Orange — Probate Terms

Source: https://www.occourts.org/system/files/probate-glossary.pdf

PROBATE TERMS (GLOSSARY)

Here are some important probate terms you’ll want to know: Beneficiary: A person who inherits when there is a Will. Custodian of the Will: The person who has the Will when the person who wrote the Will dies. Decedent (or deceased): The person who died. Decedent’s estate: All the property (real or personal) that a person owned at the time of death. Executor: A person named in a Will and appointed by the Court to carry out the dead person’s wishes. Heir: A person who inherits when there is no Will. Intestate: When someone dies without leaving a Will. Intestate succession: The order of who inherits the property when someone dies without a Will. Legatees, or devisees: People who are named in a Will. Personal property: Things like cash, stocks, jewelry, clothing, furniture, or cars. Personal representative (or administrator or executor): The person responsible for overseeing the distribution of the estate. Probate: The process of deciding where, how, and to whom to distribute the decedent’s property. Real property: Buildings and land. Testate: When someone dies leaving a Will. Trust: When one person (trustee) holds property at another person’s (settlor’s) request for the benefit of someone else (the beneficiary). Will: A legal paper that lists a person’s wishes about what will happen to his/her property after death.