If I am named as executor of an estate, do I have to serve?

If I am named as executor of an estate, do I have to serve?

Attorney Gadi Zohar explains:

No. Nobody can force you to act as executor of an estate. It’s very important, though, if you decide you don’t want to serve as executor, that you not take on the responsibilities of executor and then decide you don’t want to serve. That’s an important time to contact an experienced probate attorney.

That attorney can help you either decline to serve as executor, and allow the next person in line in the will to serve as the executor or help you through the process of getting a professional fiduciary appointed as executor of a will. And there are many reasons that that could happen and we we handle that in the court system all the time.

Long story short though the bottom line is no. No one can force you to be the executor of a will.