"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 wrote a will before his or her death in South Portland, Maine, the process will be carried out according to the directives included in the will, assuming they are legitimate and enforceable.

Most commonly, a will names a person to serve as executor, whose job it is to guarantee that the estate is properly administered.

The executor is usually the person who stands to inherit the most money or property from the will, since this individualn will have the greatest incentive to see the probate and administration process to completion.

What if The Will Does Not Name an Executor?

If a South Portland, Maine will does not name an executor, or no will exists or can be found, it's up to the local court to determine who should be the executor.

This is most often the person who stands to gain the most from the will, or who would inherit the most under Maine'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 South Portland, Maine 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 South Portland, Maine Estate Administration Attorney Help?

If you are the executor of an estate, and don't know how to handle some of the legal and financial complexities that may arise, an experienced South Portland, Maine lawyer can make this process a great deal easier.