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What is a personal representative and what do they do? | Freilich Law | Michael Freilich | freilichlaw.com | (410) 321-0040

Personal representative is the modern term for an executor. Their job is after the death and after the will is probated, they’re usually appointed by an orphans’ court or probate court to carry out their duties as the personal representative. The personal representative has the job of gathering or marshaling the assets, paying certain bona fide debts, administering the estate in the probate court, and doing what needs to be done in the probate court. Then, with the court’s permission and authorization, after paying whatever taxes may or may not be due, to distribute the estate to the beneficiaries. The typical probate process takes a minimum of six months for creditors to be cleared out, paid, or dealt with, and the typical estate in Maryland is distributed in usually six to nine months.