Please answer the question--did you or anyone else sign a fee agreement with him or not, and was this fee specifically mentioned in it?
Is this attorney the official executor or did someone else serve as executor? What is the total value of the estate? Is probate over or is it being handled presently?
Is this matter an itemized statement charging only for the letters testamentary or is this his executor fee for handling the entire estate?
You are right to be outraged--this is outright greed, charging for a document that the courts give virtually free of charge. Do not pay the bill and you need to asking him to make an adjustment on this amount or else he will be fired. You can find out what the legally allowable rate for an executor is by consulting another attorney.
Consider filing a complaint about this with the New York Bar Association but I'm not sure if they handle fee disputes or not (try to find a website for them)--if they won't handle it, go to arbitration/mediation about it.
DANDY DON IN OKLAHOMA (tiekh@yahoo.com)