Personal representatives often reach out to estate practitioners for advice and guidance. This paper aims to familiarize readers with some of the challenges faced by personal representatives and provide an overview of the general duties and core tasks of personal representatives. It includes a basic review of estate administration fundamentals, and then discusses, in detail, the core tasks of personal representatives, including: identifying the estate assets and liabilities; administering and managing the estate; satisfying debts and obligations of the estate; and distributing and accounting for the administration of the estate.

This paper is part of a collection presented at LESA’s Estate Administration Fundamentals program held in Edmonton on November 30, 2016 and in Calgary on December 7, 2016.