Role of Personal Representatives When Dealing with Estate Law

Based in Mt. Sterling, Illinois, Heidi Scott started her career as a tax attorney at the Illinois Department of Revenue after graduating from the Southern Illinois University School of Law in the 1990s. Since 2008, Heidi Scott has served as the owner of Schuyler Brown Land Title, focusing on tax and estate law.

An individual who handles all matters regarding allocation of assets and settling of debt after the demise of an estate owner is their executor. Also called a personal representative, an executor is tasked with all duties pertinent to how the estate owner wanted their properties to be allocated when they were alive.

With the interest of the owner in mind, an executor performs some typical duties like accumulation and sorting of the deceased’s financial documents, notifying pertinent entities (such as insurance providers and companies with which the deceased have some shares) about their death, creating a bank account for the estate, paying taxes and debts, and allocation of assets according to the will. Prior to the action, an executor must obtain probate.

If the deceased failed to create a will prior to their demise, they wouldn’t have an executor. In this case, another individual (called an administrator) will serve the responsibilities of an executor. There are also situations where named executors decide not to carry out the assigned actions. An administrator serves their role in this case. Before dealing with an estate, an administrator must apply for letters of administration.