Probate Attorney in New London County, Connecticut
In New London County, Connecticut, probate is the process through which a Court determines if a will is valid or not.
As part of this process, the New London County, Connecticut probate court will determine the validity of the will, inventory the decedent's assets and debts, and then, finally, distribute the estate according to the will, assuming it is found to be valid.
Wills often name a person as the executor of the estate. If not, the court in New London County, Connecticut will name one. This is most often the adult individual who stands to inherit the most money or property from the will.
Because the executor is responsible for actually initiating probate proceedings and seeing them to completion, the person chosen for this role is often the one who stands to inherit the most from the will - giving them an incentive to put in the necessary time and effort.
Duties of the Executor in New London County, Connecticut
The executor has many duties concerning the will. First, they have to actually initiate the probate proceedings, which must be completed before the will is effectuated.
Additionally, the executor has to make sure that the decedent's relatives and other people named in the will have notice of the testator's death, usually through the filing of a copy of the official death certificate.
Because people who stand to inherit from the testator may be scattered around the country, or even the world, contacting them is sometimes difficult. One of the responsibilities of the executor is to compile a list of everyone who is entitled to inherit from the decedent, so attempts to contact them can be made. They also have to account for all the testator's debts and assets.
Because the executor serves as the living embodiment of the decedent's estate, they are solely responsible for proving the validity of the will. This is a lot of work, but because executors are usually chosen based on how much they stand to inherit from a will once its validity is confirmed, they have a good incentive to see the process to completion.
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How Can A New London County, Connecticut Lawyer Help?
Because of the complexities involved in probate, it would be smart to hire a good New London County, Connecticut probate lawyer, especially if you are the executor of an estate and unsure how to proceed.
