When a person dies, their property and assets become part of their probate estate. A personal representative is appointed to administer the estate. The personal representative may be chosen by the decedent and nominated through the decedent’s Will. If the person did not have a Will, Maryland’s estate laws prioritize the list of people who may serve as the personal representative of an estate.

A fiduciary is someone who owes a fiduciary duty to another person to act in that person’s best interest. Generally, the fiduciary duty relates to a financial matter. It is the highest legal duty a person can owe to another person. Fiduciaries have a duty to act with honesty and loyalty in all matters on behalf of the person they represent.

After your close relative dies, you might find yourself overwhelmed with having to handle all the estate administration tasks. It might seem as if there is a never-ending list of things you must do and impossible deadlines by which to do them. The good news is Maryland law does not require you to perform these functions by yourself.

You do not have to do the work yourself just because someone selected you as the administrator of their estate. You can hire a professional, like a Maryland estate administration attorney, to handle the many responsibilities of administering the estate. Whether you decide to handle the estate yourself or work with a professional, you need to know about the general process. To get you started, here are nine steps to effective estate administration: