When a person dies, a process known 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 decedent wrote a will before his or her death in Fairfield, New Jersey, the process will be carried out according to the directives contained in the will, assuming they are valid and enforceable.

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

The executor is often 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 quickly as possible.

What if The Will Does Not Name an Executor?

If a Fairfield, New Jersey 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.

Usually, this will be the person who has the most to gain from the will, or who would gain the most under New Jersey'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 person who has some direct interest in the outcome can ask to be named executor by the Fairfield, New Jersey 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 protect the estate's interests as they would their own.

Can a Fairfield, New Jersey 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 good Fairfield, New Jersey wills and trusts attorney.