What is a solicitor’s role in relation to an estate?
Often an executor will need a solicitor’s help to administer the estate. For example, a solicitor might: • prepare and help to complete the forms needed to apply for probate • help identify and collect the deceased’s assets • advise the executor about the deceased person’s tax liability • advise about the legal order in which debts must be paid and the remaining assets distributed. If the deceased has not left a will, one of the people entitled to a share in the estate applies for Letters of Administration. The estate is then administered under the law relating to intestacy (i.e. dying intestate, dying without a will). When this happens, a solicitor can explain the legal order for distributing the estate and the proportions of the estate that beneficiaries are entitled to. A solicitor can also draw up a report and statement about the realisation of the assets of the estate and the distribution to the beneficiaries. When dealing with estates, the solicitor’s client is the executor. The
