When a person dies, a process recognized as "estate administration" must be carried out. This refers to all the procedures 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 Dickinson, North Dakota, the process of estate administration normally follows the procedures and instructions laid out in the will.

Wills usually name an executor. The executor's role revolves around ensuring that the instructions in the will are implemented.

The executor is normally the person who stands to inherit the most money or property from the will, since this personn will have the greatest incentive to see the probate and administration process to completion.

What if The Will Does Not Name an Executor?

If a Dickinson, North Dakota will does not appoint anyone to serve as executor, or there is no will, the court has to choose someone to fill that role.

Normally, the person chosen to be executor is the one who would benefit most under the will, or under North Dakota's intestacy laws. "Intestacy" refers to a situation in which a person dies without a will, or "dies intestate." Every state has laws to address this situation, and there isn't a lot of variation from state to state. Normally, the decedent's property will go to his or her closest relative, and if absolutely no living relatives can be found, it will go to the state.

If the will doesn't name anyone as executor, or the person who was named as executor is no longer living or cannot be found, anyone who has a direct interest in the will in Dickinson, North Dakota 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, using all legal means to protect the estate's interests (such as mounting plausible legal defenses against creditors).

Can a Dickinson, North Dakota 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 Dickinson, North Dakota attorney would be extremely helpful in such a situation.