Does My California Executor Have to Hire an Attorney?

If you have done your homework around the process of planning for the future of your estate administration, there’s a good chance that you hope that the executor will be able to handle these tasks on their own. An executor should be a person who is comfortable serving in this role and someone who has the necessary financial and organizational skills to be successful in closing out your estate and probating your will. 

That being said, there are many different cases in which it might make sense for this person to hire a probate attorney to assist them with the process. If you have many different assets inside your estate, a high volume of wealth, or a complicated mix of collections, real estate, and other estate planning concerns, your executor might need the support of an outside attorney.small bronze lady justice statue

You can be proactive in the process of your estate-planning by consulting with a Pasadena estate planning attorney. Your estate planning lawyer can tell you more about the things you can do to make the process easier and more organized for your executor. The more advanced planning you can figure into the process, the easier it will be for your beneficiaries to receive the assets you intend to distribute to them in the future.

In the event that an estate-planning conflict or dispute arises in the process of administering your estate, there is a strong chance that the executor will retain legal counsel to help him or her navigate that process. It is not always possible to avoid estate planning conflicts and disputes.

While your executor is not required to retain legal counsel, it can be beneficial for them to do so. No matter who you plan to assign to the role of executor, make sure this person is comfortable with your designation of them and is prepared to take on the tasks associated with closing out your estate. You can advise them during this conversation that they can make use of the option to get a lawyer in the future, too.

Need help figuring out who to name as executor? Our California estate planning law firm can help you.

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