The attorneys and staff of Jerner Law Group, P.C. assist with all stages of a decedent’s estate, including securing Letters Testamentary or Letters of Administration, collecting the deceased person’s assets, filing required tax returns, and communicating with and distributing assets to beneficiaries.
Disputes sometimes arise between personal representatives and beneficiaries. Such disputes often result from a lack of communication or as a result of a real or perceived lack of transparency in the estate administration process. Our attorneys can attempt to resolve such disputes informally and, when necessary, represent a beneficiary or a personal representative in court.
Probate is the beginning of the estate administration process. If the deceased person had a Will, the executor named in the Will files the Will with the Register of Wills (in Pennsylvania) or with the Surrogate’s Court (in New Jersey) and is appointed the personal representative of the estate. If the deceased person died without a Will, a loved one can petition to be named as the personal representative of the deceased person’s estate.
Administration of an estate consists of taking charge of the decedent’s affairs, including gathering information about the decedent’s property, paying the decedent’s bills, filing tax returns and paying income, inheritance and/or estate taxes, and distributing the remaining estate to the heirs or beneficiaries. Estate administration is often necessary even when there is no Will.
Letters Testamentary and Letters of Administration are different documents issued by the Register of Wills (in Pennsylvania) or Surrogate’s Court (in New Jersey) which authorize a particular person to act as the personal representative of the decedent’s estate. If the deceased person died with a Will, the document is referred to as Letters Testamentary. If the person died without a Will, the document is called Letters of Administration.