Personal Representative

As a newly appointed personal representative, you are not required to have legal representation but it could be beneficial for you to have an additional support system in your corner.

If your loved one is gone and you’ve been left to sort through all their information to determine how to distribute it, that’s a big burden to carry. It might be one that you want to get help with since if you’re appointed as the formal representative, you have a lot to worry about and do during this time.

It’s your right to hire an attorney to help you with this process. You are not required to get legal help, but it might be one way to determine that you’re doing the right things and getting the support you need for all of probate.

What Is a Personal Representative?

A personal representative is the individual appointed to handle estate administration or a loved one’s final probate affairs. This can be anything from a relatively simple process of identifying everything in a loved one’s estate and distributing it to beneficiaries or as complicated as multi-year processes with estate litigation involved. Most personal representatives are not clear about what they are in for when they start this process which is a primary reason to consult with an experienced personal representative lawyer in Oregon.

Only a personal representative lawyer can tell you more about what you might expect and some of the common challenges that could pop up in a case like this. A personal representative attorney can also advise you if a beneficiary on the estate has already threatened or has already filed legal action against you. Personal representatives have a legal responsibility to act in the best interests of the estate and its beneficiaries. This means they can even be held personally liable if they engage in activities that are illegal or questionable.

Personal representatives are usually family members or friends who have been appointed in this role and may not realize all that is required or the dangerous possibility of being held personally accountable for mishandling estate funds or the estate administration. If you are new as an estate administrator, you may wish to share this information and any other concerns you have with a knowledgeable personal representative attorney. While you are not required to get legal counsel, it can eb helpful to put your mind at ease knowing that you have already made the investment in legal representation to protect your interests and guide you through the process. Probate can be a very lengthy and even frustrating process for those who are not prepared for it. It is strongly advised that you hire a lawyer who has experience helping other personal representatives navigate this within your state. This is because each state has very specific requirements about what probate means and timelines and paperwork that must be submitted. If you are also coping with the grief tied to the loss of your loved one, it can be hard to keep all of these details sorted and to attend to each of them in the proper timeframe.

If you speak with a personal representative lawyer in Oregon, you’ll better know what’s coming next.

Having a lawyer to help keep you on task can make it easier for you to work through this but also decrease your chances of facing personal liability because another beneficiary has accused you of not handling your duties properly. With so many questions and possible concerns, you deserve to have the support provided by a lawyer who has worked in this field for some time. Set aside a time today to meet with an Oregon personal representative lawyer to get more of your questions answered.