Estate administration, in basic terms, is the process of maintenance and distribution of a person's assets after they die.

If the person who died made and executed a valid will in Phenix City, Alabama, the process of estate administration typically follows the procedures and instructions laid out in the will.

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

The executor is typically the person who stands to inherit the most money or property from the will, since this personn 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 will in Phenix City, Alabama is silent as to who should be the executor, it is up to the court to decide who should serve in that capacity.

Typically, the person chosen to be executor is the one who would benefit most under the will, or under Alabama's intestacy laws. "Intestacy" refers to a situation in which a person dies without a will, or "dies intestate." Every state has laws to address this situation, and there isn't a lot of variation from state to state. Typically, the decedent's property will go to his or her closest relative, and if absolutely no living relatives can be found, it will go to the state.

If no executor is named in the will, anyone with a stake in the will can apply to the court in Phenix City, Alabama to be the executor of the estate, if they wish.

When the executor is chosen, they serve as a sort of incarnation of the decedent's estate - the estate's legal interests become the executor's interests, and the executor is expected to protect the estate's interests as they would their own.

Can a Phenix City, Alabama Estate Administration Attorney Help?

If you have unexpectedly been appointed to be the executor of a relative's estate, and don't know how to handle this process, you should speak with a knowledgeable Phenix City, Alabama wills and trusts attorney.