Probate administration, or just probate, refers to a part of estate administration where an individual is formally appointed to administer a deceased individual’s estate. The probate process changes depending on whether or not the deceased person left a will behind.
If there is a will, it must be validated, potential beneficiaries must be identified, and the executor of the will must be notified. If there isn’t a will, then the probate process will instead involve identifying the beneficiaries declared by state law and appointing a legal administrator according to state law.