Legal Question in Wills and Trusts in Alabama

THis is a pretty typical situation. Your lawyer has described to you what your duties are as executor of the estate. Before the will is offered for probate, no one has any right to take anything from the estate. The responsibility of the executor relates back to the time of the death of the testator. The questions I don't see answered are -- who takes in the estate? Who inherits the "stuff"? and -- what debts did your husband owe when he died? Was there a mortgage on the house when he deeded it to you with a Quit Claim Deed? Did the will state that you are not required to make an inventory? Call your lawyer and make an appointment to see him. It is much easier on a lawyer to prepare for a meeting and explain all of this to you than it is for him or her to answer a lot of telephone calls on specific subjects. Help your lawyer help you. Tell him or her that you don't understand how this works and are concerned. He or she will not be able to teach you all there is to know about Probate Law, but your lawyer should take the time to explain how Probate works. It is amazing how little most folks understand about how all of this. The last question, did your husband have debts when he died? If so, those must be paid out of the property he left behind when he died. If you have given away all of the property before paying the debts, you will have to pay the debts from what is left in the estate. There is also a priority of what debts must be paid first. Your lawyer can explain. If he or she will not take an hour (at his or her regular hourly rate) to explain this to you -- find another lawyer. Good luck