"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 Reserve, Louisiana, the estate is typically administered in a way that follows the instructions the will lays out, as closely as possible.

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 whoever stands to acquire the most money or property if the will is given effect, since that is the person who likely has the most incentive to do their part in seeing that the probate process plays out to completion.

What if The Will Does Not Name an Executor?

If a Reserve, Louisiana will does not assign anyone to serve as executor, or there is no will, the court has to choose someone to fill that role.

This is most often 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 usually distributes the property to the closest living relatives of the decedent, assuming they can be located.

If no executor is named in the will, anyone with a share in the will can apply to the court in Reserve, Louisiana to be the executor of the estate, if they wish.

Once an executor is assigned (whether by being named in the will, or on the application of another person), they "step into the shoes" of the estate, and are expected to safeguard its interests to the fullest extent possible. They further are obligated to accurately inventory the estate's debts and assets, as well as notify possible beneficiaries.

Can a Reserve, Louisiana 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 reputable Reserve, Louisiana attorney, the process almost always goes pretty smoothly.