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

If the person who died made and executed a valid will in Nashville, Arkansas, the process of estate administration usually follows the procedures and instructions laid out in the will.

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 Nashville, Arkansas will does not assign anyone to serve as executor, or there is no will, the court has to choose someone to fill that role.

Usually, the person chosen to be executor is the one who would benefit most under the will, or under Arkansas'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. Usually, 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 share in the will can apply to the court in Nashville, Arkansas 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 safeguard the estate's interests as they would their own.

Can a Nashville, Arkansas 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 reputable Nashville, Arkansas wills and trusts attorney.