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 Litchfield, New Hampshire, the process of estate administration normally follows the procedures and instructions laid out in the will.

Most often, a will names a person to serve as executor, whose job it is to ensure that the estate is properly administered.

The executor typically has at least some work cut out for them. This evidently raises the issue of compensation. The easiest way to ensure that the executor does his or her job is simply to appoint the person who has the most to gain from the will. That way, they cannot inherit until the process is completed.

What if The Will Does Not Name an Executor?

If a Litchfield, New Hampshire will does not name an executor, or no will exists or can be found, it's up to the local court to decide who should be the executor.

This is most commonly the person who would inherit most under the will, or under the intestacy scheme of New Hampshire. Intestacy is when a person dies without having made a will, or if a will turns out to be invalid. The intestacy laws of each state govern how property is distributed in such a situation. In most states, it simply goes to the closest living relative.

If no executor is named in the will, anyone with a stake in the will can apply to the court in Litchfield, New Hampshire to be the executor of the estate, if they wish.

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 protect the estate's interests as they would their own.

Can a Litchfield, New Hampshire 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 brilliant Litchfield, New Hampshire wills and trusts attorney.