Probate can refer to the court process of validating a will so an executor can implement the decedent’s wishes or to the oversight the court provides for an estate administrator who settles an intestate estate — one in which the decedent left no will.

Most executors are not familiar with the relevant laws, and some are even surprised to learn the decedent’s will named them as the responsible party. To complete the process of settling an estate, I may help executors with the following tasks:

• Getting court approval as executor/estate administrator and posting bond
• Filing the will with the appropriate probate court
• Locating beneficiaries
• Finding and assembling assets
• Transferring assets from the deceased to the estate
• Hiring valuation, genealogy or other experts, when appropriate
• Paying creditors and claimants
• Collecting amounts owed to the estate
• Paying current and delinquent taxes as well as estate taxes
• Distributing property to beneficiaries

Estate representatives can easily make mistakes due to inexperience, stress and hasty decisions. At the Law Offices of Natasha H. Applewhite, P.C., I provide clients with reliable, detailed guidance.

Even in seemingly straightforward probate and estate administration matters, disputes among beneficiaries or between beneficiaries and the executor can arise. When these conflicts surface, you can rely on my counsel and professionalism in negotiations or in court.