"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 Windom, Minnesota, the process will play out according to the instructions mentioned in the will.

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 Windom, Minnesota is silent as to who should be the executor, it is up to the court to determine who should serve in that capacity.

Normally, this will be the person who has the most to receive 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).

If the will doesn't name anyone as executor, or the individual who was named as executor is no longer living or cannot be found, anyone who has a direct interest in the will in Windom, Minnesota can apply to the court to be the executor.

Once an executor is finally named, he or she becomes responsible for serving as the living embodiment of the estate, utilizing all legal means to protect the estate's interests (such as mounting plausible legal defenses against creditors).

Can a Windom, Minnesota Estate Administration Attorney Help?

If you are the administrator of an estate, and are not a legal and/or financial professional, you might face legal or tax issues with which you are unfamiliar. A Windom, Minnesota attorney would be extremely helpful in such a situation.