Davis & McCann
  • Home
  • Practice Areas
  • About
  • Attorney Profiles
  • Blog & News
  • Contact Us - Directions
  • Make a Payment

Executor Duties - It's Okay To Ask For Help

8/15/2019

 
Picture
When your loved one dies, an experienced probate attorney can be a great asset. If your loved one had a will then there should be a person named to be in charge of wrapping up the estate, called an Executor. The Executor is generally a surviving spouse, an adult child, a trusted friend or relative, or a trust company named in the will. If your loved one had no formal will appointing an Executor, a court appointed Administrator may be required to pass assets on to his/her heirs at law. The Executor or Administrator has a special responsibility to act in the best interest of the Estate beneficiaries and see that the Estate assets and money are not wasted. 

If you are an Executor or Administrator, one of the smartest ways to ensure you are acting in the best interests of the Estate beneficiaries is to hire an experienced probate attorney. Your attorney should be willing to provide you with a basic education of the probate process so you can determine which tasks you can handle independently and which ones will require professional guidance. The Estate is responsible for paying the attorney fees, so there should be no personal cost to you. Hiring a probate attorney who has good communication skills and makes themselves available to you is the ticket to a successful estate administration. 

The following is a sample of services an experienced probate attorney should offer Executors or Administrators during the probate process:
​
1. Assist with obtaining copies of death certificates and a dated obituary notice and/or newspaper articles.
2. Coordinate meetings with the decedent’s family and/or beneficiaries, as necessary.
3. Advise on checking the contents of any safe deposit boxes and on obtaining copies of marriage and birth certificates.
4. Help with compiling a list of heirs, next of kin and beneficiaries.
5. Review the decedent’s will with the Executor/Administrator and decedent’s family to determine whether probate is needed and if so, what probate proceeding is most appropriate.
6. Proceed with probate filing, if no trust was created.
7. If necessary, obtain letters testamentary or letters of administration for the executor/administrator from the court.
8. Assist with inventory of tangible real estate property and obtaining real estate deeds, mortgages, leases, and tax information, as well as provide guidance with inventorying and securing personal items such as cars, trucks, boats, recreational vehicles, mobile homes, motorcycles, furniture, fine jewelry, art and personal contents of the home(s).


Read More

Executor Duties 101 - A Beginner's Guide to Probate

12/13/2018

 
Picture
You’ve been named in a Last Will and Testament as an Executor of a Kansas Estate, so now what do you do? Before you begin your role as Executor, here are a few things you might want to know.

As Executor, you have the responsibility of distributing the assets of the Estate to the intended beneficiaries, pursuant to the decedent’s Last Will and Testament. You must understand complex legal and/or financial concepts during the course of your job. As a result, Executors should hire an experienced probate attorney to assist them with the probate process and help them avoid costly mistakes. Here is a basic summary of what you can expect the probate process to include:


Read More
    Picture

    NEWS YOU CAN USE

    Davis & McCann, P. A.,
    ​A Premier Estate Planning law firm in Western Kansas

    Archives

    April 2021
    March 2021
    February 2021
    January 2021
    December 2020
    November 2020
    October 2020
    September 2020
    August 2020
    July 2020
    June 2020
    May 2020
    April 2020
    March 2020
    February 2020
    January 2020
    December 2019
    November 2019
    October 2019
    September 2019
    August 2019
    July 2019
    June 2019
    May 2019
    April 2019
    March 2019
    February 2019
    January 2019
    December 2018
    November 2018
    October 2018
    May 2017
    August 2016
    June 2016
    May 2016
    April 2016
    March 2016
    February 2016
    September 2014

    Categories

    All
    10 Year Anniversary
    Attorney
    Business
    Conservatorship
    Dodge City
    Elder Law
    Estate Administration
    Estate Planning
    Executor
    Firm News
    Guardianship
    Kansas
    Kristina Crawford
    Long Term Care Planning
    Long-term Care Planning
    Medicaid Planning
    Megan-l-mccann
    National-academy
    Probate
    Real Estate
    WealthCounsel

    RSS Feed

107 Layton Street, Suite A
Dodge City, KS 67801
620-225-1674

Davis & McCann,P. A. is a premier Estate Planning law firm in Dodge City, Kansas, assisting Western Kansas clients with Estate Planning, Probate, Trust Administration, Business Formation, Business Succession Planning, Farm and Agricultural Business Succession Planning, Real Estate, Elder Law (Medicaid and Long Term Care Planning).  The information found on this website is for informational purposes only and is not a legal opinion, does not provide legal advice for any purpose, and neither creates nor constitutes of an attorney-client relationship.
© 
  • Home
  • Practice Areas
  • About
  • Attorney Profiles
  • Blog & News
  • Contact Us - Directions
  • Make a Payment