"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 has made a will in Elk River, Minnesota, the process will play out according to the instructions stated in the will.

Typically, wills assign an executor who is responsible for overseeing the administration of the estate, and seeing that its provisions are carried out, to the extent possible.

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 an Elk River, Minnesota will does not name an executor, or no will exists or can be found, it's up to the local court to determine who should be the executor.

Typically, this will be the person who has the most to acquire from the will, or who would gain the most under Minnesota's intestacy scheme (the system that distributes the decedent's property to his or her closest living relatives, if he or she dies without a will).

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 Elk River, Minnesota court.

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 Elk River, Minnesota Estate Administration Attorney Help?

If you are the administrator of an estate, and are not a legal and/or financial professional, you might confront legal or tax issues with which you are unfamiliar. An Elk River, Minnesota attorney would be quite helpful in such a situation.