If the person died “testate” (that is with a written will), then a “personal representative” was likely named in the will. If it is you who has been named, you legally can, and should, take steps to protect the deceased’s property. Under such circumstance who will be appointed as the personal representative will be dictated by the court. The court may require that the personal representative get approval for every transaction or may allow the personal representative to administer the estate unsupervised. In the last part of this series, we will discuss locating other relevant documents and successfully administering the deceased’s estate.