"Estate administration" refers to the procedure which must be followed when the estate of a person who has recently died is being distributed, either according to his or her wishes as laid out in a will, or the laws regulating the distribution of the assets of a person who dies without a will.

If the decedent had the foresight to draft and execute a will in Greenville, Kentucky, the estate is usually administered in a way that follows the instructions the will lays out, as closely as possible.

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

The executor is commonly 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 Greenville, Kentucky does not name a person to serve as executor, or the decedent dies without having written a will, the court will assign a person to act as estate administrator.

This is most commonly the person who stands to gain the most from the will, or who would inherit the most under Kentucky's intestacy laws. Intestacy is the system that every state has in order to deal with the property of people who die without a will. It normally distributes the property to the closest living relatives of the decedent, assuming they can be located.

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 Greenville, Kentucky court.

Whoever ends up as the executor, it is their responsibility to serve as the personal representative of the estate. They will be accountable for taking account of all of the decedent's assets and debts, as well as notifying beneficiaries who may be estranged from the decedent, among other things.

Can a Greenville, Kentucky 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 seasoned Greenville, Kentucky wills and trusts attorney.