Letters of Administration are granted by a
surrogate court or
probate registry to appoint appropriate people to deal with a deceased person's
estate where property will pass under
intestacy
Intestacy is the condition of the estate of a person who dies without a legally valid will, resulting in the distribution of their estate under statutory intestacy laws rather than by their expressed wishes. Alternatively this may also apply ...
rules or where there are no
executor
An executor is someone who is responsible for executing, or following through on, an assigned task or duty.
The feminine form, executrix, is sometimes used.
Executor of will
An executor is a legal term referring to a person named by the maker o ...
s living (and willing and able to act) having been validly appointed under the deceased's
will
Will may refer to:
Common meanings
* Will and testament, instructions for the disposition of one's property after death
* Will (philosophy), or willpower
* Will (sociology)
* Will, volition (psychology)
* Will, a modal verb - see Shall and will
...
. Traditionally, letters of administration granted to a representative of a testator's estate are called "letters of administration with the will annexed" or "letters of administration " or "c.t.a.".
Essentially, this document is issued to the person who will administer the estate of someone who dies without
will registration As outlined by the Cornell Legal Information Institute, "The letters authorize the administrator to settle the deceased person's estate according to the state's intestate succession laws. Banks, brokerages, and government agencies often require a certified copy of the letters before accepting the administrator's authority to collect the deceased person's assets."
If a deceased has a surviving spouse, this individual will have priority in receiving a letter of administration over others, including children; age alone does not render an individual ineligible to serve as a fiduciary.
See also
*
Administration
Administration may refer to:
Management of organizations
* Management, the act of directing people towards accomplishing a goal: the process of dealing with or controlling things or people.
** Administrative assistant, traditionally known as a se ...
*
Probate
In common law jurisdictions, probate is the judicial process whereby a will is "proved" in a court of law and accepted as a valid public document that is the true last testament of the deceased; or whereby, in the absence of a legal will, the e ...
*
Wills
References
Wills and trusts
{{Law-stub