Estate administration is the procedure during which the estate of a person who has recently died is maintained and divided among his or her heirs or beneficiaries. This typically happens according to the instructions in a will, but in case there is no will, there are laws regulating that situation, as well.
If the decedent had the foresight to draft and execute a will in Mount Pleasant, South Carolina, the estate is normally administered in a way that follows the instructions the will lays out, as closely as possible.
Frequently, the will appoints an executor whose job it is to oversee the administration of the will.
The executor is frequently 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 Mount Pleasant, South Carolina is silent as to who should be the executor, it is up to the court to determine who should serve in that capacity.
This is most frequently the person who would inherit most under the will, or under the intestacy scheme of South Carolina. Intestacy is when a person dies without having made a will, or if a will turns out to be invalid. The intestacy laws of each state control how property is distributed in such a situation. In most states, it simply goes to the closest living relative.
When a will is silent as to who should be the executor, any individual who has some direct interest in the result can ask to be named executor by the Mount Pleasant, South Carolina court.
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 Mount Pleasant, South Carolina Estate Administration Attorney Help?
If you are the administrator of an estate, and are not a legal and/or financial professional, you might confront legal or tax issues with which you are unfamiliar. A Mount Pleasant, South Carolina attorney would be quite helpful in such a situation.
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