Probate Administration Services

Probate is the Court supervised process of estate settlement.  When a person dies owning probate assets, those assets may not be legally transferred to the beneficiaries of the decedent’s estate without first passing through probate.  The probate process begins when the Executor named in the decedent’s Will petitions the Probate Court for appointment as Executor of the decedent’s estate.  If the decedent died without a Will, known as dying “intestate”, an interested party petitions the Probate Court for appointment as an Administrator.  As part of this process, all of the decedent’s heirs receive notice of the petition, and they have a right to object to the appointment.  Probate creates a public record so that the general public, not only the Court, is able to examine the decedent's Will, probate assets and debts. Once the Executor or Administrator has been appointed, he  then begins to take inventory of the estate, gather and consolidate the probate assets, and facilitates the sale of stocks, bonds, real estate and other property. Valid debts are paid and the remaining estate assets are distributed to the beneficiaries as directed by the Will or by Massachusetts law if the decedent passed away without a Will. The Probate Court oversees the entire process and reviews annual accountings of the estate’s assets and debts.   Once all of the probate assets are distributed and the decedent’s debts are paid, the Court approves a final accounting and the Executor or Administrator is discharged.

At Brown & Brown, PC, we represent clients through all stages of probate, beginning with a comprehensive initial meeting where we will review the probate process and go over your loved one’s estate in detail.  While some element of client participation in this process is a given, we offer our clients the option and flexibility of choosing how much or how little they would like to be involved in the day-to-day management of the probate process, from just signing the appropriate court documents to full, hands-on asset collection and disposition.  We believe that each probate has its own unique dynamics and we feel that it is necessary to establish a strong rapport with clients during this difficult time.