When a person dies, a process identified 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 decedent wrote a will before his or her death in Dobbs Ferry, New York, the process will be carried out according to the directives included in the will, assuming they are legitimate and enforceable.

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

The executor is typically the person who stands to inherit the most money or property from the will, since this individualn 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 Dobbs Ferry, New York will does not name an executor, or no will exists or can be found, it's up to the local court to determine who should be the executor.

This is most frequently the person who would inherit most under the will, or under the intestacy scheme of New York. 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 control how property is distributed in such a situation. In most states, it simply goes to the closest living relative.

When a will is silent as to who should be the executor, any individual who has some direct interest in the result can ask to be named executor by the Dobbs Ferry, New York 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 safeguard the estate's interests as they would their own.

Can a Dobbs Ferry, New York 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 reliable Dobbs Ferry, New York wills and trusts attorney.