What Does a Personal Representative Do in Probate?

First, what is Probate?

Probate is the formal, court supervised, process whereby a person’s will is proven to be valid and complied with.

What Does a Personal Representative Do in Probate?

The Personal representative is the person approved by the court to carry out the probate procedure. The first thing a personal representative does is seek to open the probate with the court by filing a petition for administration. He or she will also file the decedent’s will and death certificate with the court.

Key Personal Representative Duties:

• Serve the Notice of Administration on all of the beneficiaries, surviving spouse, and potentially other interested persons
• Gathering all of the assets of the estate
• Determine all of the creditors of the decedent
• Paying any owed estate taxes
• Distributing the remaining assets of the estate pursuant to the will
• Closing the estate
• Help for the Personal Representative

These are the basic duties of a Personal Representative. It is important for a personal representative to remember that they are authorized to hire professional help. Accountants and lawyers are often crucial to helping a personal representative comply with their duties.

Often times, litigation occurs within a probate. At Bloodworth Law, we represent Personal Representatives and beneficiaries seeking to remove a personal representative.

Again, my name is Reed Bloodworth, the founding partner of Bloodworth Law. If you have a question about probate litigation, give me a call. Let’s talk about what happened to you.