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The Law of Wills, Trusts and Estate Administration
Part of the common law series
Wills
Wills  · Legal history of wills
Joint wills and mutual wills  · Will contract
Codicils  · Holographic will  · Nuncupative will
Parts of a Will
Attestation clause  · Residuary clause
Incorporation by reference
Contesting a Will
Testamentary capacity  · Undue influence
Insane delusion  · Fraud
Problems of property disposition
Lapse and anti-lapse
Ademption  · Abatement
Acts of independent significance
Elective share  · Pretermitted heir
Trusts
Generic Terms:
Express trust  · Constructive trust
Resulting trust
Common Types of Trust:
Bare trust  · Discretionary trust
Accumulation and Maintenance trust
Interest in Possession trust
Charitable trust  · Purpose trust
Incentive trust
Other Specific Types of Trust:
Protective trust  · Spendthrift trust
Life insurance trust  · Remainder trust
Life interest trust  · Reversionary interest trust
Honorary trust  · Asset-protection trust
Special needs trust: (general)/(U.S.)
Doctrines governing trusts
Pour-over will  · Cy-près doctrine
Estate Administration
Intestacy  · Testator  · Probate
Power of appointment
Simultaneous death  · Slayer rule
Disclaimer of interest
Other related topics
Living Wills (advance directives)
Totten trust
Other areas of the Common Law
Contract law  · Tort law  · Property law
Criminal law  · Evidence

This article is about the legal term. For other uses of the term, see Executor (disambiguation).

An executor, in the broadest sense, is one who carries something out (in other words, one who is responsible for executing a task).

Executor (female form: executrix) is also a legal term referring to a person named by a maker of a will, or nominated by the testator, to carry out the directions of the will. Typically the executor is the person responsible for offering the will for probate, although it is not absolutely required that he or she do so. The executor's duties also include the disbursement of property to the beneficiaries as designated in the will, obtaining information about any other potential heirs, collecting and arranging for payment of debts of the estate and approving or disapproving creditors' claims. An executor also makes sure estate taxes are calculated, necessary forms are filed and tax payments made, and in all ways assists the attorney for the estate. Also the executor makes all donations as left in bequests to charitable and other organizations as directed in the will. In most circumstances the executor is the representative of the estate for all purposes, and has the ability to sue or be sued on behalf of the estate. The executor also holds legal title to the estate property, but may not use that property for the executor's own benefit unless expressly permitted by the terms of the will.

A person who deals with a deceased person's property without proper authority is known as an executor de son tort. Such a person's actions may subsequently be ratified by the lawful executors or administrators if the actions do not contradict the substantive provisions of the deceased's will or the rights of heirs at law.

Where there is no will, a person is said to have died intestate - "without testimony". As a result, there can be no actual 'testimony' to follow, and hence there can be no executor. If there is no will or where the executors named in a will do not wish to act, an administrator of the deceased's estate may instead be appointed. The generic term for executors or administrators is personal representative.

• executorial trustee
• estate
• inheritance
• literary executor

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