When a person dies, a process recognized as "estate administration" must be carried out. This refers to all the processes which must be followed in distributing a person's estate to their heirs or devisees.

If the person who died made and executed a valid will in Siler City, North Carolina, the process of estate administration normally follows the procedures and instructions laid out in the will.

Commonly, the will appoints an executor whose job it is to oversee the administration of the will.

The executor is normally 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 the will in Siler City, North Carolina does not name an executor, or the decedent left no will to be found, the court has to assign a person to serve as the administrator of the estate.

This is most commonly the person who stands to gain the most from the will, or who would inherit the most under North Carolina'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.

In cases where the will doesn't name an executor, or the person named is unable to take on that role for whatever reason, any person who has some direct share in the decedent's estate (either because they're named in the will or stand to inherit by intestacy) can petition a Siler City, North Carolina court to be assigned 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 Siler City, North Carolina Estate Administration Attorney Help?

If you have unexpectedly been appointed to be the executor of a relative's estate, and don't know how to handle this process, you should speak with a seasoned Siler City, North Carolina wills and trusts attorney.