In Ballinger, Texas, 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.

As part of this process, the Ballinger, Texas probate court will determine the validity of the will, inventory the decedent's assets and debts, and then, finally, distribute the estate according to the will, assuming it is found to be valid.

Wills often name a person as the executor of the estate. If not, the court in Ballinger, Texas will name one. This is most often the adult individual who stands to inherit the most money or property from the will.

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

Duties of the Executor in Ballinger, Texas

Executors of estates have a several 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 also are required to provide notice to the people with a direct interest in the estate that the decedent has died, usually by filing a death certificate.

There may be many people who are entitled to take under a testator's will, with which the testator may have fallout out of touch years ago. This can make them difficult to find, but they need to be found, nonetheless. To that end, the executor is required to make a list of everyone who might be able to inherit, whether they're named in the will, or closely related to the testator. Additionally, they have to make known all of the decedent's major assets and debts.

Furthermore, the executor is required to take a leading role in proving the validity of the will. The executor obviously has an incentive to see the process through, since they cannot inherit until probate is complete.

How Can A Ballinger, Texas Lawyer Help?

Because this can be (though isn't always) a fairly complex process, it's a good idea to get a good probate lawyer in Ballinger, Texas, especially if you find yourself being the executor of an estate, and aren't sure how to proceed.