"Estate administration" refers to the process 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 governing 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 Kenner, Louisiana, the estate is usually administered in a way that follows the instructions the will lays out, as closely as possible.

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

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 quickly as possible.

What if The Will Does Not Name an Executor?

If a Kenner, Louisiana will does not name an executor, or no will exists or can be found, it's up to the local court to decide who should be the executor.

This is most commonly the person who stands to gain the most from the will, or who would inherit the most under Louisiana'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 person who has some direct interest in the outcome can ask to be named executor by the Kenner, Louisiana court.

Whoever ends up as the executor, it is their responsibility to serve as the personal representative of the estate. They will be responsible 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 Kenner, Louisiana Estate Administration Attorney Help?

If you are the executor of an estate, and don't know how to handle some of the legal and financial intricacies that may arise, an accomplished Kenner, Louisiana lawyer can make this process a great deal easier.