Prepare for the ATT Law Exam. Practice with multiple choice questions, each providing hints and explanations. Be well-prepared for exam day!

Multiple Choice

What are personal representatives in a testate case?

In a testate case, there is a valid will, so the people who administer the deceased’s estate are the executors named in that will. They have the legal authority to handle everything on behalf of the estate, starting with obtaining a grant of probate to prove the will and empower them to act. Their duties include collecting assets, paying debts and taxes, and distributing the remaining assets to the beneficiaries according to the terms of the will. If there are multiple executors, they usually act together as co-executors. By contrast, trustees manage assets held in a trust, administrators handle estates when there is no will (intestacy) or no named executor, and chancellors are judges, not personal representatives. So, in a testate case, the personal representatives are the executors.

In a testate case, there is a valid will, so the people who administer the deceased’s estate are the executors named in that will. They have the legal authority to handle everything on behalf of the estate, starting with obtaining a grant of probate to prove the will and empower them to act. Their duties include collecting assets, paying debts and taxes, and distributing the remaining assets to the beneficiaries according to the terms of the will. If there are multiple executors, they usually act together as co-executors. By contrast, trustees manage assets held in a trust, administrators handle estates when there is no will (intestacy) or no named executor, and chancellors are judges, not personal representatives. So, in a testate case, the personal representatives are the executors.