heirs. In Arkansas, it is handled in the circuit court of the county where the person lived, and a notice to creditors must be published, which opens a claim window before the estate can be closed.

Most uncontested Arkansas probates take twelve to eighteen months. The creditor claim period alone runs several months after notice is published, and estates with real estate to sell, disputes among heirs, or missing paperwork take longer. A trust-based estate plan avoids this process entirely.

Usually yes. A will does not avoid probate; it tells the probate court who should inherit. Assets pass outside probate only when they are held in a trust, owned jointly with rights of survivorship, or have a named beneficiary or transfer-on-death designation. If the estate is small, Arkansas offers a simpler option (see the next question).

Yes. If the estate's value (excluding the homestead and certain exempt property) is $100,000 or less, heirs can often use an Arkansas small-estate affidavit instead of full probate, starting 45 days after death. We can tell you at your free consultation whether your loved one's estate qualifies.

It depends on the estate. Uncontested probates are quoted as a flat fee after we review the assets. Contested or complex matters are billed hourly at $300 per hour for attorney time and $150 per hour for paralegal time, against a retainer. Court filing and publication fees are additional.

Locate the original will, order several certified death certificates, secure the home and vehicles, and avoid moving or distributing assets until you have spoken with a probate attorney. Then call us at 870-558-6856; the first meeting is free and we will map out exactly what needs to happen.

In Arkansas, a guardian of the person makes personal and medical decisions for someone who cannot make them alone, while a guardian of the estate (sometimes called a conservator) manages that person's money and property. Both require a court order. We help families with guardianships for aging parents, adults with disabilities, and minor children.

Uncontested guardianships at The Hood Law Firm are typically a flat fee of around $2,000, plus court costs. Fees may be split half up front and half at completion.