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

If the decedent wrote a will before his or her death in Lawrenceville, Georgia, the process will be carried out according to the directives included in the will, assuming they are legitimate and enforceable.

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

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 Lawrenceville, Georgia 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 Georgia. 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.

In cases where the will doesn't name an executor, or the person named is unable to take on that role for whatever reason, any person who has some direct share in the decedent's estate (either because they're named in the will or stand to inherit by intestacy) can petition a Lawrenceville, Georgia court to be assigned executor.

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 Lawrenceville, Georgia Estate Administration Attorney Help?

Some people are surprised when they find out they've been named the executor of a relative's estate. The responsibilities can seem daunting, but with the help of a reliable Lawrenceville, Georgia attorney, the process almost always goes pretty smoothly.