If you have been named as an executor or an administrator for the estate of a recently deceased loved one or colleague, you may – very understandably – be feeling a great deal of pressure associated with your responsibilities. Estate administration is a consequential process and is one that could even result in personal liability if you don’t execute your duties in specific ways.
It is important to understand that you can ask for legal guidance and assistance as the estate administration process progresses. Without an experienced advocate by your side, you may find that some tasks are simply too challenging to handle on your own. For example, if the testator whose estate you represent failed to craft a digital estate plan before their death, you may be uncertain as to how to identify and access their digital assets, let alone how to manage them. You don’t have to navigate challenging circumstances like these alone.
Administration of a Digital Estate
Every time that someone opens a new password-protected account, uploads intellectual property to the Cloud, or engages in financial transactions online, they slightly modify their digital footprint. Digital estate planning is the process of identifying what an individual’s digital footprint consists of, how each account and asset can be accessed (and by whom), and how someone’s online presence should be managed in the wake of their death.
If the testator whose estate you represent did not draft a digital estate plan, you will likely be directly charged with identifying and unraveling their digital estate. It is arguably more important that you seek legal guidance under these circumstances than it is under many others, simply because this area of the law is very new and is evolving at a rapid rate. Simply trusting your instincts in re: how to identify, access, distribute, and otherwise manage digital assets specifically could be a risky undertaking.
Instead, you can work with our team to determine which Internet-based regulations must be followed as the testator’s digital estate is processed. As this task will require more than the simple identification and distribution of digital debts and assets, having assistance can potentially save you time, stress, effort, and the risk of personal liability.
Contact a Reputable Dallas, TX Estate Administration Lawyer for Personalized Insight
Since 1926, the dedicated team of Dallas, TX estate administration lawyers at Norris & Weber has been assisting Texans with their estate administration and probate needs. When it comes to acting as an executor or administrator for an estate – particularly one that is complex in nature – you and the creator of the estate in question both deserve an approach that is tried and true.
You do not need to navigate the “digital mess” left behind by a well-meaning but ill-prepared testator alone. By scheduling a risk-free legal consultation, you can gain insight concerning the efficient, effective administration of an estate that features significant digital assets. To get started, you can submit a contact form on our website or call us at (214) 521-1520. We look forward to assisting you.