Blog & Resources

Beneficiaries of Lehigh County estates will often approach us asking our help in keeping an eye on the estate’s executor. 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.

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:

Beneficiaries of Chester County estates will often approach us asking our help in keeping an eye on the estate’s executor. 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.

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:

Beneficiaries of Montgomery County estates will often approach us asking our help in keeping an eye on the estate’s executor. 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.

If you are a Philadelphia resident with a will, following your death your executor will take your death certificate, the original copy of your will, a checkbook and an ID card to the Philadelphia Register of Wills Office to be sworn in as the executor of your estate.

Being an executor means that this person is a fiduciary with many responsibilities and duties. Selecting the correct person for the job is a vital part of your estate plan.

If you are a Montgomery County resident with a will, following your death your executor will take your death certificate, the original copy of your will, a checkbook and an ID card to the Montgomery County Register of Wills Office to be sworn in as the executor of your estate.

Being an executor means that this person is a fiduciary with many responsibilities and duties. Selecting the correct person for the job is a vital part of your estate plan.

Question: My brother froze my mother’s will at the Camden County Surrogate’s Office. He says he is challenging the Will. What can I do?

First, let me clarify what has happened. Your brother has filed a Caveat with the Camden County Surrogate. By filing a Caveat, any interested party can prevent the Surrogate from immediately accepting a will and giving the executor the power to control the estate assets. When a Caveat exists, any will filed is then held, and the person who filed the Caveat is notified. In theory, the person who filed the Caveat will then go to the Camden County Surrogate’s office to review the will. If they wish to challenge the will, they will then proceed. If they do not wish to challenge the will, they will withdraw the caveat.

If you are a member of the LGBT community in Pennsylvania with a will, following your death your executor will take your death certificate, the original copy of your will, a checkbook and an ID card to the Register of Wills Office to be sworn in as the executor of your estate.

Being an executor means that this person is a fiduciary with many responsibilities and duties. Selecting the correct person for the job is a vital part of your estate plan.

Question: As the Executor of a Philadelphia estate, can I hire an eviction attorney to remove a squatter from a rental owned by the estate?

It is the executor’s duty to protect the estate assets and to make them profitable. If the estate has a rental unit with a squatter, the beneficiaries could try to hold the executor responsible for lost rent if he does not act. Because this is an estate asset the executor is trying to optimize, he is free to use estate assets to retain an expert to assist in the eviction.

Question: My mother’s Burlington County Will directs me to distribute money directly to my brother, who is mentally ill and has a spouse who will squander the funds. What recourse do I have?

As the executor of a Burlington County will, he has a duty to follow through with the terms of the will. Should the brother not wish to cooperate, he has a legal right to have his Burlington County Probate Attorney petition the Surrogates Court to force the executor to turn over to him his inheritance.

If you are a Lehigh County resident with a will, following your death your executor will take your death certificate, the original copy of your will, a checkbook and an ID card to the Lehigh County Register of Wills Office to be sworn in as the executor of your estate.

Being an executor means that this person is a fiduciary with many responsibilities and duties. Selecting the correct person for the job is a vital part of your estate plan.