Wis. Stat. § 865.08 — WI Code / Chapter 865 / Section 865.08
Informal appointment; letters.
Status: in_force

(1)

(ac) Upon receipt of an application and making the determinations required by s. 865.07 , the probate registrar may enter a statement of informal administration, admit a will to informal probate, and appoint the personal representative nominated by the will or requested by the interested parties, subject to qualification and acceptance.

(am) If no personal representative is named or if the named personal representative fails to qualify, the personal representative shall be any of the following:

1. A bank or trust company that is entitled to exercise fiduciary powers in this state and that has the consent of all interested persons, other than creditors of the deceased.

2. A natural person who has the consent of all interested parties, other than creditors of the deceased, and who is not disqualified under s. 856.23 .

(b) If the decedent was a nonresident, the appointment shall be delayed until 30 days have elapsed since death unless the applicant is the domiciliary representative.

(2) Prior to receiving letters, a personal representative shall qualify by filing with the probate registrar a statement of acceptance of the duties of the office and any required bond. By accepting appointment, a personal representative submits personally to the jurisdiction of the court in any proceeding relating to the estate that may be instituted by any interested person.

(3) If the probate registrar is not satisfied that a will is entitled to be probated or that a requested appointment of a personal representative should not be made because of failure to meet the requirements of s. 856.23 , 865.02 or 865.07 , or for any other reason, the probate registrar shall deny the application. Denial of an application is not an adjudication and does not preclude proceeding formally.

(4) Upon appointment and qualification, letters shall be issued and the estate shall be administered under this chapter unless or until superseded or suspended by formal proceedings.

(5) Within 10 days of the personal representative’s appointment the personal representative shall, where the estate is testate, provide a copy of the will and a list of all interested persons to each interested person; and, where the estate is intestate, the personal representative shall furnish a list of all interested persons to each interested person.

(6) If the will of the decedent provides for a testamentary trust, the probate registrar shall appoint the trustee upon admission of the will to informal probate at the same time that letters are granted to the personal representative. Letters of trust shall not be required to evidence the authority of the appointed trustee and a certification of trust under s. 701.1013 shall be sufficient evidence of such authority. The probate registrar shall determine if bond shall be required and, if so, the amount thereof, and for such purpose the probate registrar shall have the authority granted to the court by, and shall proceed pursuant to s. 701.0702 . Thereafter, the trustee shall continue to be interested in the estate, and beneficiaries of the testamentary trust shall cease to be interested in the estate except under s. 851.21 (3) . The administration of the trust shall be governed by ch. 701 .

History: 1973 c. 39 ; 1975 c. 331 ; 1993 a. 486 ; 2001 a. 94 ; 2013 a. 92 ; 2023 a. 127 .