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Media Pa Probate Lawyers – 6 – Short Certificates – Intro

A Short Certificate is a legal document that shows the decedent’s name and date of death. It will also show the name of the Executor/Executrix who has been named to handle the affairs of the estate.

Media Pa Probate Lawyers – 6 – Short Certificates – Note

A Short Certificate can be obtained at the “Register of Wills” office in the county court house.

Having a Short Certificate indicates that one has been appointed by the Register of Wills and has been issued.

• Letters Testamentary (if the decedent had a Pa Last Will; or
• Letters of Administration (if the decedent did not have a Pa Last Will

Media Pa Probate Lawyers – 6 – Short Certificates

The official Pennsylvania Statute that governs this law is 20 Pa.C.S.A. §3101, et seq. and it officially is referenced by:

CHAPTER 31
DISPOSITIONS INDEPENDENT OF LETTERS;
FAMILY EXEMPTION; PROBATE OF WILLS
AND GRANT OF LETTERS

Subchapter
A. Dispositions Independent of Letters
B. Family Exemption
C. Probate
D. Grant of Letters
E. Personal Representative; Bond
F. Personal Representative; Revocation of Letters; Removal and Discharge

Media Pa Probate Lawyers – 5 – Executor Duties – Intro

To maximize the value of an estate in probate or another administration process, representatives may find it helpful to contact a reputable estate planning attorney.

I advise clients serving as executors or administrators on how to comply with all aspects of estate administration accurately and completely.

If you’ve been appointed to serve in either position, you can benefit from sound legal guidance so you are not held personally liable for losses in the value of estate assets due to errors or misconduct.

I guide individuals in the Wayne area and throughout Pennsylvania through probate and estate administration with confidence and efficiency.

Thorough advocate advises clients during every step of Pa Probate.

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.

Media Pa Probate Lawyers – 5 – Executor Duties – Obligations

To complete the process of settling an estate, I may help executors with the following tasks:

• Getting court approval as Pa Executor/Pa Estate administrator and
• Posting bond (if required)
• Filing the Pa Last 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. I provide clients with reliable, detailed guidance.

Media Pa Probate Lawyers – 5 – Executor Duties – Problems

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.

Distributing a decedent’s property cannot take place without an executor or administrator managing and overseeing the process.

When a person does not leave behind a will or establish another means of wealth transfer, the most willing and capable relative usually seeks court approval to act as the personal representative of the estate.

I can help qualified individuals obtain the status of estate executor or administrator.

My goal is for you to settle your loved one’s estate as efficiently, quickly and easily as possible.