Frame & Frame Attorneys at Law helps personal representatives navigate Maryland probate, fulfill their legal responsibilities and move an estate from the initial court filing through the payment of obligations and final distribution to beneficiaries.

The firm advises executors, administrators and families on Maryland probate and estate administration, including opening the estate, determining the appropriate form of administration, preparing required filings and addressing the legal issues that arise while an estate is being settled.

Frame & Frame has served Maryland families for more than 70 years. With offices in Annapolis, Pasadena, Stevensville and Mount Airy, the firm serves clients in Anne Arundel County, Maryland’s Eastern Shore and other Maryland communities.

What Frame & Frame can do for the estate

• Explain the Maryland probate process and the personal representative’s legal duties
• Determine whether the estate may qualify for small, regular or modified administration
• Prepare and file probate petitions, notices, inventories, accounts and other required documents
• Assist with locating, identifying and properly administering estate assets
• Advise the personal representative regarding creditor claims, estate expenses, debts and taxes
• Address Maryland probate issues involving estate-owned real property, title, transfer or sale
• Communicate with beneficiaries, interested persons, the Register of Wills and the Orphans’ Court
• Help resolve questions involving the interpretation or validity of a will
• Represent the estate or personal representative when disputes or contested matters arise
• Guide the personal representative through final accounting, asset distribution and estate closing

Helpful when

• You have been named executor or appointed personal representative of a Maryland estate
• You are uncertain how to open an estate or which probate procedure applies
• The estate includes real estate, business interests or assets requiring legal transfer
• Creditor claims, unpaid bills, taxes or administrative expenses must be addressed
• The will is unclear, missing, challenged or disputed by an interested person
• Beneficiaries disagree about estate property, distributions or the administration process
• The personal representative needs guidance complying with court deadlines and fiduciary duties
• The estate is ready for final accounting, distribution and formal closing

Executor note

A Maryland personal representative has fiduciary and court-supervised responsibilities that may continue throughout the estate-administration process. Before distributing assets, selling estate property or paying non-routine claims, confirm that the proposed action is authorized and consistent with the will, Maryland law and applicable probate requirements.