When a person dies, a process known 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 has made a will in Mechanicville, New York, the process will play out according to the instructions specified in the will.

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 rapidly as possible.

What if The Will Does Not Name an Executor?

If a Mechanicville, 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 often 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 determine 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 Mechanicville, 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 Mechanicville, New York Estate Administration Attorney Help?

If you are the administrator of an estate, and are not a legal and/or financial professional, you might encounter legal or tax issues with which you are unfamiliar. A Mechanicville, New York attorney would be very helpful in such a situation.