The easiest thing to do would be to hire a new attorney for the very specific purpose of receiving and distributing the check (and dealing with any adminstrative matters relating thereto): you can certainly legally "replace" a deceased lawyer. Negotiate a small fee for this service with the new lawyer, have him take care of the "substitution of attorney" paperwork, provide evidence you have a new lawyer to the other side, and they can distribute the check to him. You'll owe the new lawyer the small fee you negotiated, and will owe the deceased lawyer (e.g. his estate) for the work he did pursuant to whatever agreement you'd had.