"Estate administration" refers to the procedure which must be followed when the estate of a person who has recently died is being distributed, either according to his or her wishes as laid out in a will, or the laws regulating the distribution of the assets of a person who dies without a will.

If the decedent (the person who died) left a will, the process of estate administration in Round Lake Beach Illinois will usually be carried out according to the instructions in the will.

Wills typically name an executor. The executor's role revolves around guaranteeing that the instructions in the will are implemented.

The executor is often the person who will get the most money or property out of the will if it is given effect, because this is the person who will have the greatest incentive to see that the probate process goes as rapidly as possible.

What if The Will Does Not Name an Executor?

If a will in Round Lake Beach, Illinois does not name a person to serve as executor, or the decedent dies without having written a will, the court will assign a person to act as estate administrator.

This is most often the person who stands to gain the most from the will, or who would inherit the most under Illinois's intestacy laws. Intestacy is the system that every state has in order to deal with the property of people who die without a will. It usually distributes the property to the closest living relatives of the decedent, assuming they can be located.

If the will doesn't name anyone as executor, or the individual who was named as executor is no longer living or cannot be found, anyone who has a direct interest in the will in Round Lake Beach, Illinois can apply to the court to be the executor.

Whoever is assigned to serve as executor, it is their job to act as the representative of the estate. Among other jobs, they have to account for the decedent's debts and assets, and inform any beneficiaries who might be unaware of the situation.

Can a Round Lake Beach, Illinois Estate Administration Attorney Help?

If you are the administrator of an estate, and are not a legal and/or financial professional, you might encounter legal or tax issues with which you are unfamiliar. A Round Lake Beach, Illinois attorney would be very helpful in such a situation.