Probate is the orderly court-supervised process of administering a deceased person’s estate which includes, but is not limited to, the following tasks:
• Determining whether or not the decedent left a valid Last Will and Testament;
• Appointing a personal representative to handle the administration of the estate;
• Securing, inventorying and valuing the decedent’s assets;
• Identifying those creditors having valid claims against the estate and arranging for the disposition of those claims;
• Providing heirs with information regarding the personal representative’s administration of the estate;
• Resolving questions or objections raised by heirs or other interested parties regarding estate issues; and
• After administrative expenses and taxes have been paid, any valid claims have been settled, and any assets that need to be liquidated have been sold, distributing the remaining assets of the estate to the decedent’s heirs and devisees in accordance with the Last Will and Testament or, in the absence of a valid Will, in accordance with state law.