Probate Term Glossary
Here are some important probate terms and definitions that you will need 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
The San Diego Probate Center™ employs attorneys who are experienced in probate and trust administration serving the Counties of San Diego, Orange, San Bernardino, Riverside, Los Angeles, and Imperial in California. If you have any questions about probate, wills and trusts, please contact us through our online form or call us at 1-866-WILL-911 for a free consultation.