In St. Martinville, Louisiana, probate is the procedure in which a court validates or voids a will.

As part of this procedure, the St. Martinville, Louisiana probate court will decide the validity of the will, inventory the decedent's assets and debts, and then, lastly, distribute the estate according to the will, assuming it is deemed to be valid.

Wills frequently name a person as the executor of the estate. If not, the court in St. Martinville, Louisiana will name one. This is most often the adult individual who stands to inherit the most funds or property from the will.

Because the executor is responsible for truly initiating probate proceedings and seeing them to finalization, the person chosen for this role is often the one who stands to inherit the most from the will - giving them an incentive to put in the necessary time and effort.

Duties of the Executor in St. Martinville, Louisiana

The executor has many duties regarding the will. First, they have to truly initiate the probate proceedings, which must be finalized before the will is effectuated.

The executor also has to provide those with a direct interest in the will notice that the decedent has deceased, by filing an official death certificate.

Because people who stand to inherit from the testator may be scattered around the country, or even the world, contacting them is sometimes challenging. One of the responsibilities of the executor is to collect a list of everyone who is entitled to inherit from the decedent, so attempts to contact them can be made. They additionally have to account for all the testator's debts and assets.

As the representative of the estate, the executor has to take charge of the probate process, filing the proper court papers, and, if necessary, hiring an attorney for guidance. If the estate is large, and the executor stands to inherit a great deal of money once this process is done, they'll probably find it to be worth the time and expense.

How Can A St. Martinville, Louisiana Lawyer Help?

Because of the difficulties involved in probate, it would be a reliable idea to consult with and retain a St. Martinville, Louisiana attorney who specializes in probate, especially if you are the executor of an estate.