In Pasco, Washington "probate" refers to the process a court uses to decide whether or not a will is valid, thereby deciding if it should be given effect.

During probate, the court in Pasco, Washington will determine the validity of the will, identify and inventory the decedent's assets, account for the decedent's debts and back taxes, and distribute the decedent's property, among other things.

Wills normally name the person who is to serve as executor of the estate. If no executor is named, the Pasco, Washington court will appoint an executor. This is normally the person who stands to gain the most if the will is found to be valid.

The main duty of the executor is to serve as the living incarnation of the estate. Their job is to initiate probate proceedings, and see them to completion. If an executor has to be appointed by the court, it will normally be the person who stands to inherit the most from the will, as he or she has an incentive to make every effort to avoid delay.

Duties of the Executor in Pasco, Washington

Executors of estates have a many distinct responsibilities. First, the executor must start the probate proceedings. Probate almost always needs to be completed before the property in an estate can be released according to the terms of the will.

They further are required to provide notice to the people with a direct interest in the estate that the decedent has died, normally by filing a death certificate.

There may be many people who are entitled to take under a testator's will, with which the testator may have fallout out of touch years ago. This can make them hard to find, but they need to be found, nonetheless. To that end, the executor is obligated to make a list of everyone who might be able to inherit, whether they're named in the will, or closely related to the testator. Additionally, they have to make known all of the decedent's major assets and debts.

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 normally 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.

How Can A Pasco, Washington Lawyer Help?

Because of the intricacies involved in probate, it would be smart to hire a brilliant Pasco, Washington probate lawyer, especially if you are the executor of an estate and unsure how to proceed.