What are the primary duties of the personal representatives?

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

Personal representatives act as fiduciaries responsible for winding up the deceased’s estate. Their main duties are to identify and quantify what the deceased owned and what they owed, collect the assets, pay the debts and taxes owed from the estate, and then distribute the remaining assets to beneficiaries in accordance with the deceased’s Will or, if there is no Will, the rules of intestacy. This sequence ensures creditors are paid and beneficiaries receive their entitlement according to the law. Drafting a Will isn’t a duty of the personal representative (that’s done by the person making the Will), and while the assets must be preserved, investing for growth or trying to maximize value isn’t the primary duty—investments must be prudent and in the beneficiaries’ best interests.