In Mount Carmel, Pennsylvania, probate is a legal procedure that a court must go through before giving effect to a will. Before putting a will into effect, a court has to determine that it is valid.

In the probate process, a Mount Carmel, Pennsylvania probate court has various duties, including ruling on a will's validity, making an inventory of the estate's assets, and making note of all the decedent's debts. Once the will is determined to be valid, the court will distribute the property according to its terms.

The executor of the estate is frequently named in the will. If not, the probate court in Mount Carmel, Pennsylvania will name will appoint a person to serve as executor. This is typically the person who stands to inherit the most under the will.

The executor is the person who initiates probate proceedings. The person who stands to inherit the most from the will is typically appointed the executor, because they will have the most incitement to help the process go as quickly as possible, so they can get their inheritance.

Duties of the Executor in Mount Carmel, Pennsylvania

Executors of estates have a various distinct responsibilities. First, the executor must start the probate proceedings. Probate almost always needs to be completed before the property in an estate can be released according to the terms of the will.

They additionally are required to provide notice to the people with a direct interest in the estate that the decedent has died, typically by filing a death certificate.

The executor will also have to collect and make available a list of all of the decedent's debts and assets, as well as a list of those who stand to inherit from the decedent.

Because the executor serves as the living embodiment of the decedent's estate, they are solely responsible for proving the validity of the will. This is a lot of work, but because executors are typically chosen based on how much they stand to inherit from a will once its validity is confirmed, they have a good incentive to see the process to completion.

How Can A Mount Carmel, Pennsylvania Lawyer Help?

Because this process can be fairly intricate, it is not a bad idea to consult with a knowledgeable probate lawyer in Mount Carmel, Pennsylvania, especially if you find yourself as the executor of an estate and don't know how to proceed.