2-7-805. Allowance and payment of personal representative's fees and attorney fees; limitations.

(a) No fees shall be paid to the personal representative or the attorney for the estate except upon order of the court. At any time during the administration of the estate the personal representative or the attorney for the estate or both may submit a written, verified application to the court for an order allowing partial or total fees and expenses for ordinary services, or partial or total fees and expenses for extraordinary services, or both. Any application for expenses shall be supported by a written itemization of the expenses. Any application for fees for extraordinary services shall be supported by a written itemization showing the kind, nature, extent and time spent in connection with the services. If satisfied that the fees and expenses applied for or as limited by the court may be allowed and paid without detriment to any party interested in the estate or to the administration and conclusion of the estate, the court may enter an order allowing fees and expenses and authorizing payment from the estate. Any fees and expenses allowed by any order entered ex parte are subject to timely objection upon hearing of the final report and accounting.

(b) Only one (1) total fee for ordinary services of a domiciliary personal representative, computed as provided in W.S. 2-7-802, shall be allowed for any estate. Where more than one (1) person serves as a domiciliary personal representative either as co-fiduciaries or as a successor domiciliary personal representative, the court shall apportion the total fee among the parties in accordance with their agreement with each other, or absent any agreement as the court deems fair and just. The same rule shall prevail as to attorneys' fees for ordinary services in domiciliary administration, computed in accordance with W.S. 2-7-803, where more than one (1) attorney renders ordinary services to the domiciliary estate.

(c) Where one (1) person, or a partner or employee of the same professional corporation as that person, serves both as personal representative and as attorney for the estate, no fee shall be allowed as to the estate for ordinary services of a personal representative.

(d) No contingent fee shall be allowed against an estate or paid by an estate for legal services rendered to or for or on behalf of an estate, except in a proceeding for recovery for wrongful death under W.S. 1-38-101 and 1-38-102, unless before commencement of the services a written contract is entered into by the personal representative and the attorney with respect thereto and the contract is submitted to the court upon written, verified application of the personal representative and is approved by the court. No contract shall be approved if it violates any statute or rule of court. No contract shall be approved unless it appears to the court, upon due consideration of the size of the estate and the nature and extent of the legal services to be rendered, that adequate compensation of the attorney cannot be assured by allowance of fees for extraordinary services pursuant to W.S. 2-7-803.

(e) The provisions of W.S. 2-7-801 through 2-7-804 apply to personal representatives and attorneys serving in ancillary administration in Wyoming, except as the probate court in which the ancillary administration is pending may otherwise determine for good cause shown.

(f) Any contract between the personal representative or the attorney for the estate and any party interested in the estate in contravention of W.S. 2-7-802 through 2-7-804 is void.