Probate is primarily a legal process whereby property owned by a deceased person is transferred to a living person. In probate, a court oversees the administration of a decedent’s estate. The case file is a public record. As part of this oversight, the court appoints someone to serve as a Personal Representative (the Executor). This person is granted the legal authority to act on behalf of the deceased person. The Personal Representative is then able to manage the deceased person’s affairs. The probate process can take anywhere from 6 months to several years to complete. On average, however, we have found that a probate proceeding without complications or conflicts lasts approximately 6-9 months.