Hire an Attorney Experienced in Wills & Trusts if You've Been Appointed Executor

 Posted on July 21, 2016 in Taxation Law

If you've been appointed the executor of an estate, you may wonder exactly what that means, how much responsibility you really have and if you have to accept your appointment. Well, you can refuse the appointment, but before you do that, stop and think about why you may have been appointed to begin with. The deceased obviously trusted you enough to handle his affairs, so consider taking on this role, even if you think it'll be overwhelming.

Some of the biggest reasons people decide to decline to be the executor include:

• Residing in another state and worrying about traveling to the location the will is to be probated.
• Feeling the job is too complicated.
• Believing there's nothing in the estate that's worth pursuing.
• No desire to act as the estate representative.

A Big Responsibility

The role of executor is a big responsibility, there's no doubt. You have to locate all of the assets, notify the beneficiaries named in the will, pay bills and estate taxes, and distribute the assets. Depending on the size of the estate, this could be a lengthy process.

But, you don't have to go it alone: You can always enlist the help of an attorney experienced in wills & trusts to assist you in the probate process. We can sit down with you and take much of the responsibility off of your hands. Even if you live out of state, retaining an attorney to perform the majority of your duties may help ease your stress and still allow you to follow the wishes of your deceased friend or relative.

Contact us for more information.