Skip to Content

We are a Veteran Owned Business, providing 20% discounts for Veterans, First Responders, Elementary and High School teachers. Please contact us to set up a phone or Zoom meeting. Taking care of you and your family, It's What We Do!

Keeping an Eye on the Executor in Lehigh County

Posted on Sat Oct 11, 2014, on Probate and Estate Administration

From our “Ask a Question” Mailbag: My sister is the executor of our father’s estate. She filed an accounting, but there were a lot of mistakes. How can I prevent this from happening again?  What is a good way of keeping an eye on the executor Lehigh County?

Most Recently updated July 1, 2018

keeping an eye on the executor Lehigh

Keeping an eye on the executor Lehigh County.

Beneficiaries of Lehigh County estates will often approach us asking our help in keeping an eye on the executor of an estate. This is often the result of the executor not sharing information about the estate with the beneficiary, the executor’s unreasonable delays, or when the executor’s behavior has raised the beneficiary’s concern.

What are some steps I should do in keeping an eye on the executor?

When we are asked about what steps a beneficiary can take to keep an eye on the executor, I will outline various options, such as:

  • Reviewing the estate’s file at the Lehigh Register of Wills. The executor is required to make certain, timely filings with the Register. These filings may hold valuable information about the executor’s progress…or lack thereof.
  • Contact the executor’s attorney to let that attorney know that you have now retained an attorney experienced in Lehigh Probate and an attorney experienced in the Lehigh Orphans’ Court. Sometimes an executor just needs a “nudge” from a lawyer to complete the estate.
  • Request an Informal Accounting and copies of the Pennsylvania Inheritance Tax Return. We would then review these documents with you for accuracy. Some executors make mistakes on these documents that are difficult for a non-Probate Attorney to recognize.
  • Threaten to file a Petition for Formal Accounting and possibly a Petition to Remove the Executor. Sometimes it is necessary to go to court. This is a threat our firm can back up, as we have both a Probate and a Lehigh Orphans’ Court Litigation department.

What is a good plan of action for keeping an eye on the executor?

The exact plan of action taken whenever a Beneficiary asks us for assistance in keeping an eye on the executor will depend on the exact facts of the case and the relationships between the interested parties.

Some executors are slow to close an estate because of legitimate reasons. But at other times it is because they are lazy or emotionally unable to complete the job. They can be spiteful or they can even be criminals using delay to cover theft. When a Lehigh estate is not being handled in a manner you think appropriate, it is a good idea to have an experienced Lehigh Probate and Orphans’ Court lawyer on your side.

Further Estate Litigation Questions?

Keeping an eye on the executor is only one of many Estate Litigation issues our firm addresses. Consequently, if you want to learn more, please read my more detailed article, Trust and Estate Litigation All You Need to Know.

In Conclusion: 

I hope that this article was helpful in explaining about keeping an eye on the executor. Further, I included links to even more detailed information on my website. Therefore, please contact me and let me know how I did. Certainly, your comments and questions are welcome!

Let our Lawyers help walk you through what can be a confusing process. To begin with, call to speak to one of our experienced Litigation and Probate Attorneys.  By all means, our lawyers are ready to answer your questions. In fact, feel free to contact our office for a free consultation. Ultimately our goal is to put our 25 years of estate litigation experience to work for you.

Wills, Trusts, Probate, and Estate Litigation It’s All We Do!

Will Contest Attorney, Glen Ridenour.

Author, Peter Klenk, Esq.

Tags:

Executor, Lehigh County, Pennsylvania, Probate

Peter KlenkPeter Klenk

What Our clients are saying

Klenk Law Logo
Stars

Jim Yannessa

A very friendly knowledgeable experience. I would recommend and use them again.

Klenk Law Logo
Stars

hinda schuman

very happy to deal with Peter Klenk law firm over many decades

Klenk Law Logo
Stars

PJ Gorenc

The Klenk Law team was a pleasure to deal with! Peter was responsive and helpful, and took good care of our needs!

Klenk Law Logo
Stars

Callista O “Callista O” Chukwunenye

I knew I needed to update my Estate Planning documents created 15 years ago, yet I kept putting it off. Peter, in his no pressure way nudged me to finally check it off my list. The admin staff of Klenk law were very respectful and responsive in working with me to set up dates and times that work for me to talk with Peter over the phone regarding what I wanted to update. Peter answered my questions and explained some things to me. This helped me on some of my estate decision. After our phone talk, I received a draft of the updated documents, and was allowed ample time to review them prior to a final review with Peter over the phone. This pre-signing reviews made the in-person signing time very short. I would highly recommend Klenk Law, because Peter and his staff were professional but friendly, and thorough in the estate planning work they did for me. Thank you, Peter!

Klenk Law Logo
Stars

Chris Mogee

Peter and his team are great to work with. They make estate planning so easy and painless. They answered all of my questions clearly and helped me understand the best way to handle complicated finances and things like real estate investments. Thank you Klenk Law!!

Let us put our expertise to work for you.

Free consultation within 24 hours.