Hillary Cranford joined The Forge Companies in 2024 as a Senior Financial Consultant for Forge Consulting. Hillary has been a long-time partner of The Forge Companies for the last several years, helping the Settlement Planning team navigate the state’s probate courts and advising on the complexities of settlement planning in cases involving estates, minors, and incapacitated adults. 

Hillary graduated from the University of Georgia School of Law in 2007. Then, she spent twelve years in the Gwinnett and Cobb County Probate Courts as a staff attorney and Associate Judge. Since 2019, Hillary has been in private practice serving as a fiduciary for hundreds of minors, incapacitated adults, estates, and trusts. She founded Georgia Fiduciary Group, LLC, an independent law firm specializing in the administration of estates, conservatorships, and trusts. Her practice includes private nominations from personal injury and estate planning attorneys, as well as court appointments resulting from her role as County Administrator and County Conservator for Fulton, Gwinnett, Cobb, Henry, Newton, Rockdale, Athens-Clarke, and Sumter Counties. 

In her spare time, Hillary is the editor of the Council of Probate Court Judge’s Handbook and Benchbook. She regularly speaks at continuing judicial education and continuing legal education seminars on a variety of topics related to the probate courts, settlements, and the administration of conservatorships and estates.

Hillary lives in Suwanee, Georgia, with her husband and two boys, and she was just kidding about having spare time.